McGovern Investigator Mehrdad Jazayeri has received the 2026 Robert A. Wurtz Award in Systems Neuroscience for his efforts to understand how neural circuits support cognition and behavior. The Robert H. Wurtz Award and Lecture in Systems Neuroscience recognizes advancements in neural research, including discoveries deciphering how brain circuits generate vision and guide behavior, and how […]
As artificial intelligence becomes more and more powerful, its ability to handle human-like tasks is undeniable. Artificial neural networks can learn to recognize images, use language, or write computer code. Like the brain’s circuits, they reorganize themselves as they learn, adjusting the strengths of their connections to improve their performance. The question for many neuroscientists […]
When people reach out during a mental health crisis, a top priority for counselors is identifying those with a high risk of suicide. The distressed person’s language holds critical clues, and a new tool developed by scientists at MIT’s McGovern Institute is designed to pick up on and rapidly evaluate those signals. The language-processing tool […]
Longtime supporters Patricia and James Poitras ’63 have launched a fellowship program for MIT graduate students and postdoctoral researchers studying major mental illness, expanding their philanthropy to directly support early-career scientists. The commitment establishes 50 two-year fellowships through the Poitras Center for Psychiatric Disorders Research at the McGovern Institute. Five fellowships will be awarded every year for the […]
MIT researchers are launching a study to explore how dance — specifically classical Indian dance — may influence mental and physical well-being. McGovern Investigator John Gabrieli is leading a study examining the health benefits of Kuchipudi classical Indian dance in undergraduate students. As a cognitive scientist, Gabrieli’s research focuses on understanding how the human brain […]
