Richard “Dick” Pickup’s $15-million donation to the Neurosciences Institute at Hoag Hospital is the largest single gift ever from his Pickup Family Foundation. It’s also personal.

The gift will enable the newly renamed Pickup Family Neurosciences Institute to investigate cutting-edge treatments for disorders and conditions ranging from stroke, epilepsy and addiction to paralysis and dementia.

Ten years ago, Pickup, a longtime Newport Beach philanthropist and businessman, suffered a stroke and was treated at Hoag in Newport. He also lost his brother to Alzheimer’s disease recently.

As Pickup plans his estate, he’s looking for meaningful, lasting investments, he said in an interview.

The $15-million gift will fund advancements by “passionate people with the education and the desire to make the world a better place to live,” he said.

Pickup, who has lived in Newport Beach since the 1960s, founded Eagle Four Partners, a private equity firm specializing in hospitality, golf, lifestyle and residential real estate developments. Its ownership portfolio includes the Balboa Bay Resort and Newport Beach Country Club.

Dr. Michael Brant-Zawadzki, who oversees the Neurosciences Institute, said he was proud to receive the gift, which was announced Tuesday at the institute’s 10th anniversary celebration. Philanthropy allows researchers to stay at the forefront of promising treatments that can restore healthy brain function for people who live with challenges such as Parkinson’s disease and obsessive-compulsive disorder, he said.

“Our brains are who we are and where we live,” Brant-Zawadzki said.

The institute already employs innovative technologies such as Orange County’s only MR/PET imager, Perfexion gamma knife stereotactic brain tumor treatment and surgical procedures using augmented reality.

“The Pickup family’s extraordinary generosity will enable Hoag to dramatically expand and accelerate clinical research and treatment of the many critical conditions our programs focus on at the institute,” Robert Braithwaite, Hoag president and chief executive, said in a statement. “Their gift is further affirmation of Hoag’s growing national leadership in neurosciences. We are deeply grateful to the Pickup family for their support and trust.”

hillary.davis@latimes.com

Twitter: @Daily_PilotHD