Engaging children in more conversation may be all it takes to strengthen language processing networks in their brains, according to a new study by MIT scientists. Childhood experiences, including language exposure, have a profound impact on the brain’s development. Now, scientists led by McGovern Institute investigator John Gabrieli have shown that when families change their […]
Building Networks Robert Yang is interested in building neural network and circuit models of brain functions. He has contributed to the modern use of recurrent neural networks as a modeling tool in neuroscience. His work has shed light on neural mechanisms for cognitive flexibility. The Yang lab focuses on building multi-scale, multi-system integrative models of […]
Cognitive neuroscientist John Gabrieli has been named the 2021 winner of the Samuel Torrey Orton Award, the International Dyslexia Association’s highest honor. The award recognizes achievements of leading researchers and practitioners in the dyslexia field, as well as those of individuals with dyslexia who exhibit leadership and serve as role models in their communities. “I […]
McGovern Institute Fellows Omar Abudayyeh and Jonathan Gootenberg have both been named to MIT Technology Review’s annual list of exceptional innovators under the age of 35. The annual list recognizes “exceptionally talented technologists whose work has great potential to transform the world.” Abudayyeh was named to the 2020 list for developing a CRISPR-based test for […]
Slender probes equipped with electrodes, optical channels, and other tools are widely used by neuroscientists to monitor and manipulate brain activity in animal studies. Now, scientists at MIT have devised a way to make these usually rigid devices become as soft and pliable as their surroundings when they are implanted in the brain. Their new […]
Many neurodevelopmental disorders share similar symptoms, such as learning disabilities or attention deficits. A new study from MIT has uncovered a common neural mechanism for a type of cognitive impairment seen in some people with autism and schizophrenia, even though the genetic variations that produce the impairments are different for each condition. In a study […]