An article published in the Wall Street Journal describes recent I-LABS findings about baby brains and social behavior, which provide some of the first evidence of “body maps” in the infant brain. “Humans have a mapping ability that lets them see themselves in relation to others, thus helping them to navigate in the social world,” the article begins. It goes on to describe … Read More
Lost Brain Pathway Found
Photo caption: The VOF identified in a postmortem human brain in 1909 but labeled with a different name. A few years ago I-LABS’ Jason Yeatman, then a graduate student at Stanford University, found himself solving a mystery of an unidentified large fiber pathway in the human brain. “It was this massive bundle of fibers, visible in every brain I examined,” said … Read More
A Methodological Improvement to Brain-Computer Interfaces
Photo caption: Mark Wronkiewicz, a UW neuroscience graduate student, in his office at I-LABS. I-LABS researchers are discovering ways to make BCIs a practical treatment tool for brain injuries. Imagine sitting in your chair and raising the window blinds by simply thinking about it. Or speaking by visualizing the words but not actually saying them. It would happen by a … Read More
I-LABS Receives $2.5 Million Federal Funding for Early Childhood Education
The I-LABS Outreach and Education team will receive $2.5 million over 5 years to help develop evidence-based resources for early childhood educators and caregivers. The effort is part of the newly-formed National Center on Early Childhood Development, Teaching and Learning, which aims to improve outcomes for children and support professional development systems for childcare providers. “We’re delighted to have the … Read More
Math and Me: Children Who Identify with Math Get Higher Scores
How strongly children identify with math (their math “self-concept”) can be used to predict how high they will score on a standardized test of math achievement, according to a new I-LABS study. The study, published in the October 2015 issue of the journal Learning and Instruction, is the first to demonstrate a link between students’ subconscious math self-concepts and their … Read More
Kuhl and Meltzoff to Speak at International Business Summit
I-LABS co-directors Patricia Kuhl and Andrew Meltzoff will present the latest developments on early childhood brain research during an event organized by ReadyNation. The 2015 Global Business Summit on Early Childhood Investments, to be held Oct. 1-2 in New York City, is expected to attract more than 200 business people, policymakers and other experts. ReadyNation is a business organization that aims to … Read More
TIME: How to Get More Girls Into Computer Science
Imagine a computer programmer. What does this person look like? What is this person doing? Is the person with anyone? What kinds of hobbies might he or she have? In an article for TIME, Allison Master, an I-LABS postdoctoral researcher, writes about her research showing how dispelling computer science stereotypes could help narrow the gender gap in computer science by … Read More
KOMO TV: Body Maps and Babies’ Brains
KOMO TV, an ABC news affiliate, featured I-LABS research on body maps and babies’ brains in a story that aired during their evening broadcast. The KOMO piece begins: “This is for any parent who’s looked at a child and wondered what’s going on in that little brain of theirs. Researchers at the University of Washington wonder too, and they’re getting answers.” I-LABS … Read More
Two Human Brains Linked, Play ’20 Questions’
In the latest advance in brain-to-brain communication, I-LABS researchers demonstrate how two brains collaboratively problem solve. University of Washington researchers recently used a direct brain-to-brain connection to enable pairs of participants to play a question-and-answer game by transmitting signals from one brain to the other over the Internet. The experiment, detailed September 23 in PLOS ONE, is thought to be … Read More
Cover Story: Body Maps in the Infant Brain
On the cover of its September issue, Trends in Cognitive Sciences showcases pioneering I-LABS research on body maps in the infant brain. Neural “body maps,” which have been documented with adults, show that different areas of the cortex become active when a corresponding location of the body is touched. But little is know about body maps in infant brains or … Read More