The Miller Lab

Earl Miller wins 2016 Goldman-Rakic Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Cognitive Neuroscience.
https://bbrfoundation.org/annual-prizes#Goldman

Watch a video here:

The Goldman-Rakic Prize for Outstanding Achievement in Cognitive Neuroscience
The Goldman-Rakic Prize was created by Constance and Stephen Lieber in memory of Dr. Patricia Goldman-Rakic, a neuroscientist renowned for discoveries about the brain’s frontal lobe, who died in an automobile accident in 2003.

Earl K. Miller, Ph.D., Picower Professor of Neuroscience, Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Building on Pat Goldman-Rakic’s groundbreaking studies, Dr. Miller’s work in primates has broken new ground in the understanding of cognition. Using innovative experimental and theoretical approaches to study the neural basis of high-level cognitive functions, his laboratory has provided insights into how categories, concepts, and rules are learned, how attention is focused, and how the brain coordinates thought and action. The laboratory has innovated techniques for studying the activity of many neurons in multiple brain areas simultaneously, providing insight into how different brain structures interact and collaborate. This work has established a foundation upon which to construct more detailed, mechanistic accounts of how executive control is implemented in the brain and its dysfunction in diseases such as autism, schizophrenia and attention deficit disorder, and has led to new approaches relevant to severe mental illnesses in children and adults.

MIT press release:
http://news.mit.edu/2016/earl-miller-receives-goldman-rakic-prize-in-cognitive-neuroscience-1101

BBRF press release:
https://bbrfoundation.org/news-releases/brain-behavior-research-foundation-honors-nine-scientists-for-outstanding-achievemen-0

Watch Award video:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_HxD5ORVQqo&t=4s

Earl K. Miller’s Commencement Address at Kent State 5-14-16

Kent State Professional Achievement Award:

Digital Lives – The Science Behind Multitasking:

Earl Miller is quoted in the New York Times:
What Could I Possibly Learn From a Mentor Half My Age? Plenty (New York Times, Sept 11, 2016)

“But part of the problem was me — a person in her mid-50s trying to learn something new. Earl Miller, a neuroscience professor at the Picower Institute for Learning and Memory at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, explained why progress might be slow.

As you age, your dendrites — the antennas by which neurons receive information from other neurons — begin to shrink, he said. This is especially noticeable in the prefrontal cortex, which handles higher-order brain functions like focusing, staying on task and forming long-term memories.

The decline in these areas begins in your 40s and 50s and worsens from there, he said. This can make it tougher to focus. There’s also more of a limit to how many thoughts people can carry in their heads simultaneously.

“Your mind’s bandwidth is smaller,” he said. “You learn at a slower rate because less information is getting in.”

<But it’s not all bad news>

That sounds depressing. Isn’t there any mental upside to getting older?

Yes, there is, Professor Miller said. Older people tend to be more disciplined and diligent, he said, which can compensate for learning deficits. Based on their greater experience in the world, they are also very good at putting ideas and thoughts into categories — the very basis of knowledge and wisdom.

It’s true: “The older brain is a wiser brain,” he said. But it can also get into a rut because of its lack of plasticity.

The brain is like a muscle that benefits from mental exercises such as learning new things. The more you put your brain through its paces, the easier it will be to learn the next thing. “It’s always important to keep yourself cognitively engaged,” Professor Miller said.

A wonderful tribute to a dear friend

Suzanne Corkin, Who Helped Pinpoint Nature of Memory, Dies at 79