President Obama's BRAIN Initiative seeks to Map the Human Brain

 The Obama administration’s proposed initiative, Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN), offers a new surge towards mapping the human brain. A new understanding of the brain could provide promising new treatments for conditions such as traumatic brain injuries, Alzheimer’s, autism, and strokes among others. As a linchpin of this initiative, President Obama has asked Congress to contribute $100 million in 2014 to researchers studying the complexities of the brain. Describing BRAIN, Obama notes, “As humans we can identify galaxies light-years away. We can study particles smaller than an atom, but we still haven’t unlocked the mystery of the three pounds of matter that sits between our ears.” Hopefully, Congress will get on board with the President and make this worthwhile investment in understanding the brain through BRAIN!

To learn more about the BRAIN Initiative, check out the below links...

NPR: President Obama Calls for a BRAIN Initiative

The White House: President Obama is Callin on the Science Community to Join Him in Pursuing a Grand Challenge

or watch Dr. Francis Collins, the Director of the National Institutes of Health, describe BRAIN in this quick video