The BRAIN Blog

The NIH BRAIN Initiative announces awards for a new large-scale project that aims to transform neuroscience research and enhance our understanding of the human brain by developing technologies to map neural connections.  

A team of BRAIN researchers reveal a new brain region, the Rolandic Motor Association area, that contributes to body movement and might have an essential role in coordinated complex behaviors.

A team of BRAIN researchers make progress in understanding the role of facial expressions in processing speech. These insights provide a potential roadmap to developing new treatments for patients with difficulty understanding language.

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.

In a recent paper published in Neuron, a collaborative team of neuroethics experts highlight key ethical considerations surrounding continuing trial responsibilities for implantable neural devices and provide points to consider for researchers and others working in this space.

In June, we welcomed more than 2,000 members of the BRAIN community—1,250 attending virtually—to the 9th Annual BRAIN Initiative Meeting. What a thrill it was to host this meeting in-person for the first time since 2019!

The team is working with in vivo neurotechnologies to better understand the behavioral and cognitive variables that modulate deep brain activity during freely moving behavior, with an aim of contributing to innovative therapies designed to treat memory disorders in humans.

Have you read the latest BRAIN Initiative Alliance newsletter? BRAIN scientists are invited to share their tools with the scientific community in the Toolmakers Newsletter. These newsletters spotlight BRAIN Initiative investigators with tools, technologies, or theories ready for distribution to the larger research community to advance neurotechnology.  

A recently issued BRAIN Notice of Special Interest (NOSI) will support the dissemination of promising technologies and resources generated from BRAIN awards, fostering collaborations, and integrating these research innovations into research practice.

Please join us for two virtual NIH BRAIN Initiative meetings on Monday, August 28 and Tuesday, August 29. Videocast will be available for the open meeting sessions.