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Obama Pledges Money for Brain Map
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This April, US President Barack Obama pledged US$100 million to support an initiative to map the human brain.
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Having promised to make more money available for scientific research,
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Obama said, "If we want to make the best products, we also have to invest in the best ideas."
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The initiative is called BRAIN.
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This stands for Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies.
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The idea of mapping the brain has been floating around since 2011,
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and had been gathering support until it finally received backing from the White House.
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The initiative's goal is to find new ways to prevent, treat, and cure brain disorders such as Alzheimer's disease and epilepsy.
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The human brain is a complex organ, full of individual cells and neural pathways that literally react at the speed of thought.
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If scientists can understand how all the components work, they will hopefully be able to fix any damage to the brain.
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The mapping process should also provide insights into other mysteries, such as memory, personality, and behavior.
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Much of the White House's financial support will be put toward the development of new technologies necessary for this research.
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Furthermore, Obama pointed out other potential benefits to the initiative.
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"What if computers could respond to our thoughts?
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Or language barriers could come tumbling down?" he remarked.
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He also stated that he hoped investing in the initiative would create new jobs in neurotechnology.
