NIO's conversations with Congressman Kennedy and others on the Hill were the impetus for this hearing. We identified a need for a congressional examination of the government's existing coordination among neuroscience research arms and pressed for congressional exploration. During our meetings on Capitol Hill we have continually emphasized the importance of increased coordination in government neuroscience research, strong government support for innovative neurotech ventures, as well as increased resources for the FDA to enable efficient reviews of neurotech products.

I'd like to thank Congressman Kennedy for taking seriously our call of oversight and exploration of this important area as well as all of our members for their efforts and support.

Congressman Kennedy wanted me to pass on this personal letter from him regarding the neuroscience hearing next Wednesday at 2PM. We hope you can come.

It was while researching and writing this book over the past decade that many of my ideas around how develop social motivations systems that engender successful behavior change were formed. I look forward to the day when we can leverage cutting edge behavioral neuroscience techniques on a real-time basis in Japan and throughout the world to help people live happier, healthier lives.

Although I have kept a good record of translation since 1978, with four national awards for my translational work in science and popular science fields, your book hitherto is the most challenging one, not only for its frontal knowledge, numeral quotations and latest slangs, but also unfamiliar areas for me, such as religion and jazz, either as topics outside my personal preference or as the consequence of China's long isolation from the world and hostile attitude towards ideologies and cultures different from what the government here wants to enforce. Now with your help, my confidence has been greatly enhanced.

The Japan translation is coming along well too. Should be out in Tokyo before the end of the year.

Andrew Firlik General Partner, Foundation Medical Partners; Stephen Knight, Managing Partner, Fidelity Biosciences; Art Pappas, Managing Partner, Pappas Ventures; Liam Ratcliffe, Venture Partner, New Leaf Venture Partners; Casey Lynch, Managing Director, NeuroInsights -- Ulf Ljungberg, CEO, NeuroNova; Brad Margus, President & CEO, Envoy Therapeutics; Will Rosellini, CEO, MicroTransponder Inc.; Jim Schoeneck, President & CEO, BrainCells, Inc., Ellen Baron, Partner, Oxford Bioscience Partners -- Mike Detke, Chief Medical Officer, MedAvante; Jamie Heywood Co-founder, Chairman, PatientsLikeMe; Remy Luthringer, CEO, Forenap Pharma; Suzan Onel Partner, K&L Gates; Joyce Cramer, President, Epilepsy Therapy Project -- Greg Stock, CEO, Signum Biosciences; Konrad Glund, CEO, Probiodrug; Michael Pierschbacher, CEO, American Life Science Pharmaceuticals; Shawn Lyndon. CEO, Orasi Medical; Dan O'Connell, Managing Partner, NeuroVentures Capital -- Chris Fibiger Chief Scientific Officer, Biovail; Marianne De Backer, VP Business Development, Johnson & Johnson; Guy Seabrook, Sr. Director, Neuroscience Global External Research & Development, Eli Lilly; Ravi Kiron,Managing Director, Adjuvant Global Advisors -- Christopher deCharms, CEO, Omneuron; Alex Doman, CEO, Advanced Brain Technologies, Tom Dusenberry, CEO, Dusenberry Entertainment; Revere Greist Founder, Waypoint Health Innovations; A.K. Pradeep, CEO, NeuroFocus, Roger Quy General Partner, Technology Partners -- Shafique Virani, Director CNS Business Development, Roche; Lothar Krinke, SVP, Research and Development, Medtronic; Leslie Coney; Sr. Director of Business Development, Biogen Idec; Doug Carlson Sr. Director, US Business Development, Lundbeck A/S; Christine de Los Reyes,Managing Partner, Biotech Partnering Solutions; Jim Broderick, President, SetPoint Medical; Ed Boyden, Assistant Professor, MIT Media Lab; Ben Matteo, CEO, Eos Neuroscience; Marcelo Lima, President and CEO, ImThera Medical, -- Derek Small, COO & Acting CEO, Naurex, Bob Linke, President & CEO, Embera NeuroTherapeutics; Andreas Neef, Fellow, Bernstein Focus Neurotechnology; Walter Greenleaf President & CEO, InWorld Solutions; Manuel Lopez-Figueroa, Vice President, Bay City Capital -- Amy Kruse Executive Director, Neuroscience Division, Total Immersion Software, Kaleb McDowell, Soldier Performance Division, Neuroscience Strategic Research Initiative, Cognition & Neuroergonomics - Collaborative Alliance Manager, Army Research Laboratory; Dylan Schmorrow, Office of the Secretary of Defense, Assistant Director, Human Systems, Roy Stripling, Head Human Performance Training & Education, Office of Naval Research, Chris Forsythe, Distinguished Member of Technical Staff, Sandia National Laboratories -- Ronald Burch CEO, Cerephex, Stephen Collins, President and CEO, NeuroTherapeutics Pharma; Bruce McCarthy,CEO, Afferent Pharmaceuticals; Linda Watkins, Founder, Xalud Therapeutics; Heath Lukatch, Partner, Novo Ventures Bruce Bean, Harvard; Gabriela Chiosis, Sloan Kettering Cancer Center; Miles Cunningham, McLean Hospital; Hagit Eldar-Finkelman, Tel Aviv University; Ana Lukic, Predictek; Mike Vitek, Cognosci, Junying Yuan, Harvard; Jill Heemskerk, Program Director, Office of Translational Research, NINDS/NIH

