Rett syndrome study highlights potential for personalized treatments

Using advanced human cell cultures to model Rett syndrome, MIT researchers tracked how two different mutations alter neural circuit development and how each could be addressed with distinct potential therapeutics

Though many studies approach the developmental disorder Rett syndrome as a single condition arising from general loss of function in the gene MECP2, a new study by neuroscientists in The Picower Institute shows that two different mutations of the gene caused many distinct abnormalities in lab cultures. Moreover, correcting key differences made by each mutation required different treatments.  Story continues>>

How neurons sense bacteria in the gut

Neural interaction with bacteria, e.g. in the gut microbiome, has important effects on brains of animals from worms to people. A new study investigates how neurons sense bacteria by revealing, in nematodes, the bacterial signals that a key neuron detects

Recent studies suggest that animals and people alike have close and complex relationships with the bacteria around and within them. The human gut microbiome, for instance, has been associated with both depression and Parkinson’s disease. To go beyond association toward understanding of the actual mechanisms that enable the bacterial microbiome to influence brain function, a new study by neuroscientists in The Picower Institute examines the mechanisms at work in a model “bacterial specialist,” the nematode C. elegans. Story continues>>

A complete rethinking of how our brains use categories to make sense of the world

Challenging the classic view, two cognitive scientists argue in a new review that categorization is not a late, specialized stage of sensory processing. Instead, it is a core function operating at every level, anticipating bodily needs and motor plans. Categories are thus not fixed prototypes stored in “higher” areas of cortex, but dynamically constructed from prior experience throughout all of sensory processing.

In the new review article, “Categorization is Baked into the Brain,” cognitive scientists Lisa Feldman Barrett, University Distinguished Professor at Northeastern, and Earl K. Miller, Picower Professor at MIT, contend that categorization is part of a predictive process the brain uses to efficiently meet the body’s needs in a fast-paced, otherwise overwhelming sensory world. In that sense, their paper in Nature Reviews Neuroscience challenges decades of dogma about how and why the brain boils down what it sees, hears, smells, tastes and feels. Story continues>>

MIT-based team releases first AI foundation model for Alzheimer's prevention

FINGERS-7B integrates lifestyle, clinical, genomic, and proteomic data from tens of thousands of at-risk individuals to discover multi-omic biomarkers for preclinical Alzheimer's

Alzheimer’s disease is best addressed as early as possible, ideally before symptoms become apparent. To enable early, accurate risk prediction both for individuals and whole populations, a team of AI researchers, physicians, and scientists centered at MIT has released FINGERS-7B, the first AI foundation model built to make Alzheimer's preventable. The team presented the model at ICLR, one of the largest AI conferences, April 27th in Rio de Janeiro. Story continues>>

Three anesthesia drugs all have the same effect in the brain, MIT researchers find

Discovering this common mechanism could lead to a universal anesthesia-delivery system to monitor patients more effectively.

When patients undergo general anesthesia, doctors can choose among several drugs. Although each of these drugs acts on neurons in different ways, they all lead to the same result: a disruption of the brain’s balance between stability and excitability, according to a new MIT study. Story continues>>

With navigating nematodes, scientists map out how brains implement behaviors

How do nervous systems produce behaviors? A new MIT study provides a detailed mechanistic mapping of exactly what happens in the brains of C. elegans worms when they “follow their nose” to savor attractive odors or avoid unappealing ones.

Animal behavior reflects a complex interplay between an animal’s brain and its sensory surroundings. Only rarely have scientists been able to discern how actions emerge from this interaction. A new study in Nature Neuroscience by researchers in The Picower Institute offers one example by revealing how circuits of neurons within C. elegans nematode worms respond to odors and generate movement as they pursue smells they like and evade ones they don’t. Story continues>>

Leading with rigor, kindness, and care

“We cannot be effective scientists if we are unhappy or unhealthy outside of the lab,” says “Committed to Caring” honoree Sara Prescott

Assistant Professor Sara Prescott embodies the kind of mentorship every graduate student hopes to find: grounded in scientific rigor, guided by kindness, and defined by a deep commitment to well-being. Her approach reflects a simple but powerful belief that transformative mentorship is not only about advancing research, but about cultivating confidence, belonging, and resilience in the next generation of scholars. Story continues>>

Lives in the labs: Beyond the bench

Introducing a new series: We are our people, not just our papers. Via "Lives in the Labs"  learn more about what we do "beyond the bench."

School of Science Infinite Mile and Infinite Expansion Awards

Congratulations to Picower Institute HR Business Partner Savanna Fusco on earning a School of Science Infinite Mile Award and to Wilson Lab postdoc and Picower Fellow Takato Honda on earning a School of Science Infinite Expansion Award!

Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department Awards

Graduate Womxn in Biology earns 'Change-Maker' Award

The group Graduate Womxn in Biology has been nominated and selected for a 2026 Change-Maker Award from MIT's Violence Prevention & Response (VPR) office and the Institute Discrimination & Harassment Response Office (IDHR). MIT Change-Makers are individuals or student groups within the MIT community who actively and intentionally work to combat harassment and sexual violence by challenging harmful attitudes, language, or behaviors.

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

Register now for the Neuroscience of Democracy Symposium May 19

Lincoln’s famous phrase “of the people, by the people, for the people” prompts us to consider how democratic governments and societies arise from individuals, each with their own thoughts, needs, motivations, values and relationships. The daylong symposium, “The Neuroscience of Democracy,” will bring together neuroscientists, political and social scientists, civil society leaders and other experts for a lively examination of how individual citizens make decisions, evaluate and share information, develop trust and beliefs and then come together to build and participate in institutions and movements. A key guiding question for the day will be how we can use what we know to improve trust and participation in democracy. Register now to attend>>

Save the Date of Nov. 4 for "Comparative Neuroscience: Lessons from Biodiversity"

Animal behavior is incredibly diverse, from insect to human societies; from jellyfish jet propulsion to flying bats. This symposium will bring together scientists with distinct perspectives to examine how nervous systems are organized across species and how these organizational principles relate to mechanisms of nervous system evolution. With speakers ranging from evolutionary biology to computational neuroscience, we expect this to be an exciting and thought-provoking day of science. Learn More>>

Brain and Cognitive Sciences colloquia

• May 7, 2026: Larry Zipursky, UCLA

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

Special Events

• Aug. 14, 2026, 2 p.m., Special Seminiar, Hee-Sup Shin, Institute for Basic Science
• Oct. 28, 2026, 4 p.m., The 2026 Picower Lecture with Richard Huganir, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine