Big budget brain projects

The brain is a machine of staggering complexity. As a result, our understanding of basic neuroscience and translatable clinical insights is far from complete – a point made obvious by the increasing prevalence and economic costs of brain diseases. The global economic burden of mental, neurological, and substance use disorders was estimated at $8.5 trillion USD in 2010, equivalent to 13.5% of the global gross domestic product (GDP) that year, and is expected to reach $16.1 trillion by 2030. Additionally, the most recent Global Burden of Disease Study (2015) found an increase in the global prevalence of nearly every major neurological and psychiatric disorder, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, epilepsy, schizophrenia, and depression.