How the BRAIN Initiative is Changing Neuroscience

Rat primary cortical neuron culture, deconvolved z-stack overlay. ZEISS Microscopy from Germany, via Wikimedia Commons. Distributed under a CC BY 2.0 license.

The Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative, a large-scale, public-private research program launched in 2014, aims to be ambitious and transformative. Its overarching goal is to revolutionize our understanding of the human brain, driven by the development and application of breakthrough technologies. Such a bold vision requires changes in the practice of science, from grant writing to data sharing.

As we approach the halfway mark of this 10-year effort, we can evaluate how scientists are responding to this challenge.

Read my article in Neuroscience Quarterly: The BRAIN Initiative: Changing Neuroscience.