The brain controls everything we do and think, and we’re only starting to understand how it works. While neurological research may not be as exciting as cutting-edge smartphone technology, it’s absolutely vital to the pursuit of knowledge and treating diseases such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, or multiple sclerosis (MS). Learn more about neurological research below.
What Is Brain Research?
Brain research (or neurological research as it’s commonly referred to) is a broad term for medical, scientific, and technological studies that advance our understanding of how and why our brains function. These studies include neurological disorders like Alzheimer’s disease, autism spectrum disorder, or Multiple Sclerosis; psychiatric disorders like anxiety or depression; sensory issues like hearing loss or (removed color) blindness; neurodegenerative conditions like Parkinson’s disease or Huntington’s disease; and traumatic brain injuries.
Types of Brain Research Programs
Here at BRF, we fund a broad scope of brain research programs through our Seed Grants and our annual Scientific Innovations Award.
The funding has been used to make some amazing discoveries about the brain, from how it works, to the links between lifestyle and disorders, and important findings about medical treatment and how the brain reacts to it.
How Can You Get Involved with Funding Neuroscience Research?
There are a number of ways to support BRF in our work and continue funding for essential research programs that will aid both medical and academic methodology in the future.
Whether making a donation on our website or attending one of our events, you can be assured that the money raised by BRF goes directly to studies performed by both researchers and institutes working on the latest neurological advances.
Dr. Aimee Kao generates human cell lines to model neurodegenerative disorders The BRF Seed Grant was crucial in establishing us as a lab that is leading the work on neuroregeneration…
Ravi Allada, M.D., Professor of Neurobiology at Northwestern University, is interested in the molecular mechanisms underlying circadian rhythms and their links to various clinical disorders, including insomnia, depression and even…
“The BRF Scientific Innovations Award allowed us to do bold, transformative work for which there was no precedent. I am grateful that BRF takes risks on innovation.”
In 2002 Dr. Nicholas Hatsopoulos, Department of Organismal Biology and Anatomy at The University of Chicago, was awarded his first $25,000 seed grant. His lab set out to understand the…
Exercise is important for the health of the body and the mind. Exercise promotes learning and reduces symptoms of brain-related diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease. However, it…
This research project aims to investigate the neural mechanisms of a specific type of brain cell called neuropeptide neurons within a region of the brain’s amygdala network called the bed…
Our world is composed of a rich mixture of sounds. We often process sounds including speech in the presence of many other competing auditory stimuli (e.g., voices in a crowded…
The human brain requires significant energy to function. Despite accounting for only 2% of our body weight, the brain consumes a substantial 20% of the body’s energy, relying on a…
Innovation Awards
James J DiCarlo, M.D., Ph.D., Massachusetts Institute of Technology
DiCarlo’s research team is exploring an innovative approach to address emotional challenges, such as anxiety and depression. Traditional treatments for these disorders can be complex and often cause unpleasant side effects,…
Eiman Azim, Ph.D., The Salk Institute for Biological Studies
The ability to move effectively through the world is one of the most important functions of the brain. However, the world and the body are constantly changing, meaning the signals…
Hillel Adesnik, Ph.D., University of California, Berkeley
How patterns of action potentials in space and time give rise to sensory experience is among the most enduring mysteries of biology. Despite decades of experiments correlating brain activity patterns…
Like movie frames needing to be edited to tell an engaging story, pieces of genetic information stored in DNA for each gene need to be sliced and rejoined, through a…
BRF’s 2022 Discovery Event with the Dr. Frederic A. Gibbs Community Service Awardee Martin Nesbitt and a panel discussion on restoring movement and touch to paralysis patients. Brain Research Foundation…
A panel at The BRF discusses a clinical trial that will not only help people with paralysis but also possibly those with strokes or ALS. The intention is to expand…
In Vivo and Ex Vivo Dissection of Midbrain Neuron Activity During Exercise
Deciphering the Neuropeptide Circuitry of Emotional Arousal in Narcolepsy
Using Computer Models of the Neural Mechanisms of Visual Processing to Non-Invasively Modulate Brain States
Learning from Error: Defining how Cerebellar Circuits Drive Adaptation in a Changing World
