21 NIH BRAIN Initiative Awards Go to IDeA States
Scientists have been developing astounding new tools for exploring neural circuits that underlie brain function throughout the first five years of the National Institutes of Health’s Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies® (BRAIN) Initiative. Now, the NIH has announced its continued support for these projects by funding over 180 new BRAIN Initiative awards, bringing the total 2019 budget for the program to more than $424 million. This work may not only help paralyzed patients to communicate more easily, but also allow neuroscientists to closely examine the brain at work, in real time.
“These new awards bring us ever closer to realizing the promise of the BRAIN Initiative. The tools being developed are illuminating the underpinnings of the most perplexing brain diseases, while also expanding our understanding of the brain itself.”
This year’s awards also include new projects that will help researchers understand neural circuits, study non-neuronal brain cells called glia, analyze and store complex neuroscience data, test neuromodulation approaches for regaining dexterity after stroke and address ethical implications of the advancing science.
The BRAIN Initiative is a large-scale effort to accelerate neuroscience research by equipping researchers with the tools and insights necessary for studying a wide variety of brain disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, autism, epilepsy and traumatic brain injury. The initiative is supported by Congress through the regular appropriations process and the 21st Century Cures Act.
“BRAIN Initiative researchers are transforming the way we think about the brain. We hope that this pace of discovery will accelerate even more with the newly funded awards.”
NIH IDeA State winners include:
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Montana
- Nebraska
- New Hampshire
- New Mexico
- Puerto Rico
- Rhode Island
- Vermont
- West Virginia
Read the full story from NIH here.