Wired.com and Technology Review ran articles about Ed Boyden's most recent optogenetics research. In collaboration with Robert Desimone and Ann Graybiel, Boyden inserted genes for light-activated proteins in the brains of rhesus macaque monkeys, using them to optically control the activity of specific neurons. This is the first demonstration of the optical technique in non-human primates. "It paves the way for new therapies that could target a number of psychiatric disorders," Boyden said.
Lighting up the Brain
May 26, 2009
Christopher Moore's recent study in Nature garnered attention in Scientific American and Seed magazines. The study used laser light to induce gamma waves in the mouse brain. "This is the first time we've been able to turn on and turn of brain states," Moore said, "which may someday lead to new treatments for a range of brain-related disorders."
Driven to distraction
May 11, 2009
Robert Desimone was featured as an expert on attention in a CNN segment about texting while driving. The segment aired at 7pm on the Lou Dobbs program.
Science of concentration
May 5, 2009
Robert Desimone was featured as the key expert in a New York Times article and related blog about the science of paying attention. It was the most emailed story the day after it was published and it attracted over 140 comments -- some of which Desimone answered publicly on the related blog.
Ed Boyden discusses his latest advances in optogenetics research with wired.com. Read the article
Illusions reveal new insights into perception
April 26, 2009
Discover Magazine blogged about Christopher Moore's latest illusion research, which found that how we feel the world can actually influence how we see it. Read the blog
John Gabrieli on PBS
April 25, 2009
John Gabrieli was featured as an expert on the PBS special New Science of Learning: Brain Fitness for Kids. Watch Gabrieli discuss the role of brain plasticity in child development and learning. The program premiered on KQED April 25, 2009, and will air nationally this summer. Check your local listings for details.
Old habits die hard
April 6, 2009
Ann Graybiel was cited as a key expert in a Los Angeles Times article about habit formation.
Read the article
From the Corner Office
March 30, 2009
In a feature article, Success magazine profiled Patrick McGovern, co-founder of the McGovern Institute for Brain Research and founder/chairman of International Data Group.
Read the article
Neurotechnology hailed as life-changing invention
March 27, 2009
In a report by FOXNews.com called "Five Inventions That Will Change Your Life," Ed Boyden's optogenetics research is featured at the top of the list.
Read the article
Will brain imaging tell if I lie?
March 5, 2009
Nancy Kanwisher explains her reservations about using brain imaging as a lie detector to the French publication L'Express. Read the article in French
The brain adapts to macular degeneration
March 3, 2009
The US News and World Report covered the study from Nancy Kanwisher's lab exploring how neurons seek input from undamaged areas in macular degeneration, a common form of adult blindness. Read the article
Rewiring the brain: Inside the new science of neuroengineering
March 2-3, 2009
In a two-part Wired article, Ed Boyden explains his mission for neuroengineering: "If we take seriously the idea that our minds are implemented in the circuits of our brains, then it becomes a top priority to understand how to engineer brains for the better." In looking at transcranial magenetic stimulation (TMS) for treating depression and other conditions, Wired learns about Boyden's prototype for an affordable, wearable unit that could go into wider use. Read Part 1 Read Part 2
When will we have intelligent robots?
February 26, 2009
The Italian publication La Stampa talks to Tomaso Poggio about future possibilities for intelligent robots. Read the article in Italian
John Gabrieli elected to American Association for the Advancement of Science
December 18, 2008
The association praises his "penetrating analyses of the nature of human memory, its neural substrates, its development and its problems." Read more
Discover Magazine: Ed Boyden among the "Top 20 under 40"
September 25, 2008
Discover magazine has named Ed Boyden among its top 20 scientists under 40 for work on "engineering brain implants that can stimulate with light pulses," which he hopes could help treat brain diseases including Parkinson's.
Read more in MIT's Tech Talk. Discover Magazine
Yingxi Lin: A master switch for balancing brain activity
September 25, 2008
New faculty member Yingxi Lin identified a gene that keeps nerve cells from becoming overexcited as happens in autism, schizophrenia and other neurological disorders. Read the news article in Scientific American: A Switch to Turn Off Autism? Read details about the study in the Harvard Focus Toward Curbing Enthusiasm
Patrick McGovern Profiled
July 7, 2008
The Guardian newspaper wrote about Patrick McGovern, co-founder of the McGovern Institute, and his company in the article "The Biggest Company You've Never Heard Of." Read the article: The Biggest Company You've Never Heard Of
Tomaso Poggio on Understanding the Brain
July 4, 2008
PC Magazine covered Tomaso Poggio's research in developing computer models of how the brain processes visual information. Read the article: Understanding the Brain
Singing in the Brain: Baby bird chirps use different neural pathway
Nancy Kanwisher’s seminal work on face recognition was recognized in article in the Wall Street Journal ("Some Scientists Argue We Are Built to Coo At the Sight of a Baby") New York Times ("Blind to Change") and Scientific American MIND ("A Face In The Crowd").
Read the articles in the Wall Street Journal and New York Times
Cultural insights: Brain scans support surprising differences in perception between Westerners and Asians
January - March 2008
The March 3 Boston Globe’s Health/Science Section featured an article about John Gabrieli’s brain scan study on March 3. This January study was also widely covered in the international media. Read the Boston Globe article and see the coverage on MSNBC News
Caught on tape: Rat videos reveal whisker secrets
February 27, 2008
A high speed video technique developed in Christopher Moore’s lab that captured rat whiskers in motion captured much media attention.
Visionary Research: Teaching Computers to See Like a Human
February 2008
Scientific American writes about Tomaso Poggio's brain-inspired computer model of human vision may improve image recognition software. The BBC series "Visions of the Future" and the IEEE Journal: Computing In Science & Engineering also featured this work. Read the article in Scientific American
Chris Moore: Blood flow may be key player in neural processing
January 2008
Scientific American magazine and the Spanish magazine Muy Interesante discussed Moore’s intriguing hemo-neural hypothesis. Read the article in Scientific American
McGovern Institute and Tsinghua University in China enter collaborative research agreement
January 15, 2008
The collaborative agreement will promote advances in basic neuroscience research that can be applied to the study of the human brain, as well as devastating brain diseases and mental disorders Read the article in China View
John Gabrieli's research on sex differences featured on national television news.
January 14, 2008
John Gabrieli's research was featured in a NBC national news report on January 14. Read more
MIT to study genes’ role in mental illness
October 22, 2007
The McGovern Institute establishes the Poitras Center for Affective Disorders with a $20 million commitment from to MIT alumnus James Poitras and his wife Patricia. Read the article in the Boston Globe
At nonprofits, asking for money becomes part of the job
September 5, 2007
The McGovern Institute exemplifies a new trend in establishing long-term research collaborations with philanthropists, such as Leadership Board member Tom Peterson’s support for Christopher Moore’s research on his new Hemo-Neural Hypothesis. Read the article in the Boston Globe
Blossoming Brains, Maturing Memories
April, 2007
John Gabrieli and Noa Ofen discover age-related differences in the brain relate to age-related differences in memory formation.
Read the articles in The Economist, The Japan News, and Forbes.
When Computer Vision Imitates Life
April, 2007
Tomaso Poggio's computational model's recognizes glimpses of objects as well as humans. Click here for media cover in theEconmist, New Scientist, Science Daily, etc.
Which is smarter, the human brain or computers?
May 7, 2007
Leadership Board Chairman Bob Metcalfe writes about brains, computers, networks, and Tomaso Poggio in Forbes magazine. Read more
Time Magazine (print edition) reproduces Nancy Kanwisher’s “famous set of brain scans” in a special issue called “A User’s Guide to Brain.”
January 29, 2007
Brain scans show “1) a scanner can spot the difference between a brain recognizing a face and a brain recognizing a place; and 2) imaging faces or places lights up the same neurons as actually seeing them.”
The Economist magazine features Nancy Kanwisher
December 23, 2006
See "A Survey of the Brain" in the December 23, 2006 print edition or visit www.economist.com/surveys (online subscription required)
Bob Desimone comments on MRI as a window on the brain
Virtual workout beats the boredom for stroke patients
May 10 2004
PEOPLE who have suffered a partial loss of arm and hand control after a stroke might soon be spared the
arduous trip to the hospital for physiotherapy. Instead they'll be able to log on to the Internet at home
and run through the rehabilitation exercises designed by their doctor.
Groundbreaking ceremonies for the McGovern Institute for
Brain Research's new building were held May 19th on the MIT campus.
This state-of-the-art facility, which will house not only the McGovern Institute
for Brain Research, but the Department
of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and the Picower
Center, is scheduled to be completed in the fall of 2005. Read the article in MIT News
Phillip Sharp quoted in article published by The Scientist
April 2003
Phillip Sharp was quoted in "Shhh: Silencing Genes with RNA Interference", an article published by The Scientist.
McGovern Institute faculty featured in Time Magazine as "The Pioneers of Molecular Biology"
March 2003
Phillip A. Sharp, director of the McGovern Institute and H. Robert Horvitz, investigator at the McGovern Institute were
featured in Time Magazine as two of the pioneers of molecular biology.
McGovern Institute's Ann Graybiel, Ph.D. is the 2002 winner of the James R. Killian Faculty Achievement Award which recognizes extraordinary
professional accomplishment by full-time members of the MIT faculty. Read the article in MIT News
Singing in the Brain
January 2003
Researchers flocked here in December 2002 for the first international conference
devoted to birdsong. New findings presented at the meeting shed light on the neural
circuits that coordinate the intricate movements needed to create song.
Ann Graybiel is this year's winner of the Robert S. Dow Neuroscience Award
November 2002
McGovern's Ann Graybiel, Ph.D., is this year's winner of the Robert S. Dow Neuroscience Award presented by the OHSU Neurological Sciences
Institute. Read the article in OHSU News
Graybiel awarded the National Medal of Science
May 2002
The National Medal of Science is the nation's highest science and technology honor.
It recognizes individuals in a variety of fields for pioneering scientific research and for their lifetime achievements. Read the article at MIT News
Horvitz receives the Bristol-Myers Squibb Award For Distinguished Achievement In Neuroscience Research
August 2001
His discovery of the genes responsible for programmed cell death revealed that cell death Is an active biological process and
defined a genetic pathway conserved in humans.
Read the article at Heriditary Foundation News
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