Recently U.S. president Barack Obama announced that he supports a new initiative believed to assist scientists in understanding the brain in a way that can help develop newer and safer treatments for conditions like epilepsy.
Obama spoke during a White House briefing on April 2nd, telling scientists that his administration is setting aside $100 million investment to help progress the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) initiative. It is this research that will help speed up the development of new technology “that will enable researchers to produce dynamic pictures of the brain that show how individual brain cells and complex neural circuits interact,” he said.
Obama believes that this new work will help improve millions of lives of people living with various brain conditions including epilepsy and dementia. The technology being researched includes nanoscience, imaging, engineering, informatics and other quickly-growing fields of study.
“There is this enormous mystery waiting to be unlocked, and the BRAIN Initiative will change that by giving scientists the tools they need to get a dynamic picture of the brain in action and better understand how we think and how we learn and how we remember,” Obama said.
This newest project is to be funded by the National Institutes for Health, the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency and the National Science Foundation, and will have government-funded scientists teaming up to help further the research efforts.
The announcement from Obama excited John Ngai, professor of molecular and cell biology and director of UC Berkeley’s Helen Wills Neuroscience Institute, who said, “The brain is a beautiful, efficient biological computer, and we want to understand how that computer works, how it learns and adapts, and how it goes awry.”
Epilepsy needs all of the help it can get in terms of research that can further future treatment developments. It is a condition that affects millions worldwide. Epilepsy is treated with various anti-seizure medications, one of which is Topamax. Topamax has been linked to serious side effects including birth defects in babies whose mothers take the drugs while pregnant. Children may be born with birth defects such as PPHN, spina bifida, neural tube defects, oral clefts and heart, lung and brain defects.
If your baby was born with birth defects after in-utero exposure to Topamax, contact attorney Greg Jones today for a free consultation. I am experienced at fighting Topamax lawsuits and may be able to help you recover money for your child’s injuries.