What Has the BRAIN Initiative Accomplished?
Now at the midpoint, the BRAIN Initiative’s impacts on neuroscience are beginning to come into fruition. As of January, 2018, the National Institutes of Health had awarded 368 BRAIN grants to more than 500 investigators, resulting in over 330 publications.
So, what have we learned from the BRAIN Initiative so far? What’s currently in development that could transform our understanding of the brain? And what will the next five years bring?
See my latest article at Neuroscience Quarterly: BRAIN-Inspired Science: A Mid-Initiative Report.
Skin-to-Skin Care for Post-Surgical Infants
Multiple barriers prevent routine skin-to-skin care for infants in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU), particularly for infants requiring surgical consultation. Now, a quality improvement project at Nationwide Children's Hospital shows that routine skin-to-skin care is possible for infants in the NICU who have had surgery.
Read the whole story: Skin-to-Skin Care Safe for Infants After Surgery.
Ants Discriminate Snake Friends and Foes
In Madagascar, there is an ant with two very different relationships to two kinds of snake. These ants open their nests up to one of the snakes, which may help protect them from the other.
Read my latest Animal Minds post for the whole story: Ants Discriminate Snake Friends and Foes.
Playing with Rats for Science
In a new study illuminating playful behavior in animals, scientists taught rats to play a simplified, rat-versus-human version of hide-and-seek.
Rats picked up the game within a week or two and learned how to alternate between hiding and seeking roles. Rather than offering food, the researchers rewarded successful hiding and seeking behaviors with playful social interactions, such as tickling and petting.
Read more about playful rats at my Animal Minds blog: Rats and Researchers Play Hide-and-Seek.
Saving the Hellbender
The giant salamander is a crown jewel of Appalachia, but many populations are in decline. Scientists are working to find out why, before it's too late.
Read more at The Scientist: Saving the Hellbender, a Giant Salamander Under Threat.