If you are in neurotech, you should probably be here. Register

NeuroInsights has identified three primary markets in neurodiagnostics which are discussed in detail in this report: Neuroimaging: Medical equipment and reagents for research, diagnostics and patient monitoring, including MRI, CT, PET, SPECT, EEG and MEG. In vitro diagnostics: Genetic testing, biomarker assays and chemical profiling of human samples, including urine, blood, cerebral spinal fluid and tissue. Neuroinformatics: Multidimensional databases and software systems that store and analyze data from the genetic to the behavioral level.

Partial list of companies discussed in the report include: Abbot Diagnostics, Adlyfe, Advanced Brain Monitoring, Applied NeuroSolutions, Aspect Medical (Covidien), Astro-Med, Athena Diagnostics, Avacta, Avid Radiopharmaceuticals, Bayer, BioBehavioral Diagnostics, Brain Resource, BrainScope, Cambridge Cognition, CNS Response, CNS Vital, CogState, Compumedics, Cytox, Electrical Geodesics, Elminda, ExonHit, GE, GeneNews, g-Nostics, Hitachi, Johnson & Johnson, Kappametrics, Knopp Neurosciences, Michael J. Fox Foundation, Natus Medical, NeuroMetrix, Neuronetrix, Neuroptix, NeuroTrax, NeuroVigil, NeuroVista, Nymox, Odin, Optima Neuroscience, Optimal Medicine, Orasi Medical, Ortho-Clinical Diagnostics, Pfizer, Philips, PhysioSonics, Pritzker Neuropsychiatric Consortium, Psynova, Quest Diagnostics, Roche, Rules-Based, Medicine, Satoris, Siemens, SleepMed, The Genetics Company, TheraGenetics, Toshiba,Transcription Diagnostics, Vanda, Wyeth and more. To view the full list of 150 companies included in this extensive report, click here.

Tel Aviv, Israel is the among the emerging nascent regions worldwide in neurotechnology. It ranks 11th overall (17 total companies; 9 neuropharmaceutical, 7 neurodevice, 14 private, 3 public). Of note, the region features a unique ratio of neurodevice to neuropharma companies; only Minneapolis has a higher percentage of device companies. Device companies in the region include BioLineRX, Brainsway, BrainsGate, NeuroSonix, SteadyMed Ltd., BioControl Medical, Ltd. and CogniFit. Tel Aviv also ranks 14th for capital with 7 risk capital sources, including notable biomedical investors Medica Venture Partners, BME Capital, and Agate Medical Investments.

While difficult to compare the neurotechnology infrastructure of Tel Aviv to most American cities, Israel boasts a strong university system; Nine universities are contained within a small geographic region and include Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Technion - Israel Institute of Technology, Weizmann Institute of Science, Bar-Ilan University, Tel Aviv University, University of Haifa, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Open University of Israel.

Tel Aviv in particular is home to two research institutions with extensive neuroscience research activities; the Weizmann Institute of Science and Tel Aviv University. At the Weizmann Institute of Science, the neurotechnology activities are centered on the Department of Neurobiology and revolve around two major themes: the study of neuronal function at the molecular and cellular levels and the study of the CNS at the system level. Additional focus is placed on developing algorithms for the synaptic plasticity between neurons and studying injury models of nerve lesion including ischemia and stroke. Nearly 20 groups of researchers carry out both independent studies and collaborative research with colleagues from within the department and outside it.

At Tel Aviv University, the recently created Adams Super Center for Brain Studies provides an umbrella for research activity in the neurosciences by encouraging collaboration by faculty members from different disciplines. As an additional piece of the local infrastructure, The Israel Society for Neuroscience (ISFN) is a registered non-profit organization, founded in 1992 by several leading Israeli neuroscientists and now includes over 600 members.

As a member of the Leadership Board at the McGovern Institute, I've had the opportunity over the past several years to see first hand the brilliant, world-leading research occurring everyday at the Institute. I am extraordinarily inspired and impressed with the researchers' relentless focus on understanding the causes of neurological diseases and psychiatric illnesses. You will be too, once you watch the video.

Watch Video: Welcome to the McGovern Institute for Brain Research video

Research at the McGovern Institute is made possible by private and public funding. Gifts from individuals, families, and foundations allow them to pursue the research featured in this video. If you support brain research or are interested in making a difference in the development of cures for brain disorders then I recommend that you make an online donation to the McGovern Institute at the MIT Giving website or call their Development and Special Projects Officer, Laurie Ledeen, at 617-324-0134.