Innovative neuroscientist, statistician and anesthesiologist earns National Medal of Science

Emery N. Brown, Edward Hood Taplin Professor of Medical Engineering and Computational Neuroscience in The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at MIT, has won the National Medical of Science, the nation’s highest recognition for scientists and engineers, the White House announced Jan. 3. Story continues>>

Study suggests how the brain, with sleep, learns meaningful maps of spaces

Place cells are well known to encode individual locations, but stitching together a “cognitive map” of a whole environment requires a broader ensemble of cells, aided by sleep, to build a richer network over several days.

A study in mice by Picower Insitute neuroscientists provides new evidence for how the brain forms cohesive cognitive maps of whole spaces and highlights the critical importance of sleep for the process. Story continues>>

Open technology platform enables new versatility for neuroscience research with more naturalistic behavior

System developed by MIT and Open Ephys team provides a fast, light, standardized means for combining multiple instruments with minimal hindrance of lab mouse mobility.

Individual technologies for recording and controlling neural activity in mice have each advanced rapidly but the potential of easily mixing and matching them to conduct more sophisticated experiments, all while enabling the most natural behavior possible, has been difficult to realize. To empower a new generation of neuroscience experiments, engineers and scientists at MIT and the Open Ephys cooperative have developed a new standardized, open-source hardware and software platform. Story continues>>

New autism research projects represent a broad range of approaches to achieving a shared goal

At a symposium of the Simons Center for the Social Brain, six speakers described a diversity of recently launched studies aimed at improving understanding of the autistic brain.

From studies of the connections between neurons, to interactions between the nervous and immune systems, to the complex ways in which people understand not just language but also the unspoken nuances of conversation, new research projects at MIT supported by the Simons Center for the Social Brain are bringing a rich diversity of perspectives to advancing the field’s understanding of autism. Story continues>>

Congratulations new PhDs!

Two graduate students in Picower Institute labs defended their theses last month and we're proud to call them each doctor!

• Left - Sebastian Pineda (Heiman Lab): "Single-cell dissection of vulnerable cell types and disease mechanisms across neurodegenerative motor disorders."
• Right - Max Heinrich (Bear Lab): "Spontaneous activity in the mouse visual cortical slice: biophysical characterization and pathophysiology"

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

Save the date for The Aging Brain Initiative Symposium: September 18, 2025

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. Check back for the schedule and registration page soon.

Brain and Cognitive Sciences colloquia

• Feb. 27, Li-Huei Tsai,  The Picower Institute at MIT
• April 17, Ivan Soltesz, Stanford University
• May 8, Joni Wallis, UC Berkeley

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

Aging Brain Initiative Seminars

• Feb. 24, Ronald DePinho, MD Anderson
• May 12, Andrew Yoo, Washington University

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

Special Seminar

Feb. 28, Nako Nakatsuka, EPFL at 4 p.m. in the Picower Seminar Room, MIT Building 46.