Connect or reject: Extensive rewiring builds binocular vision in the brain

A first-of-its-kind study in mice reveals that neurons add and shed synapses at a frenzied pace during development to integrate visual signals from the two eyes.

Scientists have long known that the brain’s visual system isn’t fully hardwired from the start—it becomes refined by what babies see—but the authors of a new MIT study still weren’t prepared for the degree of rewiring they observed when they took a first-ever look at the process in mice as it happened in real-time. Story continues>>

Different anesthetics, same result: unconsciousness by shifting brainwave phase

MIT study finds that an easily measurable brain wave shift may be a universal marker of unconsciousness under anesthesia

At the level of molecules and cells, ketamine and dexmedetomidine work very differently, but in the operating room they do the same exact thing: anesthetize the patient. By demonstrating how these distinct drugs achieve the same result, a new study in animals by neuroscientists at The Picower Institute identifies a potential signature of unconsciousness that is readily measurable to improve anesthesiology care. "If unconsciousness has a universal signature, it could also reveal the mechanisms that generate consciousness." Story continues>>

Aging Brain Initiative seed grants fund five new projects to address neurodegenerative disease

Campuswide collaboration sparks new research to develop assistive technology, enhance interventions, decipher brain biochemistry, advance big data analysis, and assess the public’s understanding of dementia risk and protective factors.

The devastating impacts of neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s afflict millions of American families, and tens of millions more around the globe, in numerous ways. To help meet a variety of the challenges these diseases pose, MIT’s Aging Brain Initiative has awarded seed grants that will launch five innovative research projects across campus. Story continues>>

The how and why of the brain’s division across hemispheres

Why does the brain split visual spatial perception between its hemispheres? A new review examines the advantages and trade-offs, and how the brain ultimately makes vision feel seamless

People have a lot of misconceptions about what the brain’s left and right hemispheres do, but one well-known aspect of this division may be even more true than people realize: The brain not only splits up visual spatial perception—processing what’s on our left in the right hemisphere and what’s on our right in the left hemisphere—it takes cognitive advantage of that. A new review by MIT neuroscientists explains what the field has learned about this division of labor, the trade-off it involves, and how the brain ultimately bridges the divide. Story continues>>

Congratulations Myriam and Kwanghun!

Myriam Heiman and Kwanghun Chung have each been promoted to the rank of full Professor.

🎉As of July 1, Picower Institute investigator Myriam Heiman is a full professor in the Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences and Picower Institute investigator Kwanghun Chung has been named the Eugene McDermott Professor in the Brain Sciences and Human Behavior. Congratulations to both on their promotions! 🍰

As textbook’s 5th edition hits shelves, Bear reflects on introducing many 1,000s of students to neuroscience

With an emphasis on approachability, “Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain” enters its fourth decade as the text of undergraduate neuroscience classes worldwide.

From the very beginning, Mark Bear’s philosophy for the textbook “Neuroscience: Exploring the Brain” was to provide an accessible and exciting introduction to the field while still giving undergraduates a rigorous scientific foundation. Since its first print printing in 1995, the treasured 975-page tome has gone on to become the leading introductory neuroscience textbook, reaching thousands of students at hundreds of universities. Story continues>>

Profile: Elly Nedivi works to improve bipolar diagnosis, treatment

Picower Institute investigator Elly Nedivi is looking to develop a genetic test for bipolar disorder that could end the all-too-common misdiagnoses, the years of frustration, and instead advance life-changing treatments. 

While much is known about the brain, much still remains a mystery about how it works, reacts, and adapts to experience. Professor Elly Nedivi wants to find out more, using tools as diverse as cellular imaging in the brains of live mice and genetic data of patients with bipolar disorder. Story continues>>

Retreat provides a change of scenery for scientific exchange

A note about events: Event schedules and details are subject to change. Please check associated links frequently in advance of events that interest you.

Registration for The Aging Brain Initiative Symposium is now open! Join us Sept. 18.

Join us on Thursday, September 18, 2025 at The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory for a full day of talks and a trainee poster session exploring the neuro-immune axis and the aging brain with the keynote delivered by Michal Schwartz of the Weizmann Institute of Science.

Keynote Speaker:

Michal Schwartz, Weizmann Institute of Science

Featured Speakers:

• Isaac Chiu, Harvard Medical School

• Marco Colonna, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

• Jonathan Kipnis, Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis

• Sarkis Mazmanian, California Institute of Technology

• Sara Prescott, Picower Institute, MIT

• Beth Stevens, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School

• Kevin Tracey, Feinstein Institutes for Medical Research at Northwell Health

• Li-Huei Tsai, Picower Institute, MIT

Save the date  for The Picower Institute's Fall Symposium: October 21, 2025

Join us Tuesday Oct. 21 for the Institute's Fall Symposium, "Circuits of Survival and Homeostasis," hosted by Assistant Professor Sara Prescott. Confirmed speakers include: 

• Ya-Chieh Hsu, Harvard 
• Zachary Knight, University of California, San Francisco, HHMI
• Mark Krasnow, Stanford University
• Qin Liu, Washington University in St. Louis
• Yuki Oka, Caltech
• Clifford B. Saper, Harvard 
• Li Ye, Scripps Research Institute, HHMI

Check back for the schedule and registration page soon.

Brain and Cognitive Sciences colloquia

• October 23, 2025, Gloria Choi, The Picower Institute, MIT
• March 19, 2026, Christopher Harvey, Harvard University
• April 30, 2026, Priya Rajasethupathy, The Rockefeller University

All colloquia begin at 4 p.m. in Singleton Auditorium, MIT Building 46

Aging Brain Initiative Seminars

• August 5, Ramon C. Sun, University of Florida
• December 8, Kang Shen, Stanford University

Seminars begin at 4 p.m. in the Picower Seminar Room, MIT Building 46