News

May 13, 2025

Daily mindfulness practice reduces anxiety for autistic adults

Jennifer Michalowski | McGovern Institute for Brain Research

After six weeks of practicing mindfulness with the help of a smartphone app, adults with autism reported lasting improvements in their well-being.

Alexandra Bardon speaking in front of a poster displaying her research

May 13, 2025

Researching consciousness to refine anesthetic care

Jarret Bencks

Since high school, Alex Bardon has been interested in biology. As an undergrad at Caltech, she was introduced to the world of computer science.

Systems neuroscience was the place where those interests met.

May 12, 2025

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

David Orenstein | The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory

New evidence suggests sensory stimulation of gamma-frequency brain rhythm may promote broad-based restorative neurological health response.

May 7, 2025

Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten

David Orenstein | The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory

Study shows how a dopamine circuit between two brain regions enables mice to extinguish fear after a peril has passed.

A collage of images from department award ceremonies

May 1, 2025

BCS celebrates 2025 faculty, staff, academic awards

The Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences celebrated faculty, staff, teaching, mentorship, and academic excellence in several recent ceremonies.

April 29, 2025

In kids, EEG monitoring of consciousness safely reduces anesthetic use

David Orenstein | The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory

Clinical trial finds several outcomes improved for young children when an anesthesiologist observed their brain waves to guide dosing of sevoflurane during surgery.

April 29, 2025

Response to infection highlights the nervous system’s surprising degrees of flexibility

David Orenstein | The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory

Upon infection, the C. elegans worm reshuffles the roles of brain cells and flips the functions of some of the chemicals it uses to regulate behavior.

April 23, 2025

A brief history of expansion microscopy

Jennifer Michalowski | McGovern Institute for Brain Research

Since an MIT team introduced expansion microscopy in 2015, the technique has powered the science behind kidney disease, plant seeds, the microbiome, Alzheimer’s, viruses, and more.

April 18, 2025

MIT’s McGovern Institute is shaping brain science and improving human lives on a global scale

Julie Pryor | McGovern Institute for Brain Research

A quarter century after its founding, the McGovern Institute reflects on its discoveries in the areas of neuroscience, neurotechnology, artificial intelligence, brain-body connections, and therapeutics.

April 18, 2025

Making AI-generated code more accurate in any language

Adam Zewe | MIT News

A new technique automatically guides an LLM toward outputs that adhere to the rules of whatever programming language or other format is being used.

In the News

May 7, 2025

Daily mindfulness practice reduces anxiety for autistic adults

Researching consciousness to refine anesthetic care

In Down syndrome mice, 40Hz light and sound improve cognition, neurogenesis, connectivity

Dopamine signals when a fear can be forgotten

BCS celebrates 2025 faculty, staff, academic awards

In kids, EEG monitoring of consciousness safely reduces anesthetic use

Response to infection highlights the nervous system’s surprising degrees of flexibility

A brief history of expansion microscopy

MIT’s McGovern Institute is shaping brain science and improving human lives on a global scale

Making AI-generated code more accurate in any language

In the News

What's it like to be a baby? Scanning their brains can help us find out

Have We Been Thinking About A.D.H.D. All Wrong?

It began with a rabbit: Unraveling the mystery of memory

Is that chatbot smarter than a 4-year-old? Experts put it to the test.