In May, members of the NIH BRAIN Initiative’s Multi-Council Working Group (MCWG) and Neuroethics Working Group (NEWG) met to share updates and discuss emerging topics in neurotechnology research.
Multi-Council Working Group Meeting—Thursday, May 8, 2025
On May 8, 2025, The BRAIN Initiative® Multi-Council Working Group (MCWG) held its thirtieth meeting. MCWG meetings provide an opportunity for members to discuss ongoing and upcoming projects, programs, and funding opportunities and guide progress toward the long-term scientific vision of the NIH BRAIN Initiative.
Dr. Susan Weiss, Director of the Division of Extramural Research at the National Institute on Drug Abuse and Designated Federal Official of MCWG, welcomed the meeting participants and introduced four new MCWG members: Dr. Edward Chang, at large member; Dr. Liqun Luo, at large member; Dr. Roy Sillitoe, NINDS representative; and Dr. Todd Constable, NIBIB representative.
Dr. John Ngai, NIH BRAIN Initiative Director, provided an overview of recent updates and news for the BRAIN Initiative. He shared the achievements of several BRAIN Initiative contributors who have been recognized through induction into AIMBE’s College of Fellows, receipt of the Vision Sciences Society Lifetime Achievement Award, selection as the Acting NIMH Director, and election into the National Academy of Sciences. He summarized recent events like the 2024 BRAIN Initiative Alliance Toolmakers Satellite Event at the annual Society for Neuroscience Conference and the BRAIN NeuroAI Workshop. He also shared a commentary about the first decade of the BRAIN Initiative and the future of neurotechnology. Dr. Ngai noted multiple publications on recent scientific breakthroughs, including the ethics guide and checklist for highly portable MRIs, the Brain Initiative Cell Atlas Network’s Brain Knowledge Platform, and two sets of joint publications describing the FlyWire adult fly brain connectivity map and the MICrONS consortium’s connectivity map of a cubic millimeter of mouse visual cortex. Finally, Dr. Ngai promoted a recently published funding opportunity.
The open session of the meeting concluded with a scientific talk from Dr. Mala Murthy, Professor of Neuroscience at Princeton University and co-leader of the FlyWire Consortium, a BRAIN-funded collaboration that produced the first complete wiring map of an adult animal’s brain. She presented an overview of the relationship between brain wiring and behavior using the fruit fly (genus Drosophila) as a model organism. Her research highlighted the role of data sharing, collaboration, and innovation in advancing breakthroughs in neuroscience.
For more details on the MCWG meeting, please view the meeting summary and archived videocast.
Neuroethics Working Group Meeting—Friday, May 9, 2025
On May 9, 2025, the Neuroethics Working Group (NEWG) held its nineteenth meeting. NEWG meetings provide an opportunity for members to anticipate, assess, and navigate the ethical implications of BRAIN Initiative-funded neurotechnologies.
Dr. Andrea Beckel-Mitchener, Designated Federal Official of the NEWG, welcomed the meeting participants, and Dr. Ngai shared BRAIN Initiative updates. Dr. Jim Eberwine, Acting NEWG Co-Chair, then led a roundtable session where NEWG members shared relevant updates, including the International Neuroethics Society’s recent annual meeting, the American Brain Coalition’s upcoming Public-Private Partnership NINDS Nonprofit Forum, the Dana Foundation’s 75th anniversary, and the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO)’s efforts to develop a consensus global standard on neurotechnology implementation.
The NEWG then held a session focused on the potential ethical challenges with digital brain twins, which are virtual models of human brains that can dynamically simulate brain function. Presenters included Dr. Nita Farahany, NEWG Co-Chair; Dr. Viktor Jirsa, Director of the Inserm Institut de Neurosciences des Systèmes at Aix-Marseille-Université in France; Dr. Arleen Salles, Senior Researcher at the Institute of Neuroethics; and Drs. Jana Schaich Borg and Walter Sinnott-Armstrong from Duke University, along with Dr. Vincent Conitzer from Carnegie Mellon University. Drs. Eberwine and Farahany closed the session by leading a discussion about the presentations and possible next steps. NEWG members discussed critical issues such as the role of digital brain twins in different clinical settings and the role of informed consent in data collection and use. Proposed next steps included organizing a workshop to explore digital brain twins in greater depth and selecting one use case of digital brain twins for NEWG to focus on moving forward.
The meeting ended with an overview of the Implantable BCI Collaborative Community (iBCI-CC) led by Ms. Jen French, NEWG member and Executive Director of the Neurotech Network, and Dr. Michael Young, neurologist and researcher at Massachusetts General Hospital.
For more details on the NEWG meeting, please view the meeting summary and archived videocast.