From 1990 to the end of 1999, the
Library of Congress and the
National Institute of Mental Health of the
National Institutes of Health sponsored a unique interagency initiative to advance the goals set forth in a
proclamation by
President George Bush designating the
1990s as the Decade of the Brain: "to enhance public awareness of the benefits to be derived from brain research" through "appropriate programs, ceremonies, and activities."
To achieve this public recognition, the LC/NIMH Project on the Decade of the Brain sponsored a variety of
activities including
publications and programs aimed at introducing Members of Congress, their staffs, and the general public to cutting-edge research on the brain and encouraging public dialogue on the ethical, philosophical, and humanistic implications of these emerging discoveries.