# Caring for BRAIN pioneers: Understanding and enhancing family and researcher support in neural device trials

> **NIH NIH R01** · UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON · 2022 · $363,548

## Abstract

Project abstract
BRAIN pioneers are people who take on significant risk as participants in first-in-human or early
neurotechnology studies for the sake of helping to further science. Their willingness to try invasive and non-
medically necessary devices, their investments of significant time and energy, and their close relationships with
study teams, typically built over 3-5 years of intensive experiments, make them relatively unique as research
participants. Their well-being is integral to the continued development of the field of neural technology, yet
relatively little neuroethical attention has been focused on the structures of support, from researchers and from
family members, that enable BRAIN pioneers to successfully participate in neural device trials. In this study,
we: 1) Utilize an embedded ethicist to observe interactions between participants in long-term, implantable
neural device trials, their family partners, and the research team to identify modes of care and support provided
in the experimental setting; 2) Use qualitative interviewing to explore how participants, family members and
researchers articulate the role, benefits, and limitations of family and researcher care and support before,
during, and after a trial; and 3) Develop recommendations for best practices for a more inclusive support
structure in research design and practice.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10506303
- **Project number:** 1R01MH130457-01
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON
- **Principal Investigator:** Sara Goering
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $363,548
- **Award type:** 1
- **Project period:** 2022-07-01 → 2026-05-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10506303

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10506303, Caring for BRAIN pioneers: Understanding and enhancing family and researcher support in neural device trials (1R01MH130457-01). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10506303. Licensed CC0.

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