Who Studies Brain Function and Behavior?
In the United States, studies on nutrition and brain function are conducted at private laboratories and hospitals, academic institutions, and government research laboratories. Government-supported research in this area is concentrated in the Department of Defense (DOD), USDA, and the National Institutes of Health (NIH). DOD nutrition programs focus on enhancing performance during combat and in other stressful environments, while NIH nutrition programs focus on the brain and behavior related to disease states and drugs used in treating disease. Only USDA addresses the relationships among nutrition, brain function, and behavior in the population as a whole. One of the six principal objectives stated in USDA’s 1992-98 Agricultural Research Service (ARS) Program Plan is to “develop the means for promoting optimal human health and well-being through improved nutrition” and to “define adequate and safe ranges of intake for nutrients.” To meet this objective, the plan explicitly recognizes th
