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In his State of the Union address, President Obama obliquely referred to the Brain Activity Map project, which is now confirmed to be in its planning stages. It is an ambitious initiative, lasting (at least) 10 years, to map the structure and functions of the human brain in great detail.
I hope the project goes through as planned. Although the brain is arguably the most critical part of what makes us human, it’s often a forgotten stepchild in public forums. Medical dramas often dominate the TV schedule, but the only one to center around the brain ("3 lbs" on CBS) lasted for only three episodes over a 2-week period in 2006.
We tend to focus more on disease terms – Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s – than the organ involved itself. But in order to find more effective treatments, we need to understand what’s underlying them. Without knowing how it works, we can’t fix it.
Certainly, knowledge about the brain is at its most advanced point ever, but a central effort certainly would help further it. Like space exploration, some things are simply too big for the private sector to handle alone.
It’s been over 20 years since President George H.W. Bush proclaimed the 1990s as the "Decade of the Brain." A tremendous amount of knowledge has since been gained, but the workings of the cerebrum still remain largely mysterious.
The Human Genome Project, as often noted, turned into both an economic and medical boon. It returned a significant net on its financial investment and led to new disease treatments that weren’t imagined 20-30 years ago. We can only hope the brain project will do the same. And, perhaps, bring more awareness to the tissues that led us out of the cave.
Dr. Block has a solo neurology practice in Scottsdale, Ariz. E-mail him at [email protected].
In his State of the Union address, President Obama obliquely referred to the Brain Activity Map project, which is now confirmed to be in its planning stages. It is an ambitious initiative, lasting (at least) 10 years, to map the structure and functions of the human brain in great detail.
I hope the project goes through as planned. Although the brain is arguably the most critical part of what makes us human, it’s often a forgotten stepchild in public forums. Medical dramas often dominate the TV schedule, but the only one to center around the brain ("3 lbs" on CBS) lasted for only three episodes over a 2-week period in 2006.
We tend to focus more on disease terms – Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s – than the organ involved itself. But in order to find more effective treatments, we need to understand what’s underlying them. Without knowing how it works, we can’t fix it.
Certainly, knowledge about the brain is at its most advanced point ever, but a central effort certainly would help further it. Like space exploration, some things are simply too big for the private sector to handle alone.
It’s been over 20 years since President George H.W. Bush proclaimed the 1990s as the "Decade of the Brain." A tremendous amount of knowledge has since been gained, but the workings of the cerebrum still remain largely mysterious.
The Human Genome Project, as often noted, turned into both an economic and medical boon. It returned a significant net on its financial investment and led to new disease treatments that weren’t imagined 20-30 years ago. We can only hope the brain project will do the same. And, perhaps, bring more awareness to the tissues that led us out of the cave.
Dr. Block has a solo neurology practice in Scottsdale, Ariz. E-mail him at [email protected].
In his State of the Union address, President Obama obliquely referred to the Brain Activity Map project, which is now confirmed to be in its planning stages. It is an ambitious initiative, lasting (at least) 10 years, to map the structure and functions of the human brain in great detail.
I hope the project goes through as planned. Although the brain is arguably the most critical part of what makes us human, it’s often a forgotten stepchild in public forums. Medical dramas often dominate the TV schedule, but the only one to center around the brain ("3 lbs" on CBS) lasted for only three episodes over a 2-week period in 2006.
We tend to focus more on disease terms – Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s – than the organ involved itself. But in order to find more effective treatments, we need to understand what’s underlying them. Without knowing how it works, we can’t fix it.
Certainly, knowledge about the brain is at its most advanced point ever, but a central effort certainly would help further it. Like space exploration, some things are simply too big for the private sector to handle alone.
It’s been over 20 years since President George H.W. Bush proclaimed the 1990s as the "Decade of the Brain." A tremendous amount of knowledge has since been gained, but the workings of the cerebrum still remain largely mysterious.
The Human Genome Project, as often noted, turned into both an economic and medical boon. It returned a significant net on its financial investment and led to new disease treatments that weren’t imagined 20-30 years ago. We can only hope the brain project will do the same. And, perhaps, bring more awareness to the tissues that led us out of the cave.
Dr. Block has a solo neurology practice in Scottsdale, Ariz. E-mail him at [email protected].