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How do neural networks work? It’s a question that can confuse novices and experts alike. A team from MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Lab (CSAIL) says that understanding these representations, as well as how they inform the ways that neural networks learn from data, is crucial for improving the interpretability, efficiency, and generalizability of deep learning models.

With that mind, the CSAIL researchers have developed a new framework for understanding how representations form in neural networks. Their Canonical Representation Hypothesis (CRH) posits that, during training, neural networks inherently align their latent representations, weights, and neuron gradients within each layer. This alignment implies that neural networks naturally learn compact representations based on the degree and modes of deviation from the CRH.

Senior author Tomaso Poggio says that, by understanding and leveraging this alignment, engineers can potentially design networks that are more efficient and easier to understand. The research is posted to the arXiv preprint server.

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Interventions to increase resilience to misinformation work but decay over time. Here, the authors show that memory—which can be strengthened—is a key predictor for the longevity of intervention effects, more so than motivation.

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Perhaps I could best describe my experience of doing mathematics in terms of entering a dark mansion. One goes into the first room, and it’s dark, completely dark. One stumbles around bumping into the furniture, and gradually, you learn where each piece of furniture is, and finally, after six months or so, you find the light switch. You turn it on, and suddenly, it’s all illuminated. You can see exactly where you were.

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Researchers from both Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, and the University of Freiburg, Germany, have been collaborating on a project to help those who suffer from chronic wounds heal faster than ever before and therefore negate the possibility of amputation in severe cases.

Commonly a small wound does not lead to any serious complications; however, for those with diabetes, spinal injuries or poor blood circulation, a small wound means a greater risk of infection and chronic wounds – which in the long run can lead to much more serious consequences such as amputation.

Maria Asplund, Associate Professor of Bioelectronics at Chalmers University of Technology and head of research on the project explained that “Chronic wounds are a huge societal problem that we don’t hear a lot about. Our discovery of a method that may heal wounds up to three times faster can be a game changer for diabetic and elderly people, among others, who often suffer greatly from wounds that won’t heal.”

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In a study in aging mice, the first author has uncovered striking age-related changes in the sugary coating – called the glycocalyx – on cells that form the blood-brain barrier, a structure that protects the brain by filtering out harmful substances while allowing in essential nutrients.

“The glycocalyx is like a forest,” the author explains. “In young, healthy brains, this forest is lush and thriving. But in older brains, it becomes sparse, patchy, and degraded.”

These age-related changes to the glycocalyx weaken the blood-brain barrier, the author found. As the barrier becomes leaky with age, harmful molecules can infiltrate the brain, potentially fueling inflammation, cognitive decline, and neurodegenerative diseases.

The results were striking: In older mice, bottlebrush-shaped, sugar-coated proteins called mucins, a key component of the glycocalyx, were significantly reduced. This thinning of the glycocalyx correlated with increased permeability of the blood-brain barrier and heightened neuroinflammation.

When the team reintroduced those critical mucins in aged mice, restoring a more “youthful” glycocalyx, they improved the integrity of the blood-brain barrier, reduced neuroinflammation, and measurably improved cognitive function.

“Modulating glycans has a major effect on the brain – both negatively in aging, when these sugars are lost, and positively, when they are restored,” the lead says. “This opens an entirely new avenue for treating brain aging and related diseases.”

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