[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 161 (2015), Part 4]
[House]
[Page 4554]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                          BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK

  (Mr. McNERNEY asked and was given permission to address the House for 
1 minute.)
  Mr. McNERNEY. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to celebrate the 20th 
anniversary of Brain Awareness Week.
  Last week, neuroscientists from around the world reached out to 
students and the public with educational activities that helped 
illustrate the wonders of the human brain. Since 1996, organizations 
around the world have come together during Brain Awareness Week to 
inform us about brain research and brain awareness, about brain 
disorders and diseases that affect nearly 100 million Americans.
  The National Science Foundation has supported a number of projects 
that have led to discoveries in neuroscience. These projects include 
gene editing that allows scientists to understand the biological 
origins of complex brain disorders and provide new potential 
treatments. On another front, increasing the resolution of optical 
microscopes has allowed scientists to view the brain in more detail and 
helped them understand Alzheimer's and Parkinson's disease.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in supporting Brain Awareness Week 
and to support researchers in their own districts who are working to 
improve public health worldwide.

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