RICHARDSON, Texas (Aug. 16, 2004) — The Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas (UTD) will resume its innovative lecture series about the inner workings of the human brain beginning Sept. 7 with a talk about the adolescent brain.
The series, which is titled “The Brain: An Owner’s Guide” and is now in its third year, will consist of four lectures in September. It is cosponsored by the Center for BrainHealth, the Neuroscience Center at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas and KERA 90.1. All lectures will be held at Presbyterian’s Fogelson Forum Auditorium, located at 8200 Walnut Hill Lane in Dallas, and will run from 7 to 8:15 p.m. on consecutive Tuesdays.
The following topics will be discussed:
- Sept. 7 — The Teen Brain: Excitement and Exasperation — Dr. Sandra Bond Chapman, director of UTD’s Center for BrainHealth, and Jacquelyn Gamino, a doctoral student in cognitive neuroscience at UTD, will discuss new discoveries about the adolescent brain and the expression of emotion, the dependability of decision-making, the jumble of judgment and how new research indicates adolescence is a critical point in the emergence of decision-making and is as important as early childhood brain development.
- Sept. 14 —The Complex Brain — Dr. R. Malcolm Stewart, a neurologist at Presbyterian Hospital of Dallas, will address how complex brain networks work together to create the person we are in terms of what we think, say and feel. Examples such as Parkinson’s, Alzheimer’s, stroke and affective disorders will be used to illustrate these systems and their failures, and recent advances in drug and non-drug treatments will be discussed.
- Sept. 21 — New Brain Discoveries about Human Performance — Dr. George V. Kondraske, a professor of biomedical engineering and electrical engineering at U. T. Arlington, will talk about how neuroscientists have recently discovered that the science of motor performance is very similar to the science of baking a cake. The talk will address new strategies that have been developed to maintain or boost the performance of any activity, including daily living, work, recreation and sports activities.
- Sept. 28 — It’s a Sounds Brain: What Hearing Teaches Us About The Brain — Dr. Emily A. Tobey, a professor in communication disorders from UTD’s School of Behavioral and Brain Sciences, and Dr. Michael D. Devous, Sr., a professor of radiology from U. T. Southwestern, will discuss how the brain is changed by hearing with an artificial ear, as well as the adaptability of the brain to respond to new forms of sensory input.
The cost to attend is $25 per lecture or $75 for the entire series, and all talks are open to the public and geared to a lay audience. For more information or to reserve a seat, please contact Jennifer Zientz at (214) 905-3007, or register online at www. centerforbrainhealth.org.
About the Center for BrainHealth
The Center for BrainHealth integrates research, treatment, academic training and community outreach and is one of the few facilities in the United States to provide continued follow-up to enhance and monitor functional recovery in children and adults with brain injury, brain disease and complications of normal aging. Through this innovative approach, the center is discovering commonalities across brain maladies that are yielding similarities in brain repair mechanisms and resulting in new treatments for improving life for patients with brain injuries and diseases. One of the center’s top priorities is achieving healthy mental aging by translating scientific findings into treatment. For more information about the Center for BrainHealth and its work, please visit the organization’s Web site www.centerforbrainhealth.org.
About UTD
The University of Texas at Dallas, located at the convergence of Richardson, Plano and Dallas in the heart of the complex of major multinational technology corporations known as the Telecom Corridor®, enrolls about 14,000 students. The school’s freshman class traditionally stands at the forefront of Texas state universities in terms of average SAT scores. The university offers a broad assortment of bachelor’s, master’s and doctoral degree programs. For additional information about UTD, please visit the university’s Web site at www.utdallas.edu
