The philanthropists, Sanford I. Weill and his wife, Joan, have made the largest donation in the University of California, San Francisco’s  (UCSF) history, to finance a neuroscience center to provide “research on the brain, which is the most complex part of the human body,” and is far behind other areas of medicine.

According to today’s The New York Times, “Brain science has been enjoying fresh attention from philanthropists and investors, particularly in light of the Obama administration’sannouncement in 2013 of a 10-year effort to build a comprehensive map of the human brain, in the hope of advancing the fight against diseases like Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s.

With the newest donation, the Weills — who have signed the Giving Pledge, the drive created by Warren E. Buffett and Bill Gates for the world’s richest to donate most of their wealth to philanthropy — have now pledged more than $1 billion to charitable causes.