Picower Research & Discoveries

Study reveals a universal pattern of brain wave frequencies

A cartoon pink brain is superposed over a background of DNA double-helixes. On the right side of the brain it appears to be blowing away like dust.

Across mammalian species, brain waves are slower in deep cortical layers, while superficial layers generate faster rhythms.

Throughout the brain’s cortex, neurons are arranged in six distinctive layers. A team of MIT and Vanderbilt neuroscientists has now found that these layers also show distinct patterns of electrical activity, which are consistent over many brain regions and across several animal species, including humans. Story continues>>

How sensory gamma rhythm stimulation clears amyloid in Alzheimer’s mice

A cross section of a mouse brain is colored blue but the outer regions of it are spceckled with many bright yellow spots

Stimulating a key brain rhythm with light and sound increases peptide release from interneurons, driving clearance of Alzheimer’s protein via the brain’s glymphatic system, new study suggests

Studies at MIT and elsewhere are producing mounting evidence that light flickering and sound clicking at the gamma brain rhythm frequency of 40 Hz can reduce Alzheimer’s disease (AD) progression and treat symptoms in human volunteers as well as lab mice. In a new study in Nature using a mouse model of the disease, researchers at The Picower Institute reveal a key mechanism that may contribute to these beneficial effects: clearance of amyloid proteins, a hallmark of AD pathology, via the brain’s glymphatic system, a recently discovered “plumbing” network parallel to the brain’s blood vessels. Story continues>>

A noninvasive treatment for “chemo brain”

Two panels show strips of cells stretching left to right across a dark background. The green-stained cells are brighter on the left than in the right panel.

Stimulating gamma brain waves may protect cancer patients from memory impairment and other cognitive effects of chemotherapy.

Patients undergoing chemotherapy often experience cognitive effects such as memory impairment and difficulty concentrating — a condition commonly known as “chemo brain.” In a study of mice, Picower Institute researchers found that daily exposure to light and sound with a frequency of 40 Hz protected brain cells from chemotherapy-induced damage. The treatment also helped to prevent memory loss and impairment of other cognitive functions. Story continues>>

Support Aging Brain Initiative research during MIT's 24-Hour challenge March 14 (Pi-Day)!

Tomorrow if you support the Aging Brain Initiative's neurodegeneration research with a donation of ANY amount, it will help us unlock matching gifts of up to $30,000. Please consider chipping in any time from midnight to midnight (US Eastern Time) during the Pi Day 24-Hour Challenge. Click here or the image above>>

Picower People

Creating new skills and new connections with MIT’s Quantitative Methods Workshop

As students sit at round tables with laptops in front of them two women stand at a whiteboard and projector screen offering them instruction

Starting on New Year’s Day, when many people were still clinging to holiday revelry, scores of students and faculty members from about a dozen partner universities instead flipped open their laptops for MIT’s Quantitative Methods Workshop, a jam-packed, week-long introduction to how computational and mathematical techniques can be applied to neuroscience and biology research. But don’t think of QMW as a “crash course.” Instead the program’s purpose is to help elevate each participant's scientific outlook both through the skills and concepts it imparts, and the community it creates. Story continues>>

Infinite Expansion Award

Congratulations to research scientist David Stoppel (right) on his selection for an MIT School of Science Infinite Expansion Award. Professor Mark Bear (left) and his research group nominated Stoppel. “As impressive as his research achievements might be, David’s most genuine qualification for this award is his incredible commitment to mentorship and the dissemination of knowledge,” they wrote.

Mark Bear and David Stoppel look down together at a computer screen

Image by Whit Wales

In the media

A screenshot of Lawrence Tabak's blog shows a brain made up of tiny hexagons.

The Tsai Lab's research showing how 40Hz light and sound clears amyloid from Alzheimer's model mice garnered widespread news coverage in Forbes, Newsweek, Salon, IEEE Spectrum, and New Scientist among other outlets. Wired noted the amyloid clearance paper in its coverage of a study on 40Hz by MIT spin-off company Cognito Therapeutics. And the study of 40Hz effects on chemobrain earned coverage in New Scientist and Technology Networks as well.

The Washington Post reached out to Earl Miller for a story on memory. The Miller Lab's research on brain waves in layers of the cortex also earned nods from LiveScience and from Study Finds. And The Transmitter posted a story about how to teach one of Susumu Tonegawa's most famous papers.

Tune into Mi Última Neurona

Jessica Chomik-Morales, a post-bacc researcher in MIT's Brain and Cognitive Sciences Department, continues her Spanish-language podcast about all things neuroscience: "Mi Última Neurona," co-sponsored by The Picower Institute. Check it out on YouTube and miultimaneurona.com.

A video camera viewfinder shows Jessica Chomik-Morales interviewing a subject.

Upcoming Events

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

Join us for the 2024 Picower Lectures

March 18: Catherine Dulac

The 2024 Picower Lecture with Catherine Dulac, PhD, Professor at Harvard University will take place Monday, March 18 at 4:00pm, Singleton Auditorium (46-3002). Dulac's lecture is titled, "Neurobiology of Sickness and Social Behavior" More>>

April 23: Hongkui Zeng

The 2024 Picower Lecture with Hongkui Zeng, PhD, director of the Allen Institute for Brain Research in Seattle, WA., will take place Tuesday, April 23 at 4:00pm, Singleton Auditorium (46-3002). Zeng's lecture is titled, "Understanding Brain Cell Type Diversity" More>>

Li-Huei Tsai at the Boston Symphony Orchestra April 10 at 7 p.m.

Picower Institute Director Li-Huei Tsai will join fellow panelists, including MIT Music Professor Tod Machover, for a discussion of the latest research into how music can treat disease, how specific frequencies may reverse degenerative illnesses such as Alzheimer’s, how innovative compositions might be created that maximize the impact of these new discoveries, and how a new field of Music Medicine is being increasingly discussed as an imminent reality by musicians, physicians, researchers, and government funding agencies. A free concert follows at 8 Learn More>>

The MIT Catalyst Symposium April 29

The Catalyst Symposium is part of an effort in the Department of Biology, co-sponsored by The Picower Institute, to bring outstanding postdocs from traditionally underrepresented backgrounds in science to engage with members of the MIT community. Aimed specifically at postdocs pursuing academic careers, the symposium provides a venue for participants to share their research, discuss exciting new directions, and make new professional connections. More>>

Upcoming colloquia and Aging Brain Initiative seminars

March 14: Colloquium on the Brain and Cognition with Jason Shepherd, PhD, University of Utah More>>
April 18: Colloquium on the Brain and Cognition with Daniel Colón-Ramos, PhD, Yale University More>>
April 25: Colloquium on the Brain and Cognition with Thomas Clandinin, PhD, Stanford University More>>

Save the Date: The Kuggie Vallee Distinguished Lecture

In honor of the Vallee Foundation’s co-founder, Kuggie Vallee, and in order to inspire young women to continue a career in science, the foundation has established a prestigious annual series of Kuggie Vallee Distinguished Lectures. These Lectures are designed to highlight major successes made by women in the biomedical sciences and are given at institutions around the world where Vallee Visiting Professors and Young Investigator Awardees are affiliated. The Kuggie Vallee Distinguished Lecturer gives a public lecture about her own science and then meets more informally or in workshops with other faculty at the host institute to talk about women in science and career building. More>>