The BRAIN Initiative
A Primer
On April 2, President Obama announced the BRAIN Initiative, Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies. The project had its genesis in a meeting convened in September 2011 by Kavli Foundation vice-president of science programs Miyoung Chun. The ideas generated at that meeting were published in Neuron (June 2012), as a proposed direction - and a challenge - for neuroscience.
The BRAIN Initiative is an audacious attempt to accelerate our search for solutions to understand and treat devastating disorders like depression, Alzheimer’s, autism and traumatic brain injury; to decipher the inner language of the brain; and even explore the mysteries of the mind. Key scientists include TSN Advisory Board Chair Terry Sejnowski (now a member of the BRAIN Working Group advising NIH Director Francis Collins) and Ralph Greenspan, newly appointed Director of CBAM (Center for Brain Activity Mapping) at UC San Diego.
TSN will be featuring conversations with BRAIN participants, and developing a unique archive of filmed conversations to document the progress of the project.