News
This is Your Brain: Montreal universities, institutes and research centres team up to promote
2006-03-08
Montreal, March 8, 2006 – This is your brain, and Montreal neuroscientists know how it works. Next week, they will take the mystery out of all that gray matter during Brain Awareness Week (March 13-19). Over 100 neuroscience graduate students will be bringing the brain to the classroom for more than 9000 Montreal primary and high-school students. The youngsters will be learning about the five senses and the adolescents will look at how drugs affect the brain. In addition, the public is invited to participate in a lecture series on the theme of mental health (see schedule below).
Brain Awareness Week, created by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, is an international initiative to teach the public about brain function and new research. The Montreal organizing committee, led by Katarina Dedovic and Mehereen Wadiwalla, neuroscience students at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre, McGill University, makes use of the fact that Montreal has one of the largest concentrations of neuroscientists in the world, and brings together students from the Montreal Neurological Institute/Hospital, the Université de Montréal, Concordia University and the Université du Québec à Montréal.
Brain Facts
- The brain is the most powerful organ of the body and only weighs about three pounds. The adult brain contains about 100 billion neurons.
- Between 20-25% of the blood flow from one heart beat goes to the brain.
- Depression, which affects 10-25% of Canadians, is characterized by a chemical imbalance in the level of serotonin, an important neurotransmitter in the brain.
- Treatments for ADHD increase levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. This stimulates attention and motivational circuits - enhancing one's ability to focus and complete tasks.
- Brain imaