The BRAIN Blog

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The BRAIN Blog covers updates and announcements on BRAIN Initiative research, events, and news. 

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black and white image of people working on laptops at a counter height table on stools at the annual BRAIN meeting

NIH BRAIN Initiative Publication Roundup – late January 2016

Microbubbles help lasers focus on neurons deep in the brain…New genetically encoded voltage indicator reveals individual action potentials…Scientists use RNA sequencing to classify neurons in primary visual cortex.

Microbubbles help lasers focus on neurons deep in the brain

  • Neuroscience Research and Technology

Family of light-sensitive inhibitory receptors enables precise control of neural activity

Researchers have genetically modified the entire family of GABAA receptor subtypes, which mediate inhibitory synaptic transmission in the brain, to make them controllable with pulses of light with high spatial, temporal, and biochemical precision.

  • Neuroscience Research and Technology

NIH BRAIN Initiative Announces Small Business Innovation Research Funding Opportunities Focused on Human Brain Research

Following the announcement of a Public-Private Partnership Program in early fall, NIH has released two notices of funding opportunities for small business concerns to develop the latest-generation implantable stimulating and/or recording devices for translational and clinical neuroscience research in humans.

  • Neuroscience Grants and Funding

New and Re-issued Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2016 Explore Non-Invasive Neuromodulation and Revisit Large-Scale Recording and Modulation, expanding BRAIN Initiative programs for 2016

NIH has issued additional Requests for Applications (RFAs) for the BRAIN Initiative that address critical components of the BRAIN 2025 Report due to their focus on tool development and mechanistic understanding of non-invasive neuromodulation techniques. Further, a re-issued opportunity expands support of early-stage research in large-scale recording and modulation. For the full list of BRAIN Initiative active funding announcements for fiscal year 2016, please visit our Active Funding Opportunities page. 

  • Neuroscience Grants and Funding

NSF releases a new solicitation for “Integrative Strategies for Understanding Neural and Cognitive Systems”

The program, part of NSF’s BRAIN Initiative efforts, will open new opportunities to understand complex aspects of neural and cognitive systems through integrative multidisciplinary approaches

  • Neuroscience News

Nanotechnology Grand Challenge

A new White House Grand Challenge seeks to develop nanotechnology-based solutions to guide the future of computing.

  • Neuroscience News

Re-issued Notices of Funding Opportunities for Fiscal Year 2016 Seek Tools for Cells and Circuits and Technologies for Large-Scale Recording and Modulation

NIH has re-issued three Requests for Applications (RFAs) for the BRAIN Initiative that address critical components of the BRAIN 2025 Report due to their focus on developing tools to analyze cells and circuits and technologies for large-scale recording and modulation.

  • Neuroscience Grants and Funding

Molecular identity of neural stem cells implicated in brain evolution discovered

Genetic analysis of different populations of neural stem cells indicates that one group of cells—the outer radial glia—gives rise to the majority of neurons in the upper layers of the neocortex that are associated with higher-level information processing and thinking, suggesting that these cells are important mediators of brain evolution.

  • Neuroscience Research and Technology

Whole-brain neural activity mapped onto an anatomical atlas of the zebrafish brain

Researchers have created an expandable, open-source anatomical atlas of the entire zebrafish brain, called the Z-Brain, and mapped onto it whole-brain activity occurring during multiple behaviors

  • Neuroscience Research and Technology

Multiple Partnerships Support BRAIN Initiative Human Research Opportunities

In recent weeks, the NIH BRAIN Initiative released five new requests for applications (RFAs) related to human neuroscience research that range from the development of invasive stimulating and recording devices to investigating non-invasive imaging techniques. These RFAs rely on partnerships between clinicians, laboratory scientists, device manufacturers, and also include a research agreement by the Australian National Health and Medical Research Council.

  • Neuroscience Grants and Funding