MILAN.- “Preserving the Brain,” a forum on neurodegenerative diseases, is the fourth phase of “Human Brains,” Fondazione Prada’s neuroscience project. Realized in collaboration with thirteen of the most relevant international neuroscience institutes and universities, “Human Brains: Preserving the Brain – Forum on Neurodegenerative Diseases” comprises an exhibition (16 September – 10 October 2022) and a conference (6 – 7 October 2022) at Fondazione Prada’s Milan premises and a series of online workshop (19 September– 4 October 2022) organized by the research centers.

The international institutes involved in “Preserving the Brain” are: Harvard Medical School, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, Ann Romney Center for Neurological Diseases, Boston, United States; Hôpital de la Pitié-Salpêtrière, Sorbonne University AP-HP, Neurology department and Paris Brain Institute, Paris, France; UniSR – Università Vita Salute San Raffaele, Milan, Italy; Juntendo University Hospital, Neurology Department, Tokyo, Japan; Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden; German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) within the Helmholtz Association, Bonn, Germany; Max Planck Institute of Neurobiology, Munich, Germany; Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital, McGill University, Canada; Tianjin Medical University General Hospital, Neurology Department, Tianjin, China; UCSF Weill Institute for Neurosciences, University of California San Francisco, San Francisco, United States; University College London, United Kingdom; Weizmann Institute of Science, Revohot, Israel; Yale School of Medicine, New Haven, United States.

“Human Brains” is the result of an in-depth research process undertaken by Fondazione Prada in 2018 in the field of neuroscience. The project has been driven by a deep interest to understand the human brain, the complexity of its functions, and its centrality to human history. The program has been developed by Fondazione Prada together with a scientific board chaired by neurologist Giancarlo Comi and composed of cognitive neurologist Jubin Abutalebi, philosopher Massimo Cacciari, science journalist Viviana Kasam, curator Udo Kittelmann, neurologist and neurophysiologist Letizia Leocani, neurolinguist Andrea Moro, and cognitive neurologist Daniela Perani.




“Human Brains” employs a multidisciplinary approach that brings together neurobiology, philosophy, psychology, neurochemistry, linguistics, artificial intelligence, and robotics. The human brain is examined in the plural—as expressed by the title—to underline its intrinsic complexity and the irreducible singularity of each individual. The project's first stage was the online conference “Culture and Consciousness.” Held in November 2020, it focused on the study of consciousness, the brain’s highest and most complex function. The second chapter, titled “Conversations,” was based on a series of video talks from international scientists, philosophers and researchers between September 2021 and April 2022. The third phase, the exhibition “It Begins with an Idea,” focused on the history of brain studies, is currently on view in Venice until 27 November 2022.

“Preserving the Brain” aims to stimulate an open and critical exchange between international scientists and experts on neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Multiple sclerosis, which are widely spread and as yet incurable. The forum participants include researchers, patient associations, and representatives of health care institutions and the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industries. They debate the current state of knowledge of these diseases and the tools currently used to fight them, while also seeking to identify lacunae in the search for possible therapies, and jointly defining priorities and strategies to sustain scientific research.

As stated by Miuccia Prada, President of Fondazione Prada, “For us, this phase of the project is particularly significant as it permits a closer understanding of scientific research’s impact on our everyday lives, and in particular on the discovery of possible cures and treatments. ‘Preserving the Brain’ also demonstrates how critical collaboration and sharing of knowledge are within the scientific community. This first international forum could become recurring and allow the organizations we are associated with to communicate with a wider audience, as they would like to, and Fondazione Prada to contribute tangibly to neuroscientific research.”

As underlined by Giancarlo Comi, President of the “Human Brains” scientific board, “The exhibition and conference that comprise the ‘Preserving the Brain’ project have been developed with the goal of finding a common strategy to protect the brain from neurodegenerative diseases. New technological developments have markedly increased knowledge of the biology that underlies these diseases, and potential targets for newtreatments are taking shape.”