Weekly Advocacy News Roundup
News
Young European Researchers Set Groundwork for Policy Changes
August 30, 2016 | Science
A group of young scientists was invited by the Council of the European Union and the European Commission to develop a document outlining their concerns and wishes about pursuing a research career. The result was a document called the Bratislava Declaration of Young Researchers, and it calls for better recognition of “the special role that young researches play” and for measures to help ensure they reach their full potential.
- Read about global advocacy programs at SfN.org.
Clinton Rolls Out Plan To Improve Mental Health Care
August 30, 2016 | USA Today
Presidential candidate Hillary Clinton released a mental health care plan that calls for putting mental health care on par with other types of health care. The plan includes a call for investing in brain and behavioral research to develop better treatment for mental health illnesses.
- Read SfN’s policy statement on mental health insurance parity at SfN.org.
Obama Steps up Pressure on Congress for Zika Funding
August 27, 2016 | CBS News
President Obama is urging Congress to make funding efforts to fight the spread of Zika their priority when they return after Labor Day. President Obama requested emergency funds in February, but Congress has remained deadlocked and has not passed the funding request.
- Learn about how animal models are being used to study Zika at BrainFacts.org.
Articles of Interest
Your Dog Really Does Know What You’re Saying, and a Brain Scan Shows How
August 31, 2016 | The Washington Post
Scientists discovered that dogs understand both the meaning of words and the intonation used to speak them. The study also showed that dogs process language in the same regions of the brain as humans and that reward areas of the brain were active when hearing positive words spoken in a positive tone.
- Read about neuroanatomy at BrainFacts.org.
As Brain Maps Proliferate, Scientists Aim To Sync Them Up
August 26, 2016 | Stat News
Maps of brain regions, cells, and other features are common, but these maps often do not sync up with each other. A group of scientists synced up two of the most commonly used brain maps – one for gene expression and one for brain structure – which will allow scientists to determine what genes are important in their brain region of interest.
- Read about technologies used in neuroscience research at BrainFacts.org.
Alzheimer’s Treatment Appears To Alleviate Memory Loss in Small Trial
August 31, 2016 | Nature
Findings from a small clinical trial suggest that a drug called aducanumab might remove the toxic proteins, amyloid-B, that are thought to contribute to Alzheimer’s disease. The study showed that the drug broke up the proteins in patients with early-stage Alzheimer’s; future clinical trials will test if the drug also works to alleviate memory and cognitive losses.
- Learn more about Alzheimer’s disease at BrainFacts.org.
Opinion
Stop Ignoring Misconduct
August 31, 2016 | Nature
Science has made an effort to address reproducibility issues by working to correct faulty research practices. In addition, the field must also address fraud as a potential reason why experiments aren’t replicated by providing support to scientists of all career levels.
- Join the Advocacy Network to stay informed about issues related to neuroscience research at SfN.org.
Benefits of Steady Growth
August 26, 2016 | Science
Science Editor Jeremy Berg examined the recent history of NIH funding and constructed a model that estimates grant success rates based on funding levels. The model also allows for examination of alternative scenarios- for example, if NIH had seen steady increased funding rates, this may have resulted in fewer unsuccessful grant applications and a smaller fluctuation in success from year to year.
- Find science funding resources at SfN.org.
