Brain Science as a Mutual Opportunity for the Physical Sciences, Mathematics, Computational Sciences, and Engineering

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Neuroscience at NSF Status and Prosepctives
Rae Silver Senior Advisor OIA/OD November 16
2006 ENG Advisory Committee
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Why Now

• The 2006 OMB-OSTP memo calls for more research in
  complex biological systems systems that are
  non-linear, multi-scale, and difficult to predict

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Why NSF

• NSF is the one agency that can bring to bear the
  necessary scientific, mathematical and
  engineering disciplines to explore complex
  biological systems systems that are non-linear,
  multi-scale, and difficult to predict
• Opportunity Potential
• Instrumentation and computational tools
• Education

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Planning process Neuroscience at NSF
BIO CISE GEO ENG MPS SBE
Instrumentation -development -purchase
behavioral and physiologic measurement
data analysis, modeling, and informatics
conceptual and theoretical approaches
building brain-like devices and systems
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Our Challenge

• Articulate future research opportunities
• new scientific directions
• broader benefits to society
• Develop a series of workshops to identify
  transformative opportunities
• research
• education

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• Workshop recommendations
• BIO SBE July 06
• Promising work in cognition neuroscience
• Adaptive Plasticity, Conflict and Cooperation,
  Spatial knowledge, Time, Language, Causal
  Understanding
• http//www.nsf.gov/sbe/grand_chall.pdf 
• CISE ENG MPS August 06
• Identified 4 broad areas of opportunity
• Instrumentation and Measurement
• Data Analysis, Statistical Modeling, Informatics
• Conceptual and Theoretical Approaches
• Building Brain-like Devices and Systems

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Timing Time measurement Talk about
engineering principles!

• A central master clock in the SCN.
• Many cells in different organs throughout the
  body have clocks, each of which have a circadian
  cycle in gene expression for large number of
  genes
• Similar to motor system loops within loops
  exactly how one should build a complicated
  engineered system.
• Its a bit like how computers are coordinated
  over the internet in terms of time each
  computer has a local clock, and they can be
  coordinated overall using the NNTP (network time
  protocol).

Partha Mitra ColdSpringHarborLab
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Circadian Body Clocks

• 1972 Daily clock located in hypothalamus-SCN
• 1971 Clock mutants in flies
• 1982 Cloning of fly clock gene (Period)
• 1997-98 Period gene in mammals
• Discovery of cell based circa-dian clock

DAY
NIGHT
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Brain Computer Interfaces Biomimetic
Microelectronics as Implantable Neural Prostheses
Ted Berger Aug 06

• Problem Integration of Brain and Computing
  Systems
• Multi-Disciplinary Components
• Biomimetic modeling of neurons and neural systems
  (neuroscience, mathematics, biomedical
  engineering)
• Hardware implementation (VLSI) of neural models
  for parallelism, rapid computational speed, and
  miniaturization (computer science, computer
  engineering, electrical engineering)
• Multi-site electrode recording/stimulation arrays
  to interface devices with the brain (material
  science, physics, chemistry)

short-term memory
long-term memory
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Functional Neuroimaging of Information Flows
within the Brain Mechanisms of cognitive
processes and brain functions
ITR High-Resolution Cortical Imaging of Brain
Electrical Activity. Bin He, U Minnesota
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Implementation Workshops

• BIOSBE Mind and Brain Strategies and
  Directions for Future July 18-19, 2006
• CISEENGMPS Brain Science as a Mutual
  Opportunity for the Physical Mathematical
  Sciences, Computer Science Engineering 21-22
  August 2006
• BIOCISEENGMPSSBE March 5-6