Artists, philosophers, and scientists have long sought to explain human nature. Fresh insights from biology and from the functioning of the human brain provide new opportunities for uncovering the basis for a large array of mental functions — from feeling, consciousness, and decision-making to the creativity expressed in the arts, sciences and technology. The Brain and Creativity Institute (BCI) was created to take advantage of these advances.
As envisioned by Antonio and Hanna Damasio, the design of the BCI reflects its mission. It sits 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 dedicated to the exploration of the human mind: a classical auditorium (the Joyce J. Cammilleri Hall) devoted to music and theater performances, literary readings, and scientific presentations.
Under the direction of Antonio Damasio and Assal Habibi, current research at the Brain and Creativity Institute includes projects on (1) the effects of music processing on brain development, (2) the investigation of the neurobiological mechanisms responsible for consciousness in humans, and (3) a comparison of the mechanisms responsible for Natural and Artificial Intelligences. Results from the Institute’s ongoing work are relevant to the elucidation of the human condition and have applications in (a) the diagnosis and treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders, (b) the study of child development, and (c) the field of education.