Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Neurons that can multitask greatly enhance the brain's computational power, study finds

Over the past few decades, neuroscientists have made much progress in mapping the brain by deciphering the functions of individual neurons that perform very specific tasks, such as recognizing the location ...

Neuroscience created May 20, 2013 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (12) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Decoding 'noisy' language in daily life: Study shows how people rationally interpret linguistic input

Suppose you hear someone say, "The man gave the ice cream the child." Does that sentence seem plausible? Or do you assume it is missing a word? Such as: "The man gave the ice cream to the child."

Psychology & Psychiatry created Apr 29, 2013 | popularity 4.5 / 5 (4) | comments 7 | with audio podcast

Study reveals how melanoma evades chemotherapy

Nitric oxide (NO), a gas with many biological functions in healthy cells, can also help some cancer cells survive chemotherapy. A new study from MIT reveals one way in which this resistance may arise, and ...

Cancer created Apr 08, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Measuring enzyme levels in cancer patients may reveal healthy cells' ability to survive chemotherapy

New research from MIT may allow scientists to develop a test that can predict the severity of side effects of some common chemotherapy agents in individual patients, allowing doctors to tailor treatments ...

Genetics created Apr 05, 2013 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Breaking down the Parkinson's pathway: How affected brain cells respond during different behavioral tasks

The key hallmark of Parkinson's disease is a slowdown of movement caused by a cutoff in the supply of dopamine to the brain region responsible for coordinating movement. While scientists have understood this ...

Neuroscience created Mar 13, 2013 | popularity 4 / 5 (2) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

How the brain loses and regains consciousness (w/ video)

Since the mid-1800s, doctors have used drugs to induce general anesthesia in patients undergoing surgery. Despite their widespread use, little is known about how these drugs create such a profound loss of ...

Neuroscience created Mar 04, 2013 | popularity 4.9 / 5 (8) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Some cancer mutations slow tumor growth

A typical cancer cell has thousands of mutations scattered throughout its genome and hundreds of mutated genes. However, only a handful of those genes, known as drivers, are responsible for cancerous traits ...

Cancer created Feb 04, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Possible role for Huntington's gene discovered

About 20 years ago, scientists discovered the gene that causes Huntington's disease, a fatal neurodegenerative disorder that affects about 30,000 Americans. The mutant form of the gene has many extra DNA ...

Genetics created Jan 16, 2013 | popularity 5 / 5 (3) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Jellyfish inspire scientists to invent a device that can detect, capture and release rare cancer cells

Tumor cells circulating in a patient's bloodstream can yield a great deal of information on how a tumor is responding to treatment and what drugs might be more effective against it. But first, these rare ...

Cancer created Nov 12, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Neuroscientists find Broca's area is really two subunits, each with its own function

A century and a half ago, French physician Pierre Paul Broca found that patients with damage to part of the brain's frontal lobe were unable to speak more than a few words. Later dubbed Broca's area, this ...

Neuroscience created Oct 16, 2012 | popularity 3.8 / 5 (5) | comments 1 | with audio podcast

Study identifies adhesion molecules key to cancer's spread through the body

Although tumor metastasis causes about 90 percent of cancer deaths, the exact mechanism that allows cancer cells to spread from one part of the body to another is not well understood. One key question is ...

Cancer created Oct 09, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

How attention helps you remember

A new study from MIT neuroscientists sheds light on a neural circuit that makes us likelier to remember what we're seeing when our brains are in a more attentive state.

Neuroscience created Sep 27, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (5) | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Brain scans could help doctors choose treatments for people with social anxiety disorder

A new study led by MIT neuroscientists has found that brain scans of patients with social anxiety disorder can help predict whether they will benefit from cognitive behavioral therapy.

Psychology & Psychiatry created Sep 06, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Protein impedes microcirculation of malaria-infected red blood cells

(Medical Xpress)—When the parasite responsible for malaria infects human red blood cells, it launches a 48-hour remodeling of the host cells. During the first 24 hours of this cycle, a protein called RESA undertakes the ...

Medical research created Aug 30, 2012 | popularity not rated yet | comments 0 | with audio podcast

Stroke disrupts how brain controls muscle synergies

(Medical Xpress) -- The simple act of picking up a pencil requires the coordination of dozens of muscles: The eyes and head must turn toward the object as the hand reaches forward and the fingers grasp it. ...

Neuroscience created Aug 20, 2012 | popularity 5 / 5 (1) | comments 0 | with audio podcast