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: Sensory and Motor Systems
How Huntington’s disease affects different neurons
AI SummaryIn patients with Huntington’s disease, neurodegeneration of two distinct cell populations in the striatum, the striosomes and the matrix, contribute to motor impairments and mood disorders, respectively. Using single-cell RNA sequencing, researchers at MIT have mapped these cell populations and their vulnerability to Huntington’s disease, hoping to develop new treatments that target specific cells.… Continue reading How Huntington’s disease affects different neurons
How touch dampens the brain’s response to painful stimuli
AI SummaryResearchers at MIT’s McGovern Institute for Brain Research have observed how touch can alleviate pain in mice, offering a deeper understanding of the relationship between pain and touch and potential insights into chronic pain in humans. The researchers found that whisker movement, which activates touch receptors in mice’s faces, altered their responses to painful… Continue reading How touch dampens the brain’s response to painful stimuli