Buckets of money for the brain

Apart from the recent ALS ice-bucket challenge, the perception is that neurological disorders have become the poor relation of oncology and other diseases when it comes to public and private funding. But an uptick in activity on both fronts suggests the landscape of neuroscience investment may not be as bleak as presumed.

Although many researchers contend that the field is still underfunded relative to the burden of disease on society, advances in genetics, markers and disease models-as well as multidisciplinary projects focusing on the brain as a whole-are drawing investors back and prompting the creation of public-private partnerships (PPPs) that might spur yet more innovation...