The Miller Lab @ MIT

  • How Brain Waves Guide Memory Formation

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    MIT News Office: Neurons hum at different frequencies to tell the brain which memories it should store.
    New discovery from the Miller Lab

    Anne Trafton | MIT News Office
    February 23, 2015
    Our brains generate a constant hum of activity: As neurons fire, they produce brain waves that oscillate at different frequencies. Long thought to be merely a byproduct of neuron activity, recent studies suggest that these waves may play a critical role in communication between different parts of the brain.

    A new study from MIT neuroscientists adds to that evidence. The researchers found that two brain regions that are key to learning — the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex — use two different brain-wave frequencies to communicate as the brain learns to associate unrelated objects. Whenever the brain correctly links the objects, the waves oscillate at a higher frequency, called “beta,” and when the guess is incorrect, the waves oscillate at a lower “theta” frequency. Read more

  • How brain waves guide memory formation

    Miller Lab
    , ,

    MIT News Office: Neurons hum at different frequencies to tell the brain which memories it should store.
    New discovery from the Miller Lab

    Anne Trafton | MIT News Office
    February 23, 2015
    Our brains generate a constant hum of activity: As neurons fire, they produce brain waves that oscillate at different frequencies. Long thought to be merely a byproduct of neuron activity, recent studies suggest that these waves may play a critical role in communication between different parts of the brain.

    A new study from MIT neuroscientists adds to that evidence. The researchers found that two brain regions that are key to learning — the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex — use two different brain-wave frequencies to communicate as the brain learns to associate unrelated objects. Whenever the brain correctly links the objects, the waves oscillate at a higher frequency, called “beta,” and when the guess is incorrect, the waves oscillate at a lower “theta” frequency. Read more

  • New paper – Working Memory Capacity: Limits on the Bandwidth of Cognition

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    Miller, E.K. and Buschman, T.J. (2015)  Working memory capacity: Limits on the bandwidth of cognition. Daedalus, Vol. 144, No. 1, Pages 112-122.  View PDF

    Why can your brain store a lifetime of experiences but process only a few thoughts at once? In this article we discuss “cognitive capacity” (the number of items that can be held “in mind” simultaneously) and suggest that the limit is inherent to processing based on oscillatory brain rhythms, or “brain waves,” which may regulate neural communication. Neurons that “hum” together temporarily “wire” together, allowing the brain to form and re-form networks on the fly, which may explain a hallmark of intelligence and cognition: mental flexibility. But this comes at a cost; only a small number of thoughts can fit into each wave. This explains why you should never talk on a mobile phone when driving.

  • Radio New Zealand: Earl Miller interviewed about multi-tasking and technology

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    Radio New Zealand:  Interview with Professor Earl Miller about Multi-tasking and technology

    Originally aired on Afternoons, Tuesday 20 January 2015

    Getting back into work routines, after a holiday break, is something many of us will already have come to grips with in recent weeks. And these routines seem to get busier all the time, as modern technology allows us to perform more and more tasks ourselves, quickly, on our tablets and smart phones. But at what cost? MIT neuroscientist Professor Earl Miller is an expert on divided attention. He argues our addiction to technology is actually making us less efficient.

  • Photo of recipients of 2014 Bose Research Awards

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    (Back row, left to right) Vanu Bose, ’87, SM ’94, PhD ’99, son of Amar Bose; Earl Miller, the Picower Professor of Neuroscience; Jeff Grossman, an associate professor of materials science and engineering; Janet Conrad, a professor of physics; Alan Oppenheim, the Ford Professor of Engineering; and President L. Rafael Reif; and (front row, left to right) Joel Voldman, a professor of electrical engineering and computer science; Gabriel Bousquet, a PhD student in mechanical engineering; and Nicola Ferralis, a research scientist for materials science and engineering.

    Bose grants reward risk. Five innovative, high-risk projects launch with support from Prof. Amar G. Bose Research Grants.

  • Communication through coherence with inter-areal delays

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    Andre Bastos and colleagues review an update the communication-through-coherence (CTC) hypothesis.  They propose that bi-directional cortical communication involves separate feedforward and feedback mechanisms that are separate both anatomically and spectrally.

  • New paper: Task Dependence of Visual and Category Representations in Prefrontal and Inferior Temporal Cortices

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    Task Dependence of Visual and Category Representations in Prefrontal and Inferior Temporal Cortices
    Jillian L. McKee, Maximilian Riesenhuber, Earl K. Miller, and David J. Freedman

    Visual categorization is an essential perceptual and cognitive process for assigning behavioral significance to incoming stimuli. Categorization depends on sensory processing of stimulus features as well as flexible cognitive processing for classifying stimuli according to the current behavioral context. Neurophysiological studies suggest that the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and the inferior temporal cortex (ITC) are involved in visual shape categorization. However, their precise roles in the perceptual and cognitive aspects of the categorization process are unclear, as the two areas have not been directly compared during changing task contexts. To address this, we examined the impact of task relevance on categorization-related activity in PFC and ITC by recording from both areas as monkeys alternated between a shape categorization and passive viewing tasks. As monkeys viewed the same stimuli in both tasks, the impact of task relevance on encoding in each area could be compared. While both areas showed task-dependent modulations of neuronal activity, the patterns of results differed markedly. PFC, but not ITC, neurons showed a modest increase in firing rates when stimuli were task relevant. PFC also showed significantly stronger category selectivity during the task compared with passive viewing, while task-dependent modulations of category selectivity in ITC were weak and occurred with a long latency. Finally, both areas showed an enhancement of stimulus selectivity during the task compared with passive viewing. Together, this suggests that the ITC and PFC show differing degrees of task-dependent flexibility and are preferentially involved in the perceptual and cognitive aspects of the categorization process, respectively.

  • Earl Miller wins Bose Grant for high-risk, innovative research

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    Bose grants reward risk

    Five innovative, high-risk projects launch with support from Prof. Amar G. Bose Research Grants

  • Jefferson Roy (Miller Lab Associate Director) is a published author

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    The Motivated Brain
    Helle Bundgaard, Jefferson Roy
    Buy it at Amazon

    This book is the missing link, connecting motivation and modern brain science. Upon purchasing The Motivated Brain, you get free access to the motivation assessment Motivation Factor™ Indicator. Completing the assessment makes it easier to read the book and gives you a better understanding of your own motivation.

    Motivation can crumble starting with the Energy Drainers that distract from the current goal, clutter the mind, and waste resources. Next, Needs not being met further hinders motivation by invoking the stress response that hijacks the brain. When this occurs, it is almost impossible to live with a greater Purpose in mind and to use our Talents effectively. Together, this makes us less resistant to setbacks while further reducing our motivation. Not to mention the short and long-term effects on physical health and well-being.

    This book reviews the relevant brain areas and circuits thought to be involved in the Hierarchy of Motivation. While not an exhaustive study, our goal is for you to come away with a sense that the four levels in the Hierarchy of Motivation are connected and build on each other, not only in the Motivation Factor Framework, but also in the brain.

    As with many frameworks that require learning and change, the proof is in the trying. We are confident that by tapping into established neural circuits and behaviors; the positive changes of increased personal awareness and personal growth can be attained by anyone who tries. We hope to convince you that not only can the brain be trained; it can be motivated!

  • Earl Miller interviewed about consciousness in The Huffington Post

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    They got my experiment wrong, but spelled my name right:
    Biology of Consciousness: Bridging the Mind-Body Gap?
    The Huffington Post 10/30/14