http://www.cell.com/neuron/fulltext/S0896-6273%2816%2930788-7
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History and Purpose
The
Australian Brain Alliance (ABA) is an initiative of the Australian
Academy of Science with a vision to coordinate and boost strategic brain
research across Australia. The goal is to lead paradigm-changing
research into the brain and its disorders, in collaboration with global
brain initiatives. Since its establishment in February 2016, the ABA has
successfully united researchers across the breadth of Australia’s
neuroscience and behavioral science communities, with early involvement
of both the Australasian Neuroscience Society and the Australian
Psychological Society, and the support of over 28 member organizations
engaged in brain research. This alliance has developed an integrative
brain research agenda that builds on Australia’s strengths, with the aim
of revolutionizing our understanding of the brain through a coordinated
and collective effort.
The ABA’s vision is to create a
program with broad appeal by ensuring that research and infrastructure
are developed in conjunction with government, funding agencies,
industry, and philanthropic organizations. The goal is to secure
investment in an Australian Brain Initiative (ABI), with a mission of
creating an innovative and healthy nation by cracking the brain’s code.
Cracking the Brain’s Code
The
overarching goal of the ABI is to “crack the brain’s code.” This is
defined as understanding the mechanisms or “codes” that underlie how
neural circuitry develops, how it encodes and retrieves information, how
it underpins complex behaviors, and how it adapts to external and
internal changes (see Figure 1).
Discoveries in each of these areas will be essential for successfully
achieving the following four grand challenges, which lie at the heart of
the initiative:
- (1)To optimize and restore healthy brain function throughout life,
- (2)To develop neural interfaces to record and control brain activity to restore function,
- (3)To understand the neural basis of learning across the lifespan, and
- (4)To deliver new insights into brain-inspired computing.
As
other brain initiatives have recognized, brain science is still in a
discovery phase whereby understanding basic nervous system structure and
function is a crucial precursor to delivering meaningful outcomes.
Increasingly, it is being realized that investment in basic research,
both technological and experimental, is essential for the discovery of
innovative solutions in areas such as health, education, and 21st century industries (Kosik et al., 2016).
However, the widely acknowledged “valley of death” in translation is
testament to the fact that basic research alone is not enough. While
Australia’s recent record in moving from discovery to application is
poor (Watt, 2015),
we have demonstrated successes in a number of disciplines, including in
the convergence of basic neuroscience with engineering (see Playing to Our Strengths,
below). This is an area of focus for the ABI and one that the ABA
believes can play a key role in Australia’s future prosperity.
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