Photograph: Jezza Neumann/BBC/True Vision Productions Ltd
Last week, the International Neuroethics Society had its Annual Meeting in Washington, DC. Neuroscientists, ethicists, lawyers and policy makers from around the world gathered to discuss a broad range of topics, from groundbreaking neuroscientific research, to artificial intelligence, neuroscience in healthcare, and the significant investment in brain sciences by the US BRAIN Initiative and the European Human Brain Project. And surprisingly, subsidized housing.
So how did housing become a major focus of a human rights panel at a neuroscience conference?
Recognizing the enormous burden that neurological and psychiatric disorders place on individuals, families and society, one of the major goals of the BRAIN Initiative is to develop better tools to understand how the brain functions in health and disease. This investment is much needed, as the global burden of neurological disorders is recognized by the WHO as one of the greatest threats to public health.
But what are we doing about preventing some of the neurological damage from occurring in the first place? Building on a seminal book from 2000 titled From neurons to neighborhoods, Dr Mariana Chilton, Director of the Center for Hunger-Free Communities, suggested that the most effective solution is safe and affordable housing.
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