The BRAIN Blog

The BRAIN Initiative has recently launched two projects for high school students, a web-based, interactive, educational experience called the BRAIN Explorer and the BRAIN Initiative Challenge, an essay and video contest for high school students.

Taking the subjectivity out of pain measurement… Using holographic manipulations to understand optogenetic thresholds… Neurons to networks…Studying how parents perceive autism in their at-risk children…

Learned lick behavior may tell scientists more about brain-driven pain processes than reflexes

Recently, members of the NIH BRAIN Initiative Neuroethics Working Group (NEWG) and Multi-Council Working Group (MCWG) discussed racial inequities in neuroscience and biomedicine, COVID-19 impacts on research, and future BRAIN funding.

This notice of funding opportunity supports the development of technologies, production efforts, and dissemination resources for a cell type-specific armamentarium to study brain function across species. Applications are due in February and October of 2021.

RFA-MH-20-556 Pilot resources for brain cell type-specific access and manipulation across vertebrate species (U01; clinical trial not allowed)

On September 23, 2020, the National Academies’ Forum on Neuroscience and Nervous System Disorders will host a public workshop on transcriptomic differences in the brains of women versus men with brain disorders.

The NIH is still seeking input on how to enhance scientific and workforce diversity through the BRAIN Initiative. Public comments will be accepted until August 31, 2020.

Diversity and scientific progress go hand in hand. Individuals from diverse backgrounds and life experiences bring different perspectives and creativity to addressing complex scientific problems.

Please join us for two upcoming virtual meetings: the NIH BRAIN Initiative Neuroethics Working Group on Thursday, August 20, 2020 and the Multi-Council Working Group on Friday, August 21, 2020. Videocast will be available for the open sessions of both meetings.

We hope that everyone is remaining safe and healthy. As we continue to navigate the evolving coronavirus public health crisis, many of our upcoming meetings are now being held virtually.

Neuroethics Working Group meeting – Thursday, August 20, 2020

Unraveling neural contributors to position tracking errors in aging humans… A switch to shut off pain… Inducing torpor in mice in order to understand hibernation states… A novel and noninvasive improvement for optogenetics…

Utilizing virtual environments and machine learning to understand path integration in young and aged populations

These three BRAIN Initiative funding opportunities span from developing new theories and computational models, to creating tools for gene editing in marmosets and next generation human brain imaging. Application due dates are coming up in September and October.

RFA-EB-20-001 Proof of Concept Development of Early Stage Next Generation Human Brain Imaging (U01; Reissue of RFA-EB-19-001)

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to evolve, NIH has revised its page on Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) to align with implementation of recent guidance from the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) for recipients affected by COVID-19.