diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 1329b91..eaec212 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -2,21 +2,49 @@
 
 The goal of this work is to provide a broad description of the population activity patterns that occur in developing cerebral cortex.
 
-The main manuscript file is [wholeBrain_main.md][]
+The main manuscript file is **[wholeBrain_main.md][]**
+
+
 
 ## Rationale
+The idea is to provide a clear and beautiful representation of the visualized activity patterns in the developing brain.
 
-The idea is to provide a clear and beautiful visualization of the immature activity patterns in the developing brain.
+### Scientific importance
+A comprehensive description of the spatiotemporal activity patterns in the immature brain will be crucial to understanding the developmental dynamics that exist between intrinsic and extrinsic factors that regulate circuit development. 
+
+* signature patterns that predict current or future behavior
+* construction of self-organizing circuits (advanced robotics -- *Terminator, Skynet, Cylons*)
+
+### Human health importance
+* neurodevelopmental disorders (autism, schizophrenia, epilepsy)
+* activity-dependent structural plasticity. Implications for brain repair.
+* development of brain-machine interfaces
+
+
+### Future work 
+More detailed descriptions of the nature and the functions of these activity patterns can and should be performed in parallel in ongoing and future studies.  
+For example:  
+ 
+* What is the intra- vs sub- cortical nature of barrel cortex activity (E.M.'s work)
+* What is the intra- vs sub- cortical nature of ongoing activity in motor- associational-, and other non-primary sensory cortical areas?
+* Relationship of imaged patterns to EEG patterns described in other studies?
+* Extent to which functional correlations reflect direct synaptic connections?
+* Retinal wave drive of other areas?
+* Ontogenetic relationships of localized calcium domains?
+* Development profile through first postnatal weeks
+* Chronic developmental profile in individuals?
+* Aberrant activity patterns in developmental disorder and seizure models?
 
-We can do this because
 
 ## Workflow
 
-Workflow will be similar to that used previously for [current opinion review][id3]. Some useful info in [currOpinRvw outline][id2].
+Writing workflow will be similar to that used previously for [current opinion review][id3]. Some useful info in [currOpinRvw outline][id2].
 
 Instructions for [converting multimarkdown to Word document][id4]
 
+Image processing and dataset generation will utilize custom code in the [wholeBrainDX] software project. 
 
+Datasets, and exploratory data analysis will use R code that lives inside this wholeBrain project repository. Datasets and raw data to big too be inside this git repo will be stored on external servers and linked to accordingly.
 
 
 [wholeBrain_main.md]: wholeBrain_main.md
@@ -25,4 +53,6 @@ Instructions for [converting multimarkdown to Word document][id4]
 
 [id3]: https://github.com/ackman678/currOpinRvw/blob/master/README.md 
 
-[id4]: https://gist.github.com/ackman678/6391902
\ No newline at end of file
+[id4]: https://gist.github.com/ackman678/6391902
+
+[wholeBrainDX]: https://github.com/ackman678/wholeBrainDX/blob/master/README.md