The Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) is moving forward with an ambitious effort under its Advanced Research Concepts (ARC) initiative to revolutionize our understanding of how the brain processes information and constructs reality.
Dubbed INSPIRE (Investigating how Neurological Systems Process Information in Reality), the program seeks research proposals that challenge traditional digital-only models of brain function.
Solicitation documents obtained by The Debrief reveal that through the INSPIRE program, DARPA seeks researchers willing to challenge conventional explanations for how the brain stores and processes information to construct reality, with the potential to redefine the fields of neuroscience, artificial intelligence, and neurotechnology.
“The field of neuroscience has operated under the overarching idea that the brain processes information in a digital fashion based on firing rate of neurons,” DARPA documents read. “However, evidence shows that digital-only models are insufficient to explain the brain’s computational power and complexity and that neurological systems store information in other ways that could illuminate how the brain represents reality.”
For decades, neuroscience has largely operated under the assumption that the brain processes information digitally through electrical impulses and neuron firing rates like a computer. This concept has shaped countless studies and the development of neurotechnology. However, DARPA’s latest solicitation under the INSPIRE program encourages researchers to challenge this fundamental assumption.
Recent advances in neuroscience have exposed gaps in the digital-only approach. The discovery of specialized neurons like grid cells, place cells, and time cells suggests that the brain’s ability to map space and time cannot be fully explained by digital models alone.
The DARPA solicitation highlights how these neurons represent real-time processes and underscores the need for more nuanced theories about how the brain constructs reality.
Additionally, bizarre phenomena like the “placebo effect” further challenge the idea that the brain can be fully understood through digital models alone. The placebo effect, where a person experiences real physiological or psychological improvements from treatments without active therapeutic ingredients, highlights the brain’s ability to process belief, expectation, and perception in ways that defy straightforward, mechanistic explanations.
This phenomenon suggests that the brain’s power goes beyond simple neuron firing and binary information processing as it taps into deeper, more complex systems of self-regulation and interpretation.
Other phenomena, such as spontaneous remission or phantom limb sensations, also point to the limitations of purely digital frameworks in explaining the brain’s incredible complexity.
These examples demonstrate that the brain isn’t necessarily a passive observer, underscoring the need for more nuanced models to capture the mind’s non-linear, sometimes enigmatic ways of processing reality.
According to DARPA, INSPIRE performers must explore new theoretical frameworks beyond firing rates and digital processing. These theories could lead to more sophisticated neurotechnologies, enabling a better understanding of cognition, perception, and even diseases affecting brain function.
One of the intriguing aspects of the INSPIRE program is its call for experimental approaches beyond traditional animal models. DARPA encourages using brain organoids—miniaturized, lab-grown versions of human brains—alongside computational and mathematical models to study how the brain processes information.
Brain organoids offer unprecedented opportunities for precision and control in experiments, allowing researchers to investigate questions that animal models have not yet answered. INSPIRE is particularly interested in how these organoids might perform tasks that reveal new ways the brain stores and processes information. This could include teaching organoids new tasks or studying how trauma and disease affect neural systems at the level of information processing.
DARPA’s primary mission is to research and develop emerging technologies for the U.S. military. How insights from the INSPIRE program might be applied to national security remains unclear. However, the potential impact of the program’s research extends well beyond defense.
A better understanding of how the brain constructs reality could lead to breakthroughs in artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics, all of which are fields increasingly reliant on models of human cognition.
One of the solicitation’s key objectives is to discover new methods for accurately and precisely measuring neural function, which could potentially inform next-generation brain-computer interfaces (BCIs).
DARPA notes that many of today’s neurotechnologies rely on tools that track neuronal firing rates. However, these models are insufficient for explaining the full complexity of perception, memory, and decision-making.
“The INSPIRE ARC urges performers to go back to fundamentals and consider novel, paradigm-shifting questions about how the brain and neurological systems construct reality,” DARPA writes.
By uncovering new theories of brain function, the INSPIRE program could set the stage for a more advanced generation of technologies capable of interacting with neural systems in previously unimaginable ways.
While the DARPA solicitation emphasizes theoretical innovation, it also places significant importance on practical applications. The program encourages experimental, computational, and theoretical work that can be validated through rigorous experimentation.
Researchers interested in the INSPIRE program must clearly articulate their research hypotheses, methodologies, and expected outcomes. DARPA has structured the solicitation to promote a mix of basic science and applied research, which could include developing new mathematical models for interpreting brain data or pioneering new computational techniques to explore non-digital neural representations.
In particular, the solicitation highlights four areas of interest:
- Precise measurement of functional neural units beyond firing rate.
- Training brain organoids in novel tasks to explore learning mechanisms.
- Investigating how disease or trauma affects information processing in the brain.
- Creating computational models that push beyond current frameworks, potentially integrating new or existing data to unlock deeper insights.
The INSPIRE program is being run under the umbrella of DARPA’s Advanced Research Concepts (ARC) initiative.
According to DARPA, the goal of ARC is to seek answers to “high-risk, high-reward, ‘what if’ questions” that could lead to groundbreaking advancements in science and technology. The initiative provides a flexible, short-term framework that enables scientists to focus on paradigm-shifting research ideas that challenge conventional thinking and open up entirely new avenues for discovery.
By encouraging researchers to rethink traditional models of brain function, the INSPIRE program certainly aligns with ARC’s mission to push the boundaries of scientific exploration. Whether these efforts will lead to groundbreaking discoveries that reshape neuroscience, technology, and our understanding of reality remains to be seen.
For researchers with bold ideas that challenge the status quo, the INSPIRE program offers a platform to explore paradigm-shifting concepts. Solicitation documents make it clear that DARPA is willing to work with scientists to ensure that truly innovative ideas have the resources they need to succeed, even if they don’t perfectly align with conventional funding models.
The application process for INSPIRE starts with an abstract submission, followed by the potential for an invitation to present a more detailed proposal. DARPA will evaluate these submissions on a rolling basis, with a deadline set for January 31, 2025.
Tim McMillan is a retired law enforcement executive, investigative reporter and co-founder of The Debrief. His writing typically focuses on defense, national security, the Intelligence Community and topics related to psychology. You can follow Tim on Twitter: @LtTimMcMillan. Tim can be reached by email: tim@thedebrief.org or through encrypted email: LtTimMcMillan@protonmail.com