The Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization (BBQS) program is a basic research effort to develop new tools and approaches in support of a more comprehensive mechanistic understanding of the neural basis of behavior.
The NIH BRAIN Initiative has issued new funding opportunity announcements to support the development and validation of next-generation tools, methods, and analytic approaches to precisely quantify complex behaviors and combine them with simultaneous recordings of brain activity.
The goals of the BBQS program are to:
- Develop tools for simultaneous, multimodal measurement of behavior within complex, dynamic physical and/or social environments and synchronize these data with simultaneously recorded neural activity.
- Develop novel conceptual and computational models that capture dynamic behavior-environment relationships across multiple timescales and that integrate correlated neural activity into the model. This will facilitate the establishment of causal brain/behavior relationships and enable closed-loop intervention development. This linkage is especially crucial for higher order cognitive functions for which measuring brain output may be the more valid and readily available read-out for training and controlling closed-loop neuromodulatory devices, which deliver stimulation once certain physiological states or conditions are met and are designed to treat complex behavioral disorders and interrupt maladaptive behaviors before they occur (such as self-harm, substance misuse, etc.).
- Establish a cross-disciplinary consortium of researchers supported by a BBQS data coordination and artificial intelligence center.
- Develop and disseminate new tools, ontologies, research designs, data archives, informatics tools, data standards, and ethical frameworks that will transform how mechanistic brain-behavioral research is conducted.
Funding Opportunities
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Funding opportunities |
Associated Resource(s) |
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RFA-DA-24-042 - BRAIN Initiative: Brain-Behavior Quantification and Synchronization – Transformative and Integrative Models of Behavior at the Organismal Level (R34 Clinical Trial Optional) RFA-MH-23-335 - BRAIN Initiative: Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization (R61/R33 Clinical Trial Optional)
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Technical webinar recording: BBQS October 2022 V1 - YouTube R34 Webinar Slides (pdf, 682 KB) R61/R33 Webinar Slides(pdf, 322 KB) BRAIN issues a new funding opportunity for the development of cutting-edge tools to understand the neural basis of behavior in humans (The BRAIN Blog) |
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NOT-MH-23-115 - Notice of Special Interest (NOSI): BRAIN Initiative: Developing Data Archive, Informatics Tools and Data Standards for Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization (BBQS) |
NIH issues Notice of Special Interest to develop informatics infrastructure for the Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization research program (The BRAIN Blog) |
Events
Workshop on Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization: Sensor Technologies to Capture the Complexity of Behavior
May 2 - 3, 2023
Visit the event page for more information, including access to recordings and transcripts from the workshop.
Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization Workshop
March 1 - 2, 2022
Visit the event page for more information, including access to recordings and transcripts from the workshop.
Related Information
Request for Information—BRAIN Initiative: Brain Behavior Quantification and Synchronization: Guidance for Opportunities in Development of Sensor Technology Hubs (NOT-MH-24-125)
Contact Information
Please reach out to brainbbqs@od.nih.gov for scientific or other inquiries.