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Congressional Neuroscience Caucus

The bipartisan Congressional Neuroscience Caucus promotes a better understanding of how the brain develops, functions, and ages.

Co-chaired by Representative Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) and Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA), the caucus seeks to raise awareness about the millions of Americans afflicted with neurological disorders or mental illnesses.

See if your Representative is a MEMBER of the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus, if they are not listed, we encourage you to ASK them to join today!

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Announcing new Congressional Neuroscience Co-Chair ~ January 3, 2025

Representative Mike Thompson (D-CA) joined Representative Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) as Co-Chair of the bipartisan Congressional Neuroscience Caucus (CNC) for the 119th Congress. Rep. Thompson succeeds Representative Earl Blumenauer (D-OR), who co-founded the CNC in 2010 alongside Representative Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA). View full press release here.

Congressman Luttrell delivers Floor Speech ~ March 13, 2024

Representative Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), co-chair of the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus, recognized Brain Awareness Week on the floor of the House of Representatives on March 13, 2024. Brain Awareness Week (March 11-17) is an opportunity to highlight the importance of brain research and brain health. The week provides a forum for stakeholders to educate the public about the brain and its functions, promising research endeavors, efforts toto maintain and improve brain health, and to encourage open conversations about psychological well-being. As Rep. Luttrell stated, we want to continue to highlight the research, innovation, and advocacy taking place in the neuroscience space. By leveraging Brain Awareness Week as a platform for education and collaboration, we can continue to work towards building a society that values and prioritizes brain health for all.

Congressional Neuroscience Caucus Briefings

The American Brain Coalition has teamed up with the Congressional Neuroscience Caucus in hosting and organizing events that focus on neuroscience: sponsoring briefings and information sessions on neuroscience research and findings; collaborating with patient advocacy, physician, and research organizations to build awareness; and distributing congressional communications and information such as Dear Colleagues and Congressional Record statements.

June 24, 2025 - Celebrating 75 Years of Scientific Discovery and Innovation: NINDS 75th Anniversary Congressional Briefing (View Recording)

  • Opening Remarks: Mark Rasenick, PhD, ABC Board Chair, Distinguished Professor of Physiology & Biophysics and Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago

  • Introductions & Moderator: Walter J. Koroshetz, MD, Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders & Stroke (NINDS)

  • Erika Augustine, MD, MS, Kennedy Krieger Institute

  • Richard Huganir, PhD, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

  • Edward M. Kaye, MD, Stoke Therapeutics

  • Ilene Penn Miller, JD, Epilepsy Thought Leader

May 7, 2025 - Advancing Neuroscience for Americans: Breakthroughs in Addiction Research Enabled by the NIH BRAIN Initiative  (View Summary) (View Recording)

  • Opening Remarks: Mark Rasenick, PhD, ABC Board Chair, Distinguished Professor of Physiology & Biophysics and Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago

  • John J. Ngai, PhD, Director, The NIH Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative

  • Nora Volkow, MD, Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA)

  • Edward Mowery, BRAIN Study Participant

  • Prasad Shirvalkar, MD, PhD, BRAIN Principal Investigator, Associate Professor, University of California, San Francisco

  • Paul J. Kenny, PhD, Director, Drug Discovery Institute, Professor & Chair, Neuroscience, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

February 20, 2025 ~ The Future of the BRAIN Initiative: Sustaining Global Leadership in Neuroscience Research After a Decade of Discovery (View Summary)

  • Opening Remarks: Mark Rasenick, PhD, ABC Board Chair, Distinguished Professor of Physiology & Biophysics and Psychiatry, University of Illinois, Chicago

  • John J. Ngai, PhD, Director, The NIH Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative

  • Evan Einstein, MD, MPH, Psychiatrist, Assistant Professor, University of California, Los Angeles  

  • Adam Holbrook, Infantry Platoon Sargeant, US Army, E4/Specialist (Ret.)

  • Nanthia Suthana, PhD, Associate Professor, Department of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles

  • Moderator: Diane Lipscombe, PhD, Government & Public Affairs Committee Chair, Society for Neuroscience

July 29, 2024 ~ Traumatic Brain Injury: Current Trends & Future Directions (View Summary)

  • Geoffrey Manley, MD, PhD, Chief of Neurosurgery, Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital, Professor of Neurological Surgery, University of California, San Francisco

  • Christina Master, MD, FAAP, CAQSM, FACSM, FAMSSM, Professor of Pediatrics and Orthopaedic Surgery, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Co-Director, Minds Matter Concussion Program, The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia

  • Rick Willis, President/CEO, Brain Injury Association of America

May 2, 2024 - Friends of NIMH ~ The Evolution of Mental Health Research: Better Science, More Effective Treatments, and Broader Impacts (View Summary)

  • Joshua Gordon, MD, PhD, Director, National Institute of Mental Health

  • Jim Diaz-Granados, PhD, Deputy CEO, American Psychological Association, Master of Ceremonies

  • Michelle Craske, PhD, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Robert Kolker, Author, "Hidden Valley Road", New York Times Best Seller  

  • Victoria O'Keefe, PhD, John Hopkins University

April 17, 2024 - 10 Years of BRAIN Initiative Funding - Building on a Decade of Innovation (View Summary) 

  • John J. Ngai, PhD, Director, The NIH Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative

  • Jon Nelson & Barbara Nelson, Mount Sinai BRAIN Study Participant and Partner

  • Helen S. Mayberg, MD, BRAIN Principal Investigator, Mount Sinai Professor of Neurotherapeutics, Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai

  • Christopher J. Rozell, PhD, BRAIN Principal Investigator, Julian T. Hightower Chaired Professor of Electrical & Computer Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology  

  • Nanthia Suthana, PhD, Assistant Professor-in-Residence, Department of Neurosurgery, University of California Los Angeles

  • Moderator: Ted Abel, PhD, Director, Iowa Neuroscience Institute, Carver College of Medicine, University of Iowa

February 14, 2024 - New Year's Resolutions are Healthy for your Brain (View Summary)

  • Opening Remarks, Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), Co-Chairs, Congressional Neuroscience Caucus

  • Bernadette Boden-Albala, MPH, DrPH, Director and Founding Dean, Program in Public Health, Professor, Department of Health, Society, and Behavior, Professor, Department of Neurology, School of Medicine, Susan and Henry Samueli College of Health Sciences, University of California, Irvine

  • Helen Lavretsky, MD, Professor-in-Residence, Department of Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles

  • Sandra Bond Chapman, PhD, Founder & Chief Director, Center for BrainHealth, BrainHealth Project Co-Leader, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Professor, Behavioral and Brain Sciences, The University of Texas at Dallas

  • Geoffrey Ling, MD, PhD, Co-Leader, The BrainHealth Project, Colonel, US Army (ret), Professor of Neurology, Attending Physician in Neuro Critical Care Medicine, Johns Hopkins School of Medicine

November 14, 2023 - The Invisible Threat: Understanding, Recognizing, and Treating PTSD  (View Summary)

  • Remarks provided by, Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Morgan Luttrell (R-TX) Co-Chairs, Congressional Neuroscience Caucus

  • Expert panel of speakers discussing the latest fundamental research and discoveries into post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

November 13, 2023 - Brains, Bagels, Synapses & Schmears Social (View Summary)

  • Northwest Noggin is back in DC, bringing their energizing and engaging approach to getting young people excited about neuroscience to DC area schools, the annual Society for Neuroscience conference, and Capitol Hill! Join us for a noggin boost (bagels & pastries), neuroscience, art making and BRAINS. 

September 20, 2023 - Back-to-School Congressional Briefing on Social Media & Youth Mental Health 

  • Opening Remarks, Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), Co-Chairs, Congressional Neuroscience Caucus

  • Gaya Dowling, PhD, Director, Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study®) National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health

  • Elizabeth Hoffman, PhD, Senior Scientific Program Manager, Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development Study (ABCD Study®) National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health

  • Mitch Prinstein, PhD, Chief Science Officer, American Psychological Association

June 14, 2023 - The NIH BRAIN Initiative: Accelerating Discovery Toward Cures
(View Summary)

  • John J. Ngai, PhD, Director, The NIH Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN) Initiative

  • Katie Whitson, Baylor College of Medicine BRAIN Study Participant

  • Nicole Provenza, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow, Baylor College of Medicine 

  • Ed Lein, PhD, Senior Investigator, Allen Institute for Brain Science, Affiliate Professor, University of Washington, Departments of Neurological Surgery & Laboratory Medicine & Pathology

  • Jennifer French, Executive Director, Neurotech Network

  • Moderator: Kafui Dzirasa, MD, PhD, K. Ranga Rama Krishnan Professor, Duke University Medical Center

May 3, 2023 - The Real-World Impact of NIMH Research (View Summary)

  • Opening Remarks, Representatives Earl Blumenauer (D-OR) and Morgan Luttrell (R-TX), Co-Chairs, Congressional Neuroscience Caucus

  • Joshua A. Gordon, MD, PhD, Director, National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH),  National Institutes of Health

  • David C. Mohr, PhD, Director, Center for Behavioral Intervention Technologies, Northwestern University

  • Rebecca B. Price, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Psychology, University of Pittsburgh

  • Eden M. Shaveet, MS, CPS, Bridge to PhD Scholar, Columbia University

  • Moderator: Theresa Nguyen, VP of Research and Innovation, Mental Health America

View American Brain Coalitions Archives ~ Congressional Neuroscience Caucus Briefings

Press Release Announcing New CNC Co-Chair ~ March 16, 2023
Congressman Luttrell Named Congressional Neuroscience Caucus Co-Chair
ACNP 2022 Public Service Award

The Public Service Award has been established in recognition of substantial contributions to affect public policies or other activities related to improving the health of the public with an emphasis on patients with brain diseases. This year the ABC nominated Congressional Neuroscience Caucus Co-Chairs Congressman Earl Blumenauer and Congresswoman Cathy McMorris Rodgers. View the full press release here.

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