House Successfully Passes Bipartisan Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act
Policy
Deadline Approaching: Tell Congress to Avoid a Partial Shutdown
Although Congress approved the NIH’s funding for the current fiscal year, it has yet to do so for the National Science Foundation (NSF). Unless Congress acts before next Friday, December 21st, NSF and several other agencies will shut down when their funding in the current Continuing Resolution expires. Contact your members of Congress today and tell them to finish their work and provide robust funding for NSF in 2019.
Updated: NIH Says Cancer Study Also Hit by Fetal Tissue Ban
December 13, 2018 | Science
A third laboratory at the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at National Institutes of Health (NIH) is affected by the agency’s temporary ban on acquiring new human fetal tissue, an agency spokesperson confirmed. This update was in addition to research projects affected by the temporary at the National Eye Institute (NEI) and the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID).
BOLD Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act Passed in the Senate
On Wednesday, December 12th, the “Building Our Largest Dementia (BOLD) Infrastructure for Alzheimer's Act” was agreed to in the Senate by a voice vote. Now, it has moved to the House where it will be held until further deliberation. If you would like to learn more or share your support for this bill, more information can be found at the Alzheimer’s Impact Movement’s and Alzheimer’s Association’s pages.
House Successfully Passes Bipartisan Traumatic Brain Injury Reauthorization Act
On December 11th, U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell, Jr. (D-NJ-09), the co-chairman of the Congressional Brain Injury Task Force, celebrated the passage in the House of Representatives of H.R. 6615, the Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) Program Reauthorization Act of 2018. The legislation extends federal TBI programs through 2023. It also authorizes resources to boost the CDC’s efforts to launch a National Concussion Surveillance System as a means to fill longstanding data gaps and provide a better estimate of the TBI burden.
Dog Research at U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs Gets Formal Review
December 10, 2018 | Science
Dog research at the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) is going under the microscope. Yesterday, the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine (NASEM) in Washington, D.C., began a formal review of studies involving nearly 100 canines at four VA facilities to determine whether the animals are being properly treated—and whether the work is necessary.
Science in the News
Revealing the Brain's Molecular Architecture
December 14, 2018 | University of Illinois at Chicago
The brain, our most complex organ, is at the root of both the cognitive and behavioral repertoires that make us unique as a species and underlies susceptibility to neuropsychiatric disorders. Healthy brain development and neurological function rely on precise spatiotemporal regulation of the transcriptome, which varies substantially by brain region and cell type.
Researchers Design Technology That Sees Nerve Cells Fire
December 12, 2018 | National Eye Institute
Researchers at Stanford University have created a noninvasive technology that detects when nerve cells fire based on changes in shape. The method could be used to observe nerve activity in light-accessible parts of the body, such as the eye, which would allow physicians to quantitatively monitor visual function at the cellular level.
A Gut-Brain Link for Parkinson’s Gets a Closer Look
December 7, 2018 | Science News
Read this compelling story of Martha Carlin’s journey to understand the gut microbiota relationship with Parkinson’s. This Science News featured article gives a comprehensive overview of the progression of Parkinson’s-related cures and treatments, highlighting the new developments that link the gut-brain interaction.
