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we want to know how the mind works

MIT's Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences stands at the nexus of neuroscience, biology and psychology. We combine these disciplines to study specific aspects of the brain and mind including: vision, movement systems, learning and memory, neural and cognitive development, language and reasoning. Working collaboratively, we apply our expertise, tools, and techniques to address and answer both fundamental and universal questions about how the brain and mind work.

don't you?


This brain scan, taken with functional magnetic resonance imaging, shows an area of the brain known as the temporoparietal junction (TPJ) lit up. Rebecca Saxe has shown that the TPJ is active when people think about other people's thoughts. Image / Rebecca Saxe.

Spotlights
MIT's Rebecca Saxe probes mechanics of thought
How do we know what other people are thinking? How do we judge them, and what happens in our brains when we do? MIT neuroscientist Rebecca Saxe is tackling those tough questions and many others.
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Study suggests caution on new anti-obesity drug
Anti-obesity drugs that work by blocking brain molecules similar to those in marijuana could also interfere with neural development in young children, according to a new study from MIT researchers.
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