Mission Statement
The
human brain contains 10
11 neurons, which are thought to be its
computational units. These cells are densely connected within the
brain, with the average neuron making approximately 10
4 direct
connections, or synapses, to other neurons. Surprisingly, these
connections can fail to propagate up to 95% of neuronal signals during
steady activity.
How do thought, perception, and
creativity emerge from the collective activity of the astronomical
number of unreliable neurons that make up the human brain? Did these
neurons evolve to become noisy, and why are noisy neuronal networks
advantageous? What role does this noise and collective neuronal
activity play in neurological diseases?
The Initiative for Collective Neuronal Dynamics and Epilepsy (ICNDE) is a
scientific research organization founded to answer these fundamental
questions and explore the nature of spatiotemporal patterns of neuronal
activity in the brain. These patterns or collective excitations are
ubiquitous in nature, occurring in noisy systems from semiconductors to
ant colonies. In the brain, this coherent activity not only likely
underlies cognitive processes and consciousness, but also is essential
to our understanding of diseases of cognition and epilepsy. By engaging
in this research, ICNDE hopes to make a significant impact in our
understanding of the brain.
ICNDE's mission includes not only advancing scientific knowledge, but also making its
scientific endeavors intelligible to large numbers of people and
creating public interest for its research. While public funding through
governmental granting agencies has been, and will continue to be, the
major contributor of basic scientific research, ICNDE believes that
contributions from individuals will become an increasingly important
funding mechanism in science. It is ICNDE's goal to have a
significant portion of its total funding originating from
individual contributions. ICNDE hopes to attract donors
who will not only make financial commitments, but also those who will
have an intellectual stake in the success of ICNDE. To promote this
effort:
• ICNDE will hold public
lectures to educate people in the basic and clinical neurosciences as
well as the nature of ongoing research at ICNDE.
•
Individuals may make contributions to ICNDE in any amount, and may
specify how their contribution is to be allocated.
• ICNDE will not have a payroll. All employees and officers will be non-salaried.
•
100 % of all contributions will go to direct research costs including
equipment and supplies, and will not cover overhead or indirect costs
unless specified by the contributor.
• Overhead will be minimized and any remaining operating costs for ICNDE
will be paid for by grants, partnering academic institutions, or
donated by the founder.
• All of ICNDE’s
financial statements, tax returns, and transactions will be made
available on the organization’s website www.brainclouds.org.