Artists, philosophers, and scientists have sought to explain human nature since antiquity. Today, fresh insights from biology and from the brain sciences provide new opportunities for the effort and can uncover the foundations for a large array of mental processes — from feelings, consciousness, language and decision-making, to the creativity expressed in the arts, sciences and technology. The Brain and Creativity Institute (BCI) was founded to take advantage of such advances.
As envisioned by Antonio and Hanna Damasio, the design of BCI reflects its mission. The faculty offices and research spaces sit next to the modern laboratories of the Dornsife Neuroimaging Center (DNI) — which are dedicated to the scientific investigation of mind and brain — and to one of the oldest instruments used to explore the human mind: a classical auditorium (the Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall) devoted to music and theater performances, literary readings, scientific presentations, and which also provides a unique setting for modern music-related research.
The current research program of the BCI includes projects (1) on the effects of music processing on brain development, (2) on the investigation of the neurobiological mechanisms responsible for consciousness in humans, and (3) on comparison of the mechanisms responsible for Natural or Artificial Intelligences, and (4) on the role of the body in the development of language. Results from the Institute’s ongoing work are relevant to the elucidation of the human condition but also have applications in (a) the diagnosis and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders, (b) the study of child development, and (c) the vast field of education.