Americans for Medical Progress

Happy BRAD week!!! 🎉🐭🐁

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This week, the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) submitted a 6-page letter to outgoing President Biden titled, "Future Opportunities for Science and Technology to Impact the Nation." 📝📑

The letter emphasizes the importance of basic science research as a foundation for innovation and societal progress. One of the elements I find most noteworthy about the letter is its reference to a trend initially reported by the National Science Board: business and industrial investments in science are outpacing federal/public investments in R&D. In fact, the business sector accounted for 76% of total U..S. R&D expenditures according to the 2024 NSB report.

As the letter highlights, industry research plays such a significant role in the biomedical research landscape; however, we must not overlook how much of this sector's success is derived from basic science. Basic research findings serve as the starting point for translational research--knowledge that industry researchers can leverage to design clinical trials, develop new drugs and medical devices, and improve existing treatments for humans (and animals!) alike.

PCAST's letter serves as an important reminder for the community as we continue to strategize on providing strong support for biomedical research. 👏👏👏

PCAST Releases Letter on Future Opportunities for U.S. Science and Technology | PCAST | The White House Today, the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST) sent a letter to President Biden on the crucial role that science and technology plays in empowering our nation. The letter provides examples of future challenges and opportunities that our dynamic science and technology ...

Ever wonder how researchers are working to better understand the neuroscience of various mental health conditions? 🧐 🧠

A fascinating new study published in Nature showed that communication between two parts of the brains--the amygdala and hippocampus--is disrupted in mice susceptible to anhedonia, a common symptom of depression that describes an inability to experience pleasure or enjoyment.

Thanks to research in mice, scientists could examine the neural mechanisms that make animals vulnerable or resilient to anhedonia. The authors suggest that altering specific neural pathways (specifically the connections between the ventral CA1 region of the hippocampus and the basolateral amygdala) offers a potential way to enhance resilience and, hopefully, improve treatments for conditions like depression.

Thank you, ! 👏

Understanding the neural code of stress to control anhedonia - Nature Examination of the neural activity in the basolateral amygdala and ventral CA1 of mice during tasks or rest following exposure to social stress reveals signatures of resilience and susceptibility to stress.