The Unit for Applied Neuroscience
The Unit for Applied Neuroscience at IDC Herzliya is a research group that aims to apply recent advances in neuroscience to the solution of practical challenges in a broad range of fields, such as education and training in organizations and schools; rehabilitation of neurological patients; optimizing treatment of developmental disorders (e.g., Autism Spectrum Disorders, Attention Deficit and Hyperactive Disorders-ADHD), and creating optimal growth environments for children in general.
The interdisciplinary approach exemplified by IDC enables the unit to collaborate with researchers within IDC, and in hospitals, enterprises, the IDF, and governmental agencies. The Unit aims to bring together experts with a range of skills to collaboratively address problems and prospects in many areas of public interest.
The founders and co-directors of the unit are Dr. Nava Levit-Binnun and Dr. Daniel A. Levy.
Dr. Nava Levit-Binnun comes from the Weizmann Institute of Science, where she studied connectivity and stability of brains of patients with Schizophrenia, using Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS – a method of modulating brain activity) and Electroencephalography (EEG – a method of measuring brain activity). Later she developed a model for atypical development (e.g. Autism, ADHD) based on integration of knowledge from systems neuroscience and therapists' field experience.
Dr. Daniel A. Levy received his Ph.D. in Cognitive Psychology summa cum laude from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and did a post-doctoral fellowship in the cognitive neuroscience of human memory at the University of California in San Diego with Prof. Larry R. Squire. He comes to the IDC after having taught at the Weizmann Institute of Science and conducted research at Bar-Ilan University. Dr. Levy has published studies on various questions regarding human memory and attention, as well as on the impact of neuroscience on philosophical questions.
The initial focus of the Unit for Applied Neuroscience is on applying advances in memory research to organizational learning and to rehabilitation of brain-injured patients with memory disorders (Dr. Levy), and on utilizing insights from network models of brain function to understand what are the key ingredients for an optimal developmental environment for both typically and non-typically developing children (Dr. Levit-Binnun). Other target fields of interest include decision-making processes, treatment of attentional disorders, optimal aging, and mindfulness-based approaches to clinical and quotidian challenges.
A key project of the Unit is the Israeli Center for Science, Mindfulness and Society, initiated by Dr. Levit-Binnun.