2015 Symposium on the BRAIN Initiative

The 2015 Symposium on the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative was held Oct. 9-10, 2015.

Researchers from 16 of the institutions awarded grants under the BRAIN Initiative joined representatives from four of the five involved government agencies and executives from 11 tech and medical device companies for a two-day series of lectures and panel discussions, with a keynote presentation from Walter J. Koroshetz, M.D., director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke.

2015 Symposium Agenda (PDF)

2015 symposium lectures

Only those speakers who authorized disclosure of their presentations are listed.

• Keynote: The Present and Future Promise of the BRAIN Initiative
• Walter J. Koroshetz, M.D., Director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, delivers the keynote address.

• Q&A: Dr. Koroshetz
• Dr. Koroshetz takes audience questions regarding the BRAIN Initiative.

• Modular High-Density Optoelectrodes for Local Circuit Analysis
• Euisik Yoon, Ph.D., of the University of Michigan presents his BRAIN Initiative work.

• In Vivo Multiphoton Imaging of Mouse Brain
• Chris Xu, Ph.D., of Cornell University presents his BRAIN Initiative work.

• Development of Protein-Based Voltage Probes
• Vincent Pieribone, Ph.D., of the John B. Pierce Laboratory/Yale University presents his BRAIN Initiative work.

• Advancing MRI and MRS Technologies for Studying Human Brain Function and Energetics
• Qing Yang, Ph.D., of Penn State University presents his BRAIN Initiative work.

• Bleeding-Edge Technologies to Build the Scientific Foundation for New Therapies
• Kip A. Ludwig, Ph.D., moderates a discussion panel.

• Present and Future Promise of the BRAIN Initiative
• Walter J. Koroshetz, M.D., director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, presents on the history and goals of the BRAIN Initiative.

• Public/Private and Trans-Agency Collaborations to Catalyze Breakthrough Discoveries
• Drs. Kendall Lee (Mayo Clinic), Walter Koroshetz (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke), Keith Roper (National Science Foundation), Michael Wolfson (independent consultant, Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency) and Alexis Jeannotte (Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity) discuss BRAIN Initiative-related collaborative efforts of their agencies.

• Partnering Towards Neuroscience Translation
• Lothar Krinke, Ph.D., vice president and general manager, Medtronic Deep Brain Stimulation, delivers a talk on Medtronic neuromodulation programs.

• World-Class Research and Development for Medical Devices and Neurotechnologies
• Daryl Kipke, Ph.D., NeuroNexus executive director, delivers a talk on neurotechnology partnerships and products available with Greatbatch.

• What Happens in the Vagus, Doesn't Stay in the Vagus: The Road Less Traveled to Brain Stimulation
• Bryan Olin, Ph.D., vice president (Clinical, Quality, Regulatory), delivers a talk on Cyberonics' AspireSR vagus nerve stimulator.

• Bridging the Gap: Contract Manufacturers as Technology Translation Partners
• Heather Dunn, senior director (Technology), delivers a talk on Cirtec's contract manufacturing work for neurotechnology device development and translational applications.

• Perspectives on Technology Adoption for Patient Care
• Kevin E. Bennet (Mayo Clinic), Dr. Daryl Kipke (Greatbatch-NeuroNexus), Dr. Lothar Krinke (Medtronic), Heather Dunn (Cirtec), Dr. Bryan Olin (Cyberonics), Dr. John Knickerbocker (IBM), Dr. Stephen Carcieri (Boston Scientific), and Dr. David Carpenter (Siemens) discuss the translation of advanced neurotechnology to clinical use.

• Establishing a Comprehensive and Standardized Cell Type Characterization Platform
• Hongkui Zeng, Ph.D., of the Allen Institute for Brain Science delivers a talk.

• Cortical Circuits Underlying Perceptual Decisions
• Gerald Pho of the Sur Lab at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology presents his lab's BRAIN Initiative work.

• Detection of Neurotransmitter Absolute Concentrations With Diamond Electrodes
• Kendall H. Lee, M.D., Ph.D., and Kevin E. Bennet of Mayo Clinic present their BRAIN Initiative work.

• From Single Cell to Neural Circuits: Classification, Regulation, and Imaging
• Dr. Charles Blaha (Mayo Clinic), Dr. Nancy Xu (Old Dominion University), Dr. Hongkui Zeng (Allen Institute for Brain Science), Dr. Kendall Lee (Mayo Clinic), Dr. John Ngai (University of California, Berkeley), Dr. Sarah Stanley (Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai), Gerald Pho (MIT) and Kevin E. Bennet (Mayo Clinic) discuss their BRAIN Initiative projects.