AI SummaryRecent research from MIT Professor Pawan Sinha reveals that there is a longer window of brain plasticity for visual tasks than previously believed, as older children with congenital cataracts can learn visual skills such as recognizing faces and distinguishing objects from a background after their sight is restored through surgery. The researchers have also… Continue reading Scientists discover anatomical changes in the brains of the newly sighted
Tag: Developmental Neuroscience
Astrocyte cells critical for learning skilled movements
AI SummaryResearchers at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT have discovered that astrocytes, a type of brain cell, play an essential role in motor learning. Astrocytes interact with ensembles of neurons in the motor cortex, helping them encode the timing, trajectory, and performance of movements. The findings suggest that astrocytes are crucial… Continue reading Astrocyte cells critical for learning skilled movements
3 Questions: Mriganka Sur on the research origins of the first approved drug to treat Rett syndrome
AI SummaryThe U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved the first-ever treatment for Rett syndrome, a devastating developmental disorder caused by mutations in the MECP2 gene. The approval of the drug Trofinetide, based on the natural protein IGF-1, offers hope to patients and their families. Researchers, including Mriganka Sur at MIT, discovered the potential of… Continue reading 3 Questions: Mriganka Sur on the research origins of the first approved drug to treat Rett syndrome
Studies of unusual brains reveal critical insights into brain organization, function
E.G. (a pseudonym) is an accomplished woman in her early 60s: She is a college graduate and has an advanced professional degree. She has a stellar vocabulary — in the 98th percentile, according to tests — and has mastered a foreign language (Russian) to the point that she sometimes dreams in it. She also has,… Continue reading Studies of unusual brains reveal critical insights into brain organization, function
Sparse, small, but diverse neural connections help make perception reliable, efficient
AI SummaryThe thalamus, a region in the brain, plays a crucial role in communication with the cerebral cortex, but little is known about how this process works due to the lack of observed connections between the two regions. However, a new study by researchers at MIT has discovered that while the connections between the thalamus… Continue reading Sparse, small, but diverse neural connections help make perception reliable, efficient
Holding information in mind may mean storing it among synapses
AI SummaryMIT neuroscientists have published a study in PLOS Computational Biology explaining how working memory works. The study found that a network of neurons stores information in working memory by making short-lived changes in the pattern of their connections, contradicting the traditional theory that memory is maintained by persistently active neurons. This insight provides a… Continue reading Holding information in mind may mean storing it among synapses
Using light to manipulate neuron excitability
AI SummaryMIT and Harvard researchers have developed a new technique to achieve longer-term changes in neuron activity using light exposure to alter the electrical capacitance of neurons’ membranes. This manipulation of excitability could help understand brain processes, aging, diseases, and potentially lead to therapeutic applications.Nearly 20 years ago, scientists developed ways to stimulate or silence… Continue reading Using light to manipulate neuron excitability
Silent synapses are abundant in the adult brain
AI SummaryMIT neuroscientists have discovered that the adult brain contains silent synapses, immature connections between neurons that remain inactive until they are recruited to help form new memories. About 30% of synapses in the adult mouse brain are silent, and the researchers believe this helps the brain continuously form new memories without modifying existing synapses.… Continue reading Silent synapses are abundant in the adult brain