Over the last 80 years, brain research has gained a lot of traction, with recent advances such as the sequencing of the human genome, the development of tools for mapping neuronal connections, the improvement of neuroimaging technology, and the rise of nanoscience. This paper aims to determine how brain research has evolved over time in terms of papers and impact among countries, and how those various trends vary by areas of brain research. Our results show that over the past 30 years, the number of brain-related papers has grown at a faster pace than the number of papers from all disciplines combined with China being at the forefront of this growth. Different patterns of specializations among countries and funders have also emerged.