The first institute in the country specializing in cerebral research, the Brain Science Comprehensive Research Center, has been established within the Institute of Physical and Chemical Research in Wako, Saitama Prefecture, the institute announced Oct. 1.The institute began cerebral research nine years ago, led by Masao Ito, 68, former president of the Science Council of Japan and an authority on brain research, and has made significant advances in understanding how the brain processes visual information.The new center, headed by Ito, will undertake research in three areas of brain functions, brain damage treatment and computer simulation of brain functions. The center will be staffed by 99 researchers and engineers who will be divided into 18 research teams.Staff members will be appointed to five-year terms, and a number of them are expected to be recruited through advertisements in foreign science magazines. The institute's results will be rated by the world's top-level researchers.