DARPA's Restoring Active Memory Program Poised To Launch

Alan McStravick for redOrbit.com Your Universe Online

Just over a year ago I reported on the announcement of the BRAIN (Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies) Initiative, the scientific cousin to the wildly successful Human Genome Project.

In his 2013 State of the Union address, President Obama announced the new study saying, Every dollar we invested to map the human genome returned $140 to our economy every dollar. Today our scientists are mapping the human brain to unlock the answers to Alzheimers. Theyre developing drugs to regenerate damaged organs, devising new materials to make batteries 10 times more powerful. Now is not the time to gut these job-creating investments in science and innovation.

A year after the ambitious announcement, redOrbit detailed some of the early work already commencing in the field of anxiety and depression and how the work being done will be aimed initially at helping members of our armed services who have returned from battle theaters in Iraq and Afghanistan suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and traumatic brain injuries (TBI).

The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is the arm of the government tasked with identifying academic and private institutions currently working on research projects that can further the BRAIN Initiative. This week DARPA announced they have awarded funding to two more universities to aid them in launching their programs for restoring active memory. This latest program is called Restoring Active Memory (RAM).

According to a statement by DARPA, the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) and the University of Pennsylvania (Penn) will serve as leaders of a multidisciplinary team tasked with developing and testing electronic interfaces that can sense memory deficits as a result of an injury. The devices are also intended and expected to help restore normal brain function to the affected area.

Funding in the amounts of $15 million and $22.5 million will be granted to UCLA and Penn, respectively. The full funding, over a four year time period, will be contingent upon both institutions consistently meeting a series of technical milestones. An additional $2.5 million grant has been earmarked for the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory for the development of an implantable neural device. This device is intended as a supplement to the UCLA-led effort.

The start of the Restoring Active Memory program marks an exciting opportunity to reveal many new aspects of human memory and learn about the brain in ways that were never before possible, said DARPA Program Manager Justin Sanchez. Anyone who has witnessed the effects of memory loss in another person knows its toll and how few options are available to treat it. Were going to apply the knowledge and understanding gained in RAM to develop new options for treatment through technology.

As mentioned above, much of the initial benefit is aimed at returning servicemembers who have suffered one form or another of a TBI. However, this injury affects more than just those coming home from the war fronts. It is estimated that as many as 1.7 million US civilians also suffer from a TBI. The condition frequently results in a reduced capacity to form or retain new memories following the injury as well as causing difficulty in retrieving memories formed prior to the incident.

Caretakers recognize the insidious nature of TBIs and frequently lament the fact that there are currently no effective therapies in existence to alleviate or mitigate the long-term consequences. DARPA hopes the RAM program will be the necessary driver for the future development of TBI focused technologies.

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DARPA's Restoring Active Memory Program Poised To Launch