Brain and cognitive sciences

Scene perception versus action in the brainCognitive neuroscientists shed light on how the brain responds to scenes and their mirror-image reversals.

Portable, super-high-resolution 3-D imagingA simple new imaging system could help manufacturers inspect their products, forensics experts identify weapons and doctors identify cancers.

Recognizing voices depends on language abilityStudy finds that for people with dyslexia, it’s much harder to identify who is speaking.

How the brain assigns objects to categoriesNew findings may explain why children with autism tend to fixate on details instead of seeing the big picture.

Don’t show, don’t tell?Cognitive scientists find that when teaching young children, there is a trade-off between direct instruction and independent exploration.

When things go wrong, who’s to blame?New study shows that infants are surprisingly adept at figuring out whether they made a mistake or if something is wrong in the world.

When four is not four, but rather two plus twoMIT neuroscientists redefine the limits of visual working memory.

Inside the infant mindNew study shows that babies can perform sophisticated analyses of how the physical world should behave.

What makes an image memorable?Hint: We tend to remember pictures of people much better than wide open spaces.

How to control complex networksNew algorithm offers ability to influence systems such as living cells or social networks.

Of minds and machinesFinal installment of MIT’s 150th anniversary symposia explores intelligence — both human and artificial.

The benefits of meditationMIT and Harvard neuroscientists explain why the practice helps tune out distractions and relieve pain.

Jerome Lettvin, MIT professor emeritus, dies at 91Dynamic cognitive scientist made key contributions to neurophysiology and vision science.

Shedding light on a longstanding puzzleStudy of blind children in India helps answer a 300-year-old philosophical question.

Tenenbaum wins Troland AwardNational Academy of Science award honors young investigators.

Re-creating autism, in miceMice with a particular gene mutation avoid interacting with other mice and show compulsive, repetitive behavior.

Parts of brain can switch functionsIn people born blind, brain regions that usually process vision can tackle language.

Wordly wisdomWhat determines the length of words? MIT researchers say they know.

What blame can tell us about autismNeuroscientists find evidence that autistic patients have trouble understanding other people’s intentions.

A clearer picture of visionNew mathematical model of information processing in the brain accurately predicts some of the peculiarities of human vision.

Illuminating the brainNeuroscientists’ new technique can stimulate brain cells, then reveal how those neurons influence the rest of the brain.

6 from MIT named AAAS fellows

Understanding the anesthetized brainNeuroscientist Emery Brown hopes to shed light on a longstanding medical mystery: how general anesthesia works.

7 win presidential early career honorsMIT has greatest number of recipients from a single institution.

Brain control

Younger brains are easier to rewireStudy of blind patients supports the idea that there is a period early in a person’s development when brain regions can switch functions.

Feng Zhang, expert on genetic control of brain function, to join BCS faculty

Protein linked to aging may boost memory and learning abilityDiscovery could lead to new drugs to fight Alzheimer’s and other neurological diseases.