World-renowned scientists will convene at George Mason University on May 21 and 22 to call for a 10-year intellectual revolution ? the “decade of the mind.”
The proceedings that will be published after this historic gathering will make the case for a $4 billion public research initiative dedicated to reaching the next level of understanding the human brain–the yet-to-be-discovered inner workings of the mind.
The symposium also will outline the dramatic implications the decade will have on the global economy and health care.
“We are at the ‘tipping point’ of making enormous advances in public health, particularly in managing diseases that affect the mind, such as Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, autism and schizophrenia,” said Jim Olds, director of Mason’s Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study. “We at Mason are honored to be hosting this gathering of the world’s leading researchers in brain study who together will outline the vision for the ‘Decade of the Mind’ that we will present to federal policymakers.”
The two-day symposium will include nine sessions, each featuring one aspect of brain research, and will be moderated by scientists from the Krasnow Institute for Advanced Study. The symposium will be anchored by a plenary session including the nine panelists. Moderated by New York Times science writer George Johnson, the session will provide an open forum for the scientists to discuss their groundbreaking research in areas such as neuroscience, neurobiology, computer science, psychology, robotics and economics. The panel will also explain the urgent need to continue the study of the human mind and the benefits this research could bring to society.
“It is our intention to cover a lot of ground in two days because we need to capture the magnitude of the impact of what we are proposing to Congress,” said Olds. “A 10-year focus to bring the enormous promise of brain research will launch an intellectual revolution here and throughout the world, with lasting impacts on society.”
In the United States today, more than five million people are living with Alzheimer’s disease according to the Alzheimer’s Association. The number of people affected by this ultimately fatal disease will only increase over the next decade as early onset Alzheimer’s begins to affect the baby boomer generation.
Today, one in 17 Americans suffer from a serious mental illness, the leading cause of disability in the U.S. for people 15 to 44 years old, according to the National Institute on Mental Health. New brain research during the initiative, coupled with advances in MRI technology and other non-invasive research tools, will allow scientists to better understand what causes these illnesses and how to manage or cure them.
This initiative also could help thousands of soldiers, sailors and airmen who have served in Afghanistan and Iraq more quickly and easily recover from brain injuries caused during combat, especially by improvised explosive devices.
Further research could allow advances in robotics and artificial intelligence that would make most future military vehicles ? and aircraft ? operate unmanned and autonomously, thereby saving thousands of lives during combat operations.
“The economic impact of the ?Decade of the Mind? will be felt in all levels of society,” said Olds. “By translating our knowledge of the human mind to building more intelligent machines and computer applications, we can improve the welfare of millions of people worldwide.”
The groundwork for this initiative was laid during the “Decade of the Brain,” declared by President George H.W. Bush in 1990. It produced immense advances in brain research, including the development of MRI scanners and progress in the understanding of Alzheimer’s disease and mental illness. Using these advances as a basis for further exploration into the human mind, this new decade would provide the nation?s scientific community the opportunity to understand more about the mind than ever before and tackle some of society’s most pressing challenges.