Finding some stability in adaptable brains
New research suggests neurons protect and preserve certain information through a dedicated zone of stable synapses.
New open-source tool helps to detangle the brain
The software tool NeuroTrALE is designed to quickly and efficiently process large amounts of brain imaging data semi-automatically.
Study reveals ways in which 40Hz sensory stimulation may preserve brain’s “white matter”
Gamma frequency light and sound stimulation preserves myelination in mouse models and reveals molecular mechanisms that may underlie the benefit.
Study across multiple brain regions discerns Alzheimer’s vulnerability and resilience factors
Genomics and lab studies reveal numerous findings, including a key role for Reelin amid neuronal vulnerability, and for choline and antioxidants in sustaining cognition.
Microscope system sharpens scientists’ view of neural circuit connections
A newly described technology improves the clarity and speed of using two-photon microscopy to image synapses in the living brain.
Technologies enable 3D imaging of whole human brain hemispheres at subcellular resolution
Three innovations by an MIT-based team enable high-resolution, high-throughput imaging of human brain tissue at a full range of scales, and mapping connectivity of neurons at single-cell resolution.
With programmable pixels, novel sensor improves imaging of neural activity
New camera chip design allows for optimizing each pixel’s timing to maximize signal-to-noise ratio when tracking real-time visual indicator of neural voltage.
To understand cognition — and its dysfunction — neuroscientists must learn its rhythms
A new framework describes how thought arises from the coordination of neural activity driven by oscillating electric fields — a.k.a. brain “waves” or “rhythms.”
How sensory gamma rhythm stimulation clears amyloid in Alzheimer’s mice
Study finds stimulating a key brain rhythm with light and sound increases peptide release from interneurons, driving clearance of an Alzheimer’s protein.
Using AI to optimize for rapid neural imaging
MIT CSAIL researchers combine AI and electron microscopy to expedite detailed brain network mapping, aiming to enhance connectomics research and clinical pathology.
Retraining the brain for better vision
Professor Mark Bear's research on brain plasticity spins off a promising candidate to treat amblyopia, or lazy eye.
How a single neuron’s parallel outputs can coordinate many aspects of behavior
Study finds that in worms, the HSN neuron uses multiple chemicals and connections to orchestrate egg-laying and locomotion over the course of several minutes.
Individual neurons mix multiple RNA edits of key synapse protein, study finds
Neurons stochastically generated up to eight different versions of a protein-regulating neurotransmitter release, which could vary how they communicate with other cells.
Study connects neural gene expression differences to functional distinctions
Researchers compared a pair of superficially similar motor neurons in fruit flies to examine how their differing use of the same genome produced distinctions in form and function.
Cracking the code that relates brain and behavior in a simple animal
MIT researchers model and create an atlas for how neurons of the worm C. elegans encode its behaviors, make findings available on their “WormWideWeb.”