2.2.2: Institute for Brain, Mind, Genes, and Behavior

Create a new institute for interdisciplinary research and scholarship that can respond quickly to new developments and research trends at the intersection of brain sciences, behavioral sciences, and genomics.

Other Information:

Increasingly, researchers must meld different - and often historically unconnected - disciplines if they are to develop an understanding of the human brain, mind, and behavior. Duke is well positioned to become a dominant force in the study of brain, mind and behavior, if we coordinate activities on campus and build on the collective strength of our interdisciplinary teams to address the field's most important problems. To do so, we will create a new institute for interdisciplinary research and scholarship that can respond quickly to new developments and research trends at the intersection of brain sciences, behavioral sciences, and genomics. This effort builds upon our departments, such as philosophy, psychology, psychiatry, and neurobiology, as well as interdisciplinary centers, such as the Brain Imaging and Analysis Center, the Center for Cognitive Neurosciences, the Conte Center for the Neuroscience of Depression, the Center for Neuroeconomic Studies, the Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development, and the Institute for Genome Sciences & Policy. Taking advantage of these collective assets and empowering collaborative work among these units, we will mount distinctive efforts in imaging brain structure and function, examining the co-variation of genetic variability with behavioral traits and cognitive competences, the development of drugs that alter mood or enhance or diminish memories, relating brain function to ethical and moral behavior, and relating economic decisions to brain states. The institute will also assume a translational function so that interdisciplinary research is applied to issues of health and/or policy, as appropriate.

Stakeholder(s):

• Institute for Brain, Mind, Genes, and Behavior

Indicator(s):

Indicator:1

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