The annual BRAIN Initiative meeting continues to foster and build relationships within the BRAIN community and explores the latest developments in neuroscience research. It also helps identify potential collaborations and research considerations.
The 9th Annual Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Technologies® Initiative Meeting was held in-person and virtually between June 12 – 13, 2023. The BRAIN Initiative® meeting attendees came from across the globe, encompassing trainees, investigators, agency representatives, media, non-government organizations, and more. This year’s meeting saw more than 800 in-person attendees and more than 1,200 people tuning in virtually.
Dr. John Ngai, Director of the NIH BRAIN Initiative, opened the meeting by iterating the added value of being back in-person while discussing the incredible progress made by the BRAIN Initiative and its collaborators over the last year. He also discussed the BRAIN Initiative’s goals for the future and announced the winners of the Show Us Your BRAINs! Photo & Video Contest. You can read more about Dr. Ngai’s insights from the meeting in his August Director’s Message.
A few key themes were prevalent throughout the meeting, including the role of scientific collaboration, the importance of open science and data sharing, future neuroethical implications, and the promise of artificial intelligence. Meeting sessions included:
Plenary Keynotes
- The Battle for Your Brain by Dr. Nita Farahany of Duke University
- Psychiatric Neuromodulation: Pushing the Limits of Personalization by Dr. Sameer Anil Sheth of Baylor College of Medicine
- Circuit Mechanisms for Flexible and Adaptive Behaviors by Dr. Vanessa Ruta of The Rockefeller University
Symposia Talks
- Symposium 1: Cellular Atlasing and Analysis in Human and Non-human Primate Brain
- Symposium 2: The Octopus Brain: Genomics, Connectomics, and Function
- Symposium 3: Functional Manipulation of the Central Nervous System: Theory of the Mind Meets Clinical Intervention
- Symposium 4: Human Neuroscience in the Wild
- Symposium 5: Sensing, Controlling, and Integrating Brain Processes with Biological Light
- Symposium 6: Reproducible Workflows for Collaborative Neuroscience
Poster Sessions, Exhibits, and Specialty Sessions
There were three 1.5-hour poster sessions at this year’s meeting, with both an in-person and virtual poster hall. Almost 600 poster presenters discussed a wide variety of neuroscience topics and answered questions from attendees. Exhibitor tables also lined the hallways of the meeting with a dedicated virtual exhibit session as well. Throughout the two-day agenda, nine specialty sessions were made available to attendees and addressed a diverse set of focused topics.
Trainee Highlight Awards
In addition, 60 trainees gave short, pre-recorded “flash” talks during the two Trainee Highlight Award sessions. Each presenter shared a virtual poster to showcase their research for all meeting attendees.
We are grateful to everyone who attended and presented at the 9th Annual BRAIN Initiative Meeting. Your participation made it a successful hybrid event as we returned to in-person attendance!
For a full meeting recap and to learn more about each session, check out the full meeting summary on the BRAIN Initiative Alliance webpage.
If you missed any of the meeting talks and discussions or would like to rewatch them, the videos from this year’s presentations are available until June 2024. Sign in to the virtual platform with your meeting credentials. Didn’t attend? You can still register here to view on-demand meeting content.