Experience Stephen Benton's "rainbow" holograms in Optiker, an intimate exhibition that examines the intersection of light and vision. The tour will be led by MIT Museum Studio Director Seth Riskin.

Title: "When Memory Unravels: How the Alzheimer's disease risk gene APOE4 impacts oligodendrocyte metabolism and myelination"Abstract: The APOE gene is a keystone in the genetic architecture of late-onset Alzheimer's disease, but the cellular mechanisms mediating its contribution to disease risk remain unclear. In Part I of this thesis, we address this question by performing single-nuclear RNA-sequencing on human post-mortem brain from individuals carrying 0, 1, and 2 copies of APOE4. We find that APOE4 expression leads to cholesterol accumulation and impaired myelination in oligodendrocytes (Blanchard, Akay, Davila-Velderrain, & von Maydell et al., Nature 2022). In Part II of this thesis, we use a genome-wide CRISPR screen to identify regulators of APOE4's effects on lipid metabolism in oligodendrocytes. This functional genomics approach unexpectedly reveals signaling pathways and a class of lipid-modifying enzymes as regulators of lipid accumulation. We show that modifying these signaling pathways restores lipid homeostasis across model systems. Finally, in Part III of this thesis, we leverage single-nuclear RNA sequencing across six distinct regions of the human brain. We find evidence of glial lipid modifying enzymes as participatory in cognitive resilience to disease pathology (Mathys, Boix & Akay et al, Nature, 2024). Together, our work provides evidence for glial lipid metabolism underlying both genetic mechanisms of risk, and cognitive resiliency to Alzheimer's disease.

Ten minutes for your mind@2:50 every day at 2:50 pm in multiple time zones:Europa@2:50, EET, Athens, Helsinki (UTC+2) (7:50 am EST) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88298032734Atlantica@2:50, EST, New York, Toronto (UTC-4) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85349851047Pacifica@2:50, PST, Los Angeles, Vancouver (UTC=7) (5:50 pm EST) https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85743543699Almost everything works better again if you unplug it for a bit, including your mind. Stop by and unplug. Get the benefits of mindfulness without the fuss.@2:50 meets at the same time every single day for ten minutes of quiet together.No pre-requisite, no registration needed.Visit the website to view all @2:50 time zones each day.at250.org or at250.mit.edu

Talk title: The neural basis of cuttlefish camouflage and social behaviorSpeaker: Tessa G. Montague, ph.D.; HHMI Hanna Gray Fellow, Richard Axel Lab at Columbia UniversityAbstract: Cuttlefish are coleoid cephalopods that dynamically change the color, pattern and texture of their skin to camouflage with their surroundings. Camouflage is achieved by expanding and contracting pigment-filled saccules in the skin called chromatophores, through the action of motor neurons that project from the brain. Thus, the patterning of the skin is a physical manifestation of neural activity in the brain. In addition to camouflage, cuttlefish use their dynamic skin to communicate with conspecifics using a series of innate skin patterns that reveal the animal’s internal state. We are using the cuttlefish skin behaviors to understand how the physical properties of the visual world are represented by patterns of neural activity in the brain, and how this representation is transformed into an approximation of the physical world on the skin. We have performed a series of experiments to develop the dwarf cuttlefish, Ascarosepion bandense, as a model to investigate the neural basis of camouflage and social communication. We have described the stages of embryonic development, sequenced the genome and transcriptome, completed a 3D brain atlas, developed camouflage and social behavioral paradigms, and examined dwarf cuttlefish behavior in the wild. Furthermore, we are generating transgenic cuttlefish that express genetically-encoded calcium indicators and light-activated channels, permitting the live imaging and manipulation of neural activity. These technologies should permit us to simultaneously record neural activity and measure behavior to uncover how visual information is deconstructed in the brain, and then reconstructed into an image of the physical world on the skin.

Experience the immediate benefits of myofascial release with this simple and effective self-care practice. Learn specialized ball rolling techniques that help penetrate through layers of skin, fascia and muscle and massage into your high-tension areas.Each class includes guided exercises using the Roll Model therapy balls, breath work and stretching techniques specifically designed to ease overburdened muscles and encourage deep mind-body relaxation. Explore various muscle groups and needy body areas each week to eliminate strain and discomfort from sitting too long, working on screens and living with stress.You will find greater self-awareness, freedom and ease in your body. Put the power of self-massage into your own hands.All levels welcome! This is a movement class and workout attire is strongly encouraged.Registration is required on our wellness class website. If you do not already have an account on this website, you'll need to create one. This is a fee-based class and open to the entire MIT community.

Join us at the MIT Museum as we welcome scholars Jana Dambrogio and Daniel Starza Smith to discuss their new book, Letterlocking: The Hidden History of the Letter. The presentation will be followed by a letterlocking making activity.Before the invention of the gummed envelope in the 1830s, how did people secure their private letters? The answer is letterlocking — the ingenious process of securing a letter using a combination of folds, tucks, slits, or adhesives such as sealing wax, so that it becomes its own envelope. This almost entirely forgotten practice, used by historical figures ranging from Elizabeth I and her spies to Japanese samurai lords, was an everyday activity for centuries, across cultures, borders, and social classes. In Letterlocking, Jana Dambrogio and Daniel Starza Smith, experts who have pioneered the field over the last ten years, tell the fascinating story of letterlocking within epistolary history, drawing on real historical examples from all over the world.Copies of Letterlocking will be available for purchase onsite from the MIT Press Bookstore.June 13 6-8pm $5