The Congressional Neuroscience Caucus briefing allowed members of Congress and their staff to learn about the profound impact of the NIH BRAIN Initiative on addiction research and featured a BRAIN Initiative study participant who directly benefited from deep brain stimulation as a chronic pain treatment.
On May 7, 2025, the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus partnered with BRAIN Initiative Alliance members—the American Brain Coalition, the Simons Foundation, the Dana Foundation, the Institute of Electrical Electronic Engineers (IEEE) Brain, and the Kavli Foundation—and with the American Academy of Neurology, the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, and the Society for Neuroscience to host a congressional briefing to highlight how the NIH BRAIN Initiative strengthens the United States’ position as a global leader in medical research. The briefing convened Congressional representatives, their staff, BRAIN Initiative leadership and affiliates for a panel discussion on the Initiative's pivotal role in advancing neuroscience and more specifically, addiction research. In addition, a person with lived experience shared their personal journey, providing invaluable insights into the real-world impact of addiction and the importance of ongoing research.
Dr. Mark Rasenick, Chair of the American Brain Coalition, introduced the CNC Co-Chairs, Representatives Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) and Mike Thompson (D-CA), who emphasized the critical need for funding the BRAIN Initiative and all biomedical research to advance neuroscience technology and brain research, while removing obstacles for those entering the field. Following their remarks, Dr. John Ngai, Director of the NIH’s BRAIN Initiative, expanded on the discussion by addressing the connection between chronic pain and addiction (substance use disorder). He emphasized the need to better understand the brain's reward system to develop future treatments and cures for addiction. Dr. Ngai underscored the BRAIN Initiative's collaborative research approach, which brings together clinical scientists, behavioral scientists, engineers, and other experts across disciplines to help solve these challenges.
Dr. Nora Volkow, Director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) and co-lead of the NIH Helping to End Addiction Long-term® Initiative, highlighted the current opioid overdose crisis and the lack of therapeutics to help those affected. She explained how the BRAIN Initiative has provided crucial knowledge about brain cell diversity and organization to help the future development of targeted therapeutics. Dr. Prasad Shirvalkar, a BRAIN Initiative researcher and Associate Professor at the University of California, San Fransico, discussed the recent recognition of chronic pain as a disease and the Initiative's efforts to identify specific changes in the nervous system that contribute to chronic pain in order to develop targeted treatments.
Mr. Edward Mowery, a patient in Dr. Shirvalkar’s joint BRAIN/HEAL funded study, shared his personal journey with chronic pain. He explained that after being in a wheelchair and undergoing multiple surgeries and treatments, he experienced severe pain and relied on various pain medications without relief. Mr. Mowery discussed the transformative impact of deep-brain stimulation (DBS) on his life, as a participant in the first in-human trial of DBS for chronic pain. He remarked that when the DBS device was turned on, it alleviated his pain for the first time in years. He also highlighted significant improvements in his quality of life, including enhanced function, sleep, and reduction in pain medications.
Dr. Paul Kenny, Director of the Drug Discovery Institute and Professor and Chair of Neuroscience at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, discussed the dual nature of opioids in alleviating pain and causing addiction. He then detailed how his lab's research, supported by NIDA’s SCORCH program and using the BRAIN Initiative’s BICCN data, identified specific brain cells in the prefrontal cortex involved in opioid reward. These findings open new avenues for treating opioid use disorder.
The panel concluded with audience questions that highlighted the importance of continuing research on brain mechanisms involved in addiction and scaling addiction therapies for broader accessibility.
For more, you can access the full American Brain Coalition Congressional briefing summary.