News Center - The University of Texas at Dallas

Jan. 11, 2013

The Center for BrainHealth at The University of Texas at Dallas is gearing up for The Brain: An Owner’s Guide, an annual series of lectures designed to translate the latest brain research and treatment developments into cutting-edge topical lectures for the lay community.

The four-part series invites prominent brain researchers from across the country to discuss ways to maximize brain health. Topics include the mind’s influence over thought and action; secret decisions and emotions that shape our lives; and the Internet’s effect on the brain and information perception.

The popular series, sponsored by The Container Store, begins Feb. 5 and is already sold out

“The more knowledge we can share about the brain, the more we can empower individuals to take charge of their cognitive health.”

Dr. Sandra Chapman,chief director of the Center for BrainHealth

“The more knowledge we can share about the brain, the more we can empower individuals to take charge of their cognitive health,” said Dr. Sandra Chapman, the Center for BrainHealth’s founder and chief director.

For the first time in several years, Dr. Chapman will join the series to discuss her latest undertakings. “Research at the Center for BrainHealth has shown the majority of humans can increase their intellectual capital, build cognitive resilience, and harness the immense capacity of the brain to strengthen and rewire itself in health, injury and disease. To achieve such gains requires concerted and lasting effort. Brain health fitness is not a quick fix,” she explained. “My vision is to change the way individuals think and act about their brain and its health daily. Through the lecture series, we are shining a spotlight on the vast potential of the human mind.”

“The lecture series provides a rare opportunity to hear about groundbreaking research directly from experts in the field,” said Melissa Reiff, president of The Container Store. “We are always looking for innovative opportunities to become ingrained in causes and community endeavors that help allow our customers to live their best, most productive and organized life. The lecture series fits that description perfectly,” she explained.

The Brain: An Owner’s Guide series lectures schedule:

• Feb. 5:  “Make Your Brain Smarter”Sandra Chapman, PhD — The Dee Wyly LectureChapman, the founder and chief director of the Center for BrainHealth, Dee Wyly Distinguished University Chair and author of Make Your Brain Smarter – Increase Your Brain’s Creativity, Energy and Focus, will share why your brain health matters today and provide a proven plan to maximize your cognitive potential. 
• Feb. 12: “Who’s in Charge? Free Will and the Science of the Brain”Michael Gazzaniga, PhD —The Emy Lou & Jerry Baldridge LectureGazzaniga, founder of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society and editor-in-chief emeritus of the Journal of Cognitive Neuroscience, will share his theories on how the mind “constrains” the brain and discuss the science of responsibility and culpability. Gazzaniga directs the SAGE Center for the Study of Mind at the University of California, Santa Barbara. 
• Feb. 19: “The Secret Lives of the Brain”David Eagleman, PhD — The J. Baxter Brinkmann LectureDavid Eagleman, author of The New York Times best-seller Incognito: The Secret Lives of the Brain, will take the audience on an exploration of the mind and ask a key question: How much of our lives is steered by decisions and emotions that fly under the radar of conscious awareness? Eagleman directs the Laboratory for Perception and Action at the Baylor College of Medicine. 
• Feb. 26: “How the Internet is Molding Your Mind”Lewis Lapham — The Philip R. Jonsson Foundation LectureLapham, founder and editor of Lapham’s Quarterly, will describe how we encounter various subjects on the Internet and rely on labels to dictate our responses and ways of thinking. Learn how the Internet has changed the brain and how we perceive information. For almost 30 years, Lapham was the editor of Harper’s Magazine, where he remains editor emeritus.

All lectures will be held at the Center for BrainHealth, 2200 West Mockingbird Lane in Dallas. For more information, please visit http://www.centerforbrainhealth.org.

Media contact: Shelly Kirkland, UT Dallas Center for BrainHealth, (214) 905-3007, shelly.kirkland@utdallas.edu
or the Office of Media Relations, UT Dallas, (972) 883-2155, newscenter@utdallas.edu