Scanning technology moves along at a pace as does our understanding of brain biochemistry.
Massive amounts of resource are being focused on getting to a clearer understanding of the physiology of our brains with particular emphasis on how to use them effectively and how to repair them when things go wrong.
Most countries with access to these sorts of funds are developing national teaching, training and research in neurology programmes and allied clinical and basic neurosciences.
In the UK, three areas of research into the brain were recently highlighted as world-leading: cognitive neuroscience & human brain imaging, inherited diseases & molecular, cellular and genetic neuroscience and neurodegenerative disease.
National rankings in current brain research programmes for the period 2000 – 2010 show the USA leading in papers published and citations recorded:
| Rank | Country | Papers | Citations | Cites per paper | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | USA | 119,152 | 2,864,076 | 24.04 | |
| 2 | ENGLAND | 23,651 | 580,261 | 24.53 | |
| 3 | GERMANY | 27,608 | 548,620 | 19.87 | |
| 4 | CANADA | 18,245 | 366,521 | 20.09 | |
| 5 | JAPAN | 23,802 | 340,533 | 14.31 | |
| 6 | FRANCE | 16,073 | 307,977 | 19.16 | |
| 7 | ITALY | 17,428 | 273,349 | 15.68 | |
| 8 | NETHERLANDS | 9,309 | 171,239 | 18.39 | |
| 9 | SWITZERLAND | 6,518 | 143,498 | 22.02 | |
| 10 | SWEDEN | 6,824 | 139,948 | 20.51 | |
| 11 | SPAIN | 8,961 | 132,426 | 14.78 | |
| 12 | AUSTRALIA | 7,688 | 122,904 | 15.99 | |
| 13 | ISRAEL | 4,112 | 78,266 | 19.03 | |
| 14 | BELGIUM | 3,608 | 71,209 | 19.74 | |
| 15 | SCOTLAND | 3,126 | 64,297 | 20.57 | |
| 16 | PEOPLES R CHINA | 7,485 | 63,842 | 8.53 | |
| 17 | FINLAND | 3,125 | 57,945 | 18.54 | |
| 18 | AUSTRIA | 2,926 | 55,788 | 19.07 | |
| 19 | BRAZIL | 6,611 | 53,434 | 8.08 | |
| 20 | DENMARK | 2,952 | 53,175 | 18.01 | |
| SOURCE: ESSENTIAL SCIENCE INDICATORSSM FROM THOMSON REUTERS, TIME PERIOD: 2000-APRIL 30, 2010 (SECOND BIMONTHLY PERIOD OF 2010). | |||||