Resolution in support of National Brain Awareness Week unveiled by McMorris Rodgers

U.S. Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA) recently introduced a resolution that raises recognition of brain-related diseases by declaring congressional support for National Brain Awareness Week.

McMorris Rodgers and U.S. Rep. Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), the co-chairs of the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus, teamed up to introduce the bipartisan resolution.

The measure calls on all Americans “to recognize the valuable contributions that have been made to date in brain and spinal cord research and to support the conduct of this critical research in the future.”

There are more than 1,000 known neurological and neurodegenerative diseases like schizophrenia, traumatic brain injury, autism and Parkinson’s disease that affect the lives of nearly 100 million Americans, the resolution states.

“Neurological illnesses and mental disorders cost the United States more than $760 billion per year and can only be decreased through improved prevention, treatment and the development of cures,” the resolution said.

The multi-agency Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative has brought together the National Institutes of Health (NIH), National Science Foundation and other entities to promote research to develop new technologies to understand the human brain and create lifesaving breakthroughs, the resolution states.

Every dollar of research funding for the NIH and the National Science Foundation generates more than $2 of economic input.

National Brain Awareness Week officially ran from March 13-19.