Establishment of the Korea-Netherlands MindMirage Data Center

The Korea Brain Research Institute (KBRI) announced on the 13th that it has established the “Korea-Netherlands MindMirage Data Center” at the Brain Research Commercialization Center in collaboration with the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience (NIN) and is hosting an international symposium to mark the occasion.

Following the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) in December 2023 with the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience and the Netherlands Brain Bank for cooperation in human brain tissue research and the development of treatments for brain disorders, KBRI has continued to build a foundation for international joint research with the Netherlands. In October last year, KBRI was selected for the “2024 Advanced Bio Global Competency Enhancement Project,” funded by the Ministry of Science and ICT and the National Research Foundation of Korea.

The “MindMirage Data Center” aims to collect and analyze big data from both human and animal model research related to hallucinatory experiences and to advance digital health technology. The collaborative project has set several key goals: (1) the digitalization of hallucinatory experiences through the collection and integrated analysis of big data from human hallucination cohorts and animal models; (2) the establishment of a platform for preclinical and clinical data sharing and integrated analysis; and (3) the strategic development of biotyping technologies and applications based on hallucinatory mechanisms.

In its early phase, the MindMirage Data Center will focus on establishing research models for hallucinations in both animals and humans and building a comprehensive hallucination database (DB). To achieve this, Korea and the Netherlands will establish a collaborative infrastructure and form a global multi-institutional research network to integrate neuroimaging with omics-based studies of hallucinations. Additionally, the center will utilize existing data to construct a biomarker database related to hallucinatory experiences and explore the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms to enhance research precision.

A core objective of the center is to refine and validate hallucinatory mechanisms through integrated data analysis and develop advanced biotyping technologies. To this end, it will strengthen international academic exchange and research collaboration while leveraging AI-driven multidimensional data integration to identify precise biomarkers associated with hallucinations.

This Korea-Netherlands collaborative research effort is expected not only to deepen the scientific understanding of hallucinations but also to contribute to the development of innovative digital health solutions for psychiatric and neuropsychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia.

At the center’s inauguration ceremony on the 13th, KBRI President Pan-Gil Seo will deliver the opening remarks, followed by congratulatory speeches from Hyukmo Nam, Director of the Advanced Biotechnology Division at the Ministry of Science and ICT, and Peter Wijllhuizen, Head of the Science, Technology, and Innovation Section at the Embassy of the Netherlands in South Korea. Serge Dumoulin, Director of the Spinoza Centre for Neuroimaging at the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, and Isabell Ehmer, a researcher at the Netherlands Brain Bank, will present the objectives and plans of the collaborative research project alongside Ja Wook Koo, Head of the Global Emotion and Addiction Research Initiative at KBRI. The event will conclude with a plaque unveiling ceremony, commemorative photos, and a tour of the research facilities.

To commemorate the establishment of the joint research center, an international symposium will be held on the 14th. Serge Dumoulin will give a keynote lecture titled “From Population Receptive Fields to Psychedelics: Computational Insights into Altered Minds,” and Isabell Ehmer will present on “NBB: From Tissue Collection to Molecular Psychiatry.” Other experts, including Dr. Wonbeom Jung and Dr. Yongjeon Jung from KBRI, Professor Jongmin Lee from Hanyang University, Professor Yoobin Lim from Seoul National University Hospital, and Dr. Jongcheol Ra and Dr. Namsun Chu from KBRI, will deliver lectures on topics such as neuroimaging and data-driven research, as well as psychiatric and neurological disorders.

KBRI President Pan-Ghill Suh stated, “The Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience is a prestigious research institution with over a century of history in neuroscience research in Europe. Through our joint research center, we aim to develop personalized digital health solutions for overcoming hallucinatory disorders and achieve research outcomes that will have tangible benefits for the public.”