Rep. Fattah Wins Breakthrough Approval in Congress to Declare Neuroscience Research as a Top Federal Priority

WASHINGTON, Nov. 17, 2011 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Congressman Chaka Fattah (D-PA), the senior House Democratic appropriator for science, research and technology, has won bipartisan Congressional support to designate neuroscience research as a top federal priority.

(Logo:  http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20110323/DC70526LOGO)

The coordinated research efforts under the Fattah neuroscience initiative can spell new hope for wounded warriors who have suffered concussive or firearms injuries in battle, for young athletes who sustain concussions in competition, for crime victims with head injuries, for Alzheimer's and dementia sufferers, among others.

"We have never had a coordinated federal policy on neuroscience research, and it's time to close that gap," Fattah said.

"We are on the cusp of advances in our understanding of the brain that will transform the treatment of traumatic brain injuries of soldiers returning from the battlefield; Alzheimer's and other neurological diseases and conditions; and childhood developmental disorders," Fattah declared. "The investments we make now in neuroscience research will have a multi-fold payoff in the future, both in terms of the quality of life of Americans and reductions in healthcare costs."

He added, "The initiative means that the federal government will step up its support for neuroscience research that addresses the science of learning, brain development and how brain dysfunction relates to criminal behavior."

House and Senate Appropriations Committee conferees, including Fattah, adopted the Fattah initiative earlier this week as part of the so-called "minibus" appropriations bill that sets funding levels and priorities for federal research in fields of science and technology. The multi-agency "minibus" appropriation bill is scheduled for a vote in the House later today (Nov. 17).

The Philadelphia Congressman's initiative calls on the White House "to establish, through the National Science and Technology Council (NSTC), an interagency working group to coordinate Federal investments in neuroscience research."

"This research can't be done on the cheap, and it can't be done piecemeal," Fattah declared. "The federal science and research agencies are best positioned to advance this vital effort, but they must work together. This directive from the Congress will go a long way to make it happen."

Neuroscience research is mainly supported by the National Institutes of Health, but also by the National Science Foundation, the Department of Veterans Affairs, the Department of Defense, and other Federal agencies. The Fattah initiative calls on the cabinet-level NSTC to coordinate neuroscience research, in conjunction with the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP).

The Congressman, who represents leading universities, medical centers and research institutions in Pennsylvania's Second District, has a long-standing interest in brain function, injury and cognitive skills. In the past week, Fattah has visited the National Intrepid Center of Excellence (NICoE) at Walter Reed National Medical Center in Bethesda, Maryland, and the Cullen Laboratory of Neural Engineering in Neurotrauma at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia. Both visits provided firsthand knowledge of the cutting edge treatment given to those suffering from Traumatic Brain Injuries (TBI).

The Fattah initiative has won widespread endorsement from scientists and neuroscience specialists.

Dr. James Kelly, Director of NICoE, who hosted the Congressman for Tuesday's tour, said, "These issues surrounding TBI and co-morbid psychological health conditions like PTS have become the signature wound of the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan," said Kelly. "Having a leader like Congressman Fattah who understands these complex issues that face our nation, our service members and their families is vitally important in guiding our efforts to continue making real progress in the neurosciences."

The National Intrepid Center of Excellence provides care to service members and their families suffering from combat related TBI and psychological health conditions like post-traumatic stress (PTS).

Dr. Stan Prusiner, winner of the 1997 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, said of the initiative after a recent visit with Fattah: "To further develop many of the stellar advances in the study of the brain, Congressman Fattah is focused on initiating a mega research program in the neurosciences.

"It is both motivating and inspiring that the new knowledge resulting from this ground breaking work will have life changing implications in the development of effective therapeutics for a large number of common brain diseases including; Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, schizophrenia, bipolar disorders, post traumatic stress disorders and countless others," Dr. Prusiner said. "I am encouraged that the gains made by the potential new discoveries will forever change the way we provide treatment for those suffering from brain disorders."

Fattah is the senior Democratic member of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice, Science (CJS) and related agencies, which includes the National Science Foundation and the White House OSTP. Fattah served on the conference committee of House and Senate CJS appropriators.

SOURCE Office of Congressman Chaka Fattah