[Congressional Record Volume 156, Number 39 (Wednesday, March 17, 2010)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Pages E394-E395]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                       2010 BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                          HON. MARTIN HEINRICH

                             of new mexico

                    in the house of representatives

                       Wednesday, March 17, 2010

  Mr. HEINRICH. Madam Speaker, today I rise to commemorate Brain 
Awareness Week and the benefits of educating students on brain science 
in Central New Mexico and across the country. Launched in 1996, Brain 
Awareness Week brings together the Society for Neuroscience, Dana 
Alliance for Brain Initiatives, and 2,400 other organizations in 76 
countries that share a common interest in improving public awareness of 
brain and nervous system research. During Brain Awareness Week, which 
is being held March 15-21, neuroscientists around the globe educate K-
12 students, senior citizens, and the public at large on the wonders of 
the human brain. These activities include tours of neuroscience 
laboratories, museum exhibitions, and classroom discussions on the 
elements of the human brain.
  This year, the New Mexico area members of the Society for 
Neuroscience hosted the 2010 Neuroscience Day at the School of Medicine 
at the University of New Mexico, located in my district. During this 
day-long event, many of my constituents learned about the wonders of 
the mind and the nature of scientific discovery. Today, in recognition 
of Brain Awareness Week, I would like to highlight a serious 
neurological condition that affects many of our men and women in 
uniform returning from the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan: Post Traumatic 
Stress Disorder.
  Madam Speaker, as a member of the House Armed Services Committee, I 
recognize the great urgency of understanding and treating PTSD, 
especially for the new generation of U.S. soldiers returning home after 
prolonged exposure to combat-related stress and trauma in the war zone. 
One large study conducted by the RAND Corporation, a nonprofit, non-
partisan organization focused on improving policy and decision-making 
through research and analysis, found that almost 20 percent of 
returning military personnel who served in Iraq and Afghanistan report 
symptoms of PTSD or major depression. Our service members aren't the 
only Americans at risk for this debilitating neuropsychiatric disorder. 
According to the National Institute of Mental Health, about 3.5 percent 
of American adults, or 7.7 million individuals, struggle with PTSD 
during any given year. Unfortunately, current drug and behavioral 
treatments for PTSD are often unable to reduce or eliminate symptoms 
that include intrusive memories, emotional numbness, and insomnia. In 
recent years, however, neuroscientists have begun to piece together 
some of the neurobiological puzzles behind this complex disorder, 
offering new hope to its sufferers.
  The research dollars allocated in the American Recovery and 
Reinvestment Act, which I

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supported, are providing scientists with opportunities to discover new 
medical advances that will detect and treat PTSD, Traumatic Brain 
Injury, and other illnesses that affect our service members. For 
example, researchers at the University of New Mexico have found that an 
innovative brain imaging method, diffusion tensor imaging, can be used 
to reliably detect and track brain abnormalities in patients with mild 
TBI. This important application received funding from a grant from the 
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke. Recently, 
researchers at the Mind Research Network, an independent non-profit 
organization dedicated to advancing the diagnosis and treatment of 
mental illness and brain injury, located in Albuquerque, received a 
$507,000 Recovery Act grant to continue pursuing similar analyses using 
magnetoencephalography, a sensitive technique for measuring the brain's 
electrical activity, which is essential for evaluating and treating TBI 
patients. As a result of the Recovery Act, scientific research is 
providing new hope to thousands of service members returning home from 
the war zone who suffer from PTSD, TBI, and other neurological trauma.
  Madam Speaker, today I ask my colleagues to join me in recognizing 
Brain Awareness Week, which exposes our constituents to the wonders of 
the brain. I also ask that you join me in continuing to support 
research for new treatments for our brave men and women returning home 
from combat with PTSD and other brain injuries and disorders.

                          ____________________