The top 10 neuroscience trends of 2007
13 November 2007
The Neurotechnology Industry
Organization (NIO) has announced the top ten emerging areas of neuroscience
that will impact the future of treatments for brain and nervous system.
According to NIO, the trade association that represents the 500 companies
worldwide developing treatments for the brain and nervous system, the US
economic burden of brain-related disorders has reached more than $1
trillion, highlighting the acute need for continued neuroscience research
and therapeutic development.
"Advances across a wide spectrum of
neuroscience research are making possible the development of more effective
treatments for the nearly 100 million Americans and 2 billion people
worldwide that currently suffer from brain-related illnesses," said Zack
Lynch, Executive Director of NIO. Top 10 trends of 2007
- Advancing discovery tools underpin innovation: beyond biochips and
brain imaging, recent advances in neuroinformatics, image-based neural
circuit analysis, and neural computation are accelerating the pace of
neuroscientific discovery beyond what was imagined a decade ago.
- Neuroimmunology leading to new treatment targets: the discovery that immune
molecules play a crucial role in shaping neuronal connections opens up new
treatment targets for Alzheimer's, autism, ALS, Parkinson's, schizophrenia,
and nerve injury.
- National Neurotechnology Initiative: momentum for the
new $200M/year federal R&D initiative aimed at accelerating translational neurotech innovation and improving the effectiveness of FDA review process
for neuroscience drugs, devices and diagnostics grows.
- Neurodevice
interfaces improve prosthetics and treatments: advanced brain-machine
interfaces (BMI) enable the severely handicapped to independently compose
e-mails and operate a TV in their homes. Other neurodevices provide
functional stimulation for the treatment of pain, Parkinson's, obesity, and
psychiatric disorders.
- Addiction advances: new research clarifies the
role of drugs on sleep, cocaine's potency, and the brain changes that occur
due to abuse leading to new treatment strategies for this epidemic impacting
over 1.1 billion worldwide.
- Normal aging brain gets more attention:
more research and development is being focused on thinking impairments that
only partially limit independence and quality of life for senior citizens,
adults and school aged children. Neurosoftware will penetrate nursing homes
and schools, as brain fitness software becomes new first-line treatment
strategy.
- Regenerating the spinal cord: new experimental therapies in
development could open the doors for research to improve treatments for
people with spinal cord injuries, brain injuries, stroke, and other severe
movement disorders
- Prevention evidence grows: you are what you eat;
smoking is as bad as we thought; and new studies reveal the effects of
environmental substances on Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease and
others.
- Emotional disorders research advances: new research continues
to link neurogenesis to treatment of depression. A better understanding of
PTSD should lead to new treatment regimes.
- Neuroscience infiltrates
society: from neuroeconomics to neuroesthetics to neuroethics and neurolaw,
the influence of neuroscience on society continues to grow.
To top
Save
this page on del.icio.us
|
