The U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH) has awarded millions of dollars to nine researchers developing noninvasive ways to image the human brain as part of the agency's Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) initiative.
The initiative has granted awards that represent nearly $4.38 million over two years in early research support and an additional $39.7 million over five years for the development of imaging tools to study the brain. The new grants include five early-stage grants and four grants to continue the development of techniques for imaging the human brain and its circuits, neuronal ensembles, function, and connectivity. The National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering (NIBIB) administered the nine awards as part of the fourth round of grants in the NIH BRAIN initiative program.
Examples of research include using ultrasound to image microvessels deep within the brain and MRI to image gray-matter microstructures.
Teams may also apply for an additional round of funding in the coming weeks by proposing proof-of-concept projects or cooperative agreements aimed at achieving full development of entirely new or next-generation noninvasive brain imaging tools and methods, the NIH said. More information is available here.
