Brown University has announced a $25 million gift from a donor who wishes to remain anonymous.

The gift will support research in computational brain science, a multidisciplinary field that seeks to understand the functions of the brain at all levels, and endow an innovation awards program at the Robert J. and Nancy D. Carney Institute for Brain Science. The institute's core areas of focus include cognition, behavior, and mood disorders; novel technologies that allow scientists to better understand brain circuits and restore lost functions; and the mechanisms of cell death, which helps researchers identify therapies for neurodegenerative diseases such as in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Parkinson's, and Alzheimer's.

"This transformational gift recognizes the momentum that continues to build at Brown University, where our talented faculty are leading scientific discovery...in the rapidly emerging specialty of computational brain science," said Diane Lipscombe, director of the Carney Institute and a professor of neuroscience at the university. "This gift will allow us to sustain a culture of innovation, which has led to an impressive number of discoveries and returned countless new grants to Brown that forge new areas of research."