Neuroscience

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.

Moving inventions to the marketplaceMIT/Harvard symposium seeks commercial opportunities for emerging technologies.

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

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.

Seeing the lightOptogenetic technology restores visual behavior in mice, holds promise for treating human blindness.

McGovern Institute honors pioneer in understanding brain hormones

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.

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

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

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

A new way to evaluate dyslexiaNeuroscientists show that brain scans can predict whether children’s reading ability will improve.

When gender isn’t written all over one’s faceNeuroscientists find that the same face may look male or female, depending on where it appears in a person’s field of view.

Heading off traumaStudy suggests adding a face shield to military helmets would help more soldiers avoid blast-induced brain injuries.

Brain control

Force of habitNew study shows that costs and rewards of behavior help the brain form optimal habits.

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.

Nerve-cell regeneration quest is fast trackedMicrochip technology rapidly identifies compounds for regrowing nerves, in live animals.

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

Lunch with a Laureate: Robert HorvitzPresented by the MIT Museum and the Cambridge Science Festival

Proteins linked to longevity also linked to Alzheimer’sSirtuins appear to control production of the devastating protein fragments that form plaques in the brains of Alzheimer’s patients.

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

Postdoc awarded Otto Hahn medal of the Max Planck SocietyHonored for thesis on neural correlates of visual illusions

Guoping Feng, expert on synapses and psychiatric disorders, joins MIT faculty

McGovern Institute video wins Telly AwardGiven top honors in fundraising category