The human brain remains mysterious, and any progress towards solving that mystery may bring enormous benefits. For one thing, millions of people are afflicted with brain disorders that today are poorly understood and often difficult to treat.

How much light could be shed if we had a technology for making chemical “movies” of brain activity, showing “frame” by “frame” how brain chemistry changes over time—for example, during an epileptic seizure, or in response to delivery of a drug?