OPINION
April 8, 2013, 7:20 p.m. ET
Toward the Final Frontier: The Human Brain
An effort that promises far-reaching benefits, like the space program and genome Project
By PAUL G. ALLEN And FRANCIS S. COLLINS
In science there are moments when prior discoveries, advances in technology, and visionary leadership align to create the opportunity for a great leap. It happened in 1961, when President Kennedy called for a new era of space exploration, which took Americans to the moon. It happened again in 1990, when the Department of Energy and the National Institutes of Health transformed the future of biomedical research by launching the Human Genome Project.
The timing is perfect now for a federally coordinated effort to unlock the secrets of the brain, in line with President Obama's call this month for an ambitious project to map the most complex organ in the known universe.
This is a watershed moment. The goal is to revolutionize how we study the brain, and to gain powerful insights into neurological diseases and mental-health disorders. It is past time to solve questions with profound implications for tens of millions who will benefit from treatments for depression, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, autism and many other disorders.
Though the two of us have rowed in different waters, we share a longtime fascination with the brain. It is what makes us who we are and defines both our individuality and common humanity. Over the past several decades, the scientific community has begun to decipher the brain's intricate language.
New, noninvasive tools like optogenetics and calcium imaging enable us to see and manipulate the brain at the molecular level. Recent advances in three-dimensional, ultra-high-resolution microscopy reveal which nerve cells switch on in a particular circuit.
A new era of information technology allows us to build out super-data sets to track and organize these intercellular connections. With the aid of large-scale computer resources, we understand enough about the physics of the brain—in essence, a piece of highly excitable matter—to begin to simulate complete nervous systems.
Freely available mapping tools, such as those developed at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, along with the National Institutes of Health's Human Connectome project and other open-access databases, have accelerated research around the world. As a result, we can now define the functional geography of the cerebral cortex, the region that gives rise to perception, consciousness, language, reasoning and memory.
While neuroscientists have learned a lot, critical pieces regarding the brain's code for processing, storing and retrieving information are still missing. Neuroscience today is like chemistry before the periodic table: People knew about elements and compounds but lacked a systematic theory to classify their knowledge.
Today we know that neurons fire and we know that they are connected. We don't know how they act in concert to govern behavior, the essential question in treating neurological disease and mental-health disorders. Most of all, we have a limited understanding of how the brain translates its rich sensory experiences into complex mental states and behaviors, all at the speed of thought.
Big problems demand big solutions. The human brain contains nearly 100 billion neurons of at least a thousand distinct varieties. Those nerve cells make at least 100 trillion connections. No single discovery, no one researcher, will be able to crack the brain's code.
The next generation of neuroscience breakthroughs will emerge from collaboration among a range of disciplines, from physics and biology to nanoscience, computer science and engineering. All hands must be on deck.
Progress will also hinge on the cooperation of the public and private sectors, a welcome aspect of the president's "BRAIN" initiative. We'll need creative, nimble management to ensure the best work out of both sides. The private realm, in particular, will require encouragement to play its role. For scientific leadership, the federal effort must tap into the brightest minds in the field.
It is our view that tough fiscal times demand creative approaches and more innovation. As President Obama has noted, the Human Genome Project has returned $140 in economic growth and new industry for every government dollar invested. We are confident that the BRAIN initiative will pay comparable dividends over time, and ultimately boost social productivity, reduce health-care costs and alleviate untold suffering. All humanity will benefit.
Mr. Allen, who cofounded Microsoft in 1975, is chairman of Vulcan Inc. and founder of the Allen Institute for Brain Science. Dr. Collins is director of the National Institutes of Health. MSFT -0.38%
The timing is perfect now for a federally coordinated effort to unlock the secrets of the brain, in line with President Obama's call this month for an ambitious project to map the most complex organ in the known universe.
This is a watershed moment. The goal is to revolutionize how we study the brain, and to gain powerful insights into neurological diseases and mental-health disorders. It is past time to solve questions with profound implications for tens of millions who will benefit from treatments for depression, Parkinson's disease, Alzheimer's, autism and many other disorders.
Though the two of us have rowed in different waters, we share a longtime fascination with the brain. It is what makes us who we are and defines both our individuality and common humanity. Over the past several decades, the scientific community has begun to decipher the brain's intricate language.
New, noninvasive tools like optogenetics and calcium imaging enable us to see and manipulate the brain at the molecular level. Recent advances in three-dimensional, ultra-high-resolution microscopy reveal which nerve cells switch on in a particular circuit.
A new era of information technology allows us to build out super-data sets to track and organize these intercellular connections. With the aid of large-scale computer resources, we understand enough about the physics of the brain—in essence, a piece of highly excitable matter—to begin to simulate complete nervous systems.
Freely available mapping tools, such as those developed at the Allen Institute for Brain Science, along with the National Institutes of Health's Human Connectome project and other open-access databases, have accelerated research around the world. As a result, we can now define the functional geography of the cerebral cortex, the region that gives rise to perception, consciousness, language, reasoning and memory.
While neuroscientists have learned a lot, critical pieces regarding the brain's code for processing, storing and retrieving information are still missing. Neuroscience today is like chemistry before the periodic table: People knew about elements and compounds but lacked a systematic theory to classify their knowledge.
Today we know that neurons fire and we know that they are connected. We don't know how they act in concert to govern behavior, the essential question in treating neurological disease and mental-health disorders. Most of all, we have a limited understanding of how the brain translates its rich sensory experiences into complex mental states and behaviors, all at the speed of thought.
Big problems demand big solutions. The human brain contains nearly 100 billion neurons of at least a thousand distinct varieties. Those nerve cells make at least 100 trillion connections. No single discovery, no one researcher, will be able to crack the brain's code.
The next generation of neuroscience breakthroughs will emerge from collaboration among a range of disciplines, from physics and biology to nanoscience, computer science and engineering. All hands must be on deck.
Progress will also hinge on the cooperation of the public and private sectors, a welcome aspect of the president's "BRAIN" initiative. We'll need creative, nimble management to ensure the best work out of both sides. The private realm, in particular, will require encouragement to play its role. For scientific leadership, the federal effort must tap into the brightest minds in the field.
It is our view that tough fiscal times demand creative approaches and more innovation. As President Obama has noted, the Human Genome Project has returned $140 in economic growth and new industry for every government dollar invested. We are confident that the BRAIN initiative will pay comparable dividends over time, and ultimately boost social productivity, reduce health-care costs and alleviate untold suffering. All humanity will benefit.
Mr. Allen, who cofounded Microsoft in 1975, is chairman of Vulcan Inc. and founder of the Allen Institute for Brain Science. Dr. Collins is director of the National Institutes of Health. MSFT -0.38%
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