In 2013 President Barack Obama launched the Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative. Comparative analyses can contribute to this effort by leading to the discovery of general principles of neural circuit design, information processing, and gene-structure-function relationships that are not apparent from studies on single species. About 30 scientists, among them two Biopsychologists from Bochum, were invited in fall 2013 to a think tank in Janelia Farm to advice the President on the BRAIN-initiative. The main goal was to come up with a strategy to extend the comparative approach to nervous system ‘maps’ comprising molecular, anatomical, and physiological data. The hope was that this research will identify which neural features are likely to generalize across species, and which are unlikely to be broadly conserved. It will also suggest causal relationships between genes, development, adult anatomy, physiology, and, ultimately, behavior. To promote this research agenda, the member of the think tank recommended that teams of investigators coalesce around specific research questions and select a set of ‘reference species’ to anchor their comparative analyses. These reference species should be chosen not just for practical advantages, but also with regard for their phylogenetic position, behavioral repertoire, well annotated genome, or other strategic reasons. This will help to form networks or consortia of researchers and centers for science, technology, and education that focus on organized data collection, distribution, and training. These activities could be supported, at least in part, through existing mechanisms at NSF, NIH, and other agencies.
Thus, our advice to the President, hoping he will read it.

Striedter, G.F., Belgard, T.G., Chen, C.C., Davis, F.P., Finlay, B.L., Güntürkün, O., Hale, M.E., Harris, J.A., Hecht, E.E., Hof, P.R., Hofmann, H.A., Holland, L.Z., Iwaniuk, A.N., Jarvis, E.D., Karten, H.J., Katz, P.S., Kristan, W.B., Macagno, E.R., Mitra, P.P., Moroz, L.L., Preuss, T.M., Ragsdale, C.W., Sherwood, C.C., Stevens, C.F., Stüttgen, M.C., Tsumoto, T., Wilczynski, W. (2014). NSF Workshop Report: Discovering General Principles of Nervous System Organization by Comparing Brain Maps across Species. Brain Behav Evol, 83: 1-8.