The Brain-Health Institute at Case Western Reserve University continues providing grants to the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to help develop promising research and innovation in brain health and disability science.
That is why the award of $2 million to lead the $1.5 billion BRAIN Initiative, made possible through a $30 million human capital investment, will help current and future participants as they seek to start new careers in STEM areas, said study co-author Steven Ionesco, DGM, Colorado State University, who developed the award to support the Neural Dynamics of asymptomatic People.
The BRAIN Initiative was formed in the wake of the 2010 death of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a devastating neurodegenerative disease that triggers the loss of motor control, typing and walking–often due to peripheral neuropathy. IGF-1 is produced by neurons in the spinal cord that produce a protein called IGFBP1. Researchers have sought to discover a way to prevent neurodegenerative diseases from developing by targeting IGFBP1, or interfering with what neurons do.
The prize funds case-studies that have identified new neural mechanisms involved in the normal functions of sensory function, balance, vision and movement, so there is an increasing understanding of the neurobiological deficits demonstrated by neurodegenerative diseases.
“Funding for Brain-Health Institute faculty has increased by 11 percent through this strategy and funding for Riekling Research Scholar grants (about $25,000 for three-to-four years) has tripled since the program began,” said case-study author Galimbert Eisenegger, MD, director and CEO of Cleveland Brain Health Center and Case Research Foundation. “This development could have potentially saved the lives of millions of people affected by neurodegenerative diseases across the globe, for those who are currently affected.”
The examples of cases provide insight into what brain cells are doing in the brains of patients, Eisenegger said. A subset of these findings show that ADNP-RS patients could point toward genetic or environmental factors that contribute to problems such as the loss of concentration, retardation, cognitive impairment and chronic pain.
We anticipate that our new discoveries will lead to fruitful development in the areas of behavioral neuroendocrinology and cognitive neuroscience, providing researchers and clinicians a unique opportunity to capture relevant insights into complex aspects of human brain health and disease.”
Steven Ionesco, DGM, who developed the award.
The Brain-Health Institute fosters new research and innovations that can be applied to an array of disease areas. The Brain-Health Institute is located at 515 W. Saint Clair Ave., Cleveland, Ohio, 44105.
