In 1999, Brown University created a multidisciplinary Brain Science Program to push the boundaries of that burgeoning field, bringing together the best and brightest in medicine, neuroscience, engineering, computing and other specialties.
Since then, affiliated scientists have made several important discoveries about how the brain works – from how certain cells detect light, to how brain changes enable learning and memory – and developed cutting-edge technologies, most notably the world-renowned BrainGate.
This week, to celebrate a decade of achievements, Brown is hosting a two-day symposium, “The Future of the Brain,” featuring some of its own 100-plus scientists plus guests from universities and high-tech companies across the country.
John P. Donoghue, leader of the BrainGate project and director of what is now called the Brown Institute for Brain Science, answered questions about the institute and the future of his field.
PBN: What led Brown to establish this program?
DONOGHUE: A group of Brown brain scientists from physics, neuroscience, psychology and other fields came together, realizing that we would gain a tremendous amount by creating an organization that brought together everyone who worked on the brain. That organization became the Brain Science Program in 1999, and the Institute for Brain Science in 2009.
The frontiers in brain science – understanding fundamentally how the brain works, developing new drugs and devices that help people with brain disorders, and inventing new kinds of “smart” machines and computers that think like the brain does – require scientists from diverse backgrounds to work together. And Brown has a unique environment and a unique set of dedicated faculty and students where collaboration between scientists, engineers and physicians comes naturally.
PBN: How fast is this field changing and advancing, and what are some of the main drivers of those advances?
DONOGHUE: The field of brain science is changing at an astounding pace. New tools like MRI allow us to peer into the living human brain to see not only what it looks like, but how it functions. New devices that go inside the brain are giving us an unprecedented look directly at how brain cells communicate, as well as the opportunity to fine tune that communication to help people with epilepsy, Parkinson’s disease, depression and other devastating neurological and psychiatric disorders.
It’s not just technology, though. We’re at an exciting period where scientists are now able to bridge scientific disciplines that just a few years ago were miles apart. For instance, scientists are now understanding how changes in our genes alter brain function and in turn lead to the spectrum of normal behaviors or result in diseases like autism or schizophrenia.
PBN: Your own project, BrainGate, has been celebrated worldwide. You started a new trial last year; what does that trial entail, and how much closer do you feel you are to developing a system that could be tested on a larger scale?
DONOGHUE: BrainGate is an implantable brain sensor that reads out the brain signals that tell our muscles to move and uses those signals to control devices like computers or robot arms. The goal of the project is to allow people with paralysis to regain control of their environment. The new BrainGate trial continues our previous trial by exploring whether the BrainGate device is feasible and safe to use in a small number of participants.
Along the way, we are doing scientific studies that explore how to give the subjects the best control possible of their surroundings. Developing a system ready for the “real world” requires shrinking the existing system into a form that can be implanted completely inside the brain. That device is already under development at Brown.
PBN: I was struck by the first-day program for your symposium, with its emphasis on technology that imitates and supports brain function. Why did you choose to spotlight these kinds of projects? Do you see this becoming a major field in the coming years?
DONOGHUE: Brown’s foundation in brain science is in fundamental research. But the institute is eager to ensure that the investment in basic science made by Brown, by federal research funding, and by foundations and philanthropists benefits human society and improves human health.
Tremendous potential exists for reducing the burden of neurological and psychiatric diseases or for making safer cars that use vision systems based on how the brain sees. These are early days, however, and it’s vital that scientists talk not only among themselves, but also with people who are experts in getting products into the marketplace to make sure we capitalize on the wealth of knowledge about the brain.
The science has the potential to improve human society around the world. But closer to home, this step of “translating” science from the laboratory to the marketplace will be vital for Rhode Island’s economic recovery. We need to bring together lab researchers, physicians, engineers, entrepreneurs and government officials to realize this promise. And we need to ensure that the next generation of Rhode Islanders are learning what they need to succeed in the kind of jobs that will emerge from science.
PBN: Where do you see the institute going in the next decade?
DONOGHUE: You can’t be good at everything, and although the institute has broad strengths across brain science, we are focused on certain exciting areas. One is neurotechnology, building on the BrainGate project, as well as technologies such as deep-brain stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation, which are also used to tune brain communication. Another is vision: understanding how the brain sees, and building computers that see like we do. A third is what we call “synaptic and neurodegenerative disease.” Instead of committing to a particular disease, our strength is in investigating the triggers that might be common or similar among a number of diseases. We hope to have an impact not just on one disease, but on many diseases, from Parkinson’s disease to Alzheimer’s disease to schizophrenia to autism.
Many institute members are faculty in clinical departments at Brown’s affiliated hospitals. We’re exciting about opportunities for growth in the departments of neurology, neurosurgery and psychiatry, who are among our partners in the institute.
We’re working with these colleagues and leadership at the hospitals to build strong connections that go from basic research at the lab bench to clinical research on patients to improved clinical care at the hospital and in the doctor’s office.
In the next decade, when people think “brain” we want them to think “Rhode Island,” whether it’s for great science or for great medicine.
“The Future of the Brain,” to be held Oct. 13 and 14 on the Brown campus, is free and open to the public, but pre-registration is required for all but one event. To learn more, click here.
