University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa.
University of Sussex, Falmer, United Kingdom.
Elife. 2022 Jun 22;11:e80488. doi: 10.7554/eLife.80488.
Working in Africa provides neuroscientists with opportunities that are not available in other continents. Populations in this region exhibit the greatest genetic diversity; they live in ecosystems with diverse flora and fauna; and they face unique stresses to brain health, including child brain health and development, due to high levels of traumatic brain injury and diseases endemic to the region. However, the neuroscience community in Africa has yet to reach its full potential. In this article we report the outcomes from a series of meetings at which the African neuroscience community came together to identify barriers and opportunities, and to discuss ways forward. This exercise resulted in the identification of six domains of distinction in African neuroscience: the diverse DNA of African populations; diverse flora, fauna and ecosystems for comparative research; child brain health and development; the impact of climate change on mental and neurological health; access to clinical populations with important conditions less prevalent in the global North; and resourcefulness in the reuse and adaption of existing technologies and resources to answer new questions. The article also outlines plans to advance the field of neuroscience in Africa in order to unlock the potential of African neuroscientists to address regional and global mental health and neurological problems.
在非洲工作为神经科学家提供了在其他大洲无法获得的机会。该地区的人群表现出最大的遗传多样性；他们生活在动植物区系多样的生态系统中；由于创伤性脑损伤水平高以及该地区特有的疾病，他们面临着独特的大脑健康压力，包括儿童大脑健康和发育。然而，非洲的神经科学界尚未充分发挥其潜力。在本文中，我们报告了一系列会议的结果，这些会议汇集了非洲神经科学界的力量，以确定障碍和机遇，并讨论前进的道路。这项工作确定了非洲神经科学的六个卓越领域：非洲人群的多样化 DNA；用于比较研究的多样化动植物区系和生态系统；儿童大脑健康和发育；气候变化对精神和神经健康的影响；获得在全球北方不太常见的重要疾病的临床人群的机会；以及在重新利用和调整现有技术和资源以回答新问题方面的足智多谋。本文还概述了推进非洲神经科学领域的计划，以释放非洲神经科学家解决区域和全球精神健康和神经问题的潜力。
