NIH www.nih.gov has announced funding for 100 new awards totaling more than $70 million to support the “Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies” or referred to as the BRAIN Initiative. The funding is going to over 170 investigators working at 60 institutions and brings NIH’s total FY 2016 investment to just over $150 million.
Projects include proposals to develop computer programs that may help researchers detect and diagnose autism and Alzheimer’s disease from brain scans. Other funding will be used to build a cap that uses ultrasound waves to precisely stimulate brain cells, create a neural dust system, make of tiny electric sensors for wirelessly recording brain activity, research to improve current rehabilitation technologies for helping stroke patients, and research on how the brain reads and speaks.
“This year, more projects will be based at least in part on data from humans, reports Joshua Gordon M.D. Ph.D., Director of NIH’s National Institute of Mental Health www.nimh.nih.gov . “Some of these projects are aimed at fine tuning brain stimulation and other promising technologies for the treatment of mental illnesses.”
Go to http://braininitiative.nih.gov/funding/fundedAwards.htm for the list recipients of new grants.