Apart from the extreme complexity of the animal central nervous system, a general understanding of its functioning now seems possible. Although much knowledge is available about the details of the structure and function of individual neurons and some details of small circuits, little is known about the overall functioning of the systems; how neurons combine to produce an entity capable of animal mental processes and behaviour. A concerted attack on this problem now seems possible in light of recent experimental and theoretical advances. Such an attack, however, requires a highly interdisciplinary approach for which techniques from many fields (including applied mathematics, physics, neurophysiology, linguistics, psychology and even philosophy) are required. There is now the possibility that the development of important new concepts (of theoretical and practical interest) in this field could result from an attack like this. It is in this area that the school will operate.