Scientists working on treatments for various brain diseases came together at the University of Minnesota Tuesday to help make the case for federal funding of their research.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar organized the roundtable discussion involving experts in disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, epilepsy and autism. Klobuchar tells MPR she's collecting information to bolster the argument for Congressional funding of their research. The work at the U of M received about $250 million in federal grants last year, MPR says.

One of the hotspots for that work is the university's Center for Magnetic Resonance Research.

The center's director, Dr. Kamil Ugurbil, is part of a working group leading a federal initiative the map the human brain.

President Obama unveiled the BRAIN Initiative a month ago.

Here's how Klobuchar described Tuesday's meeting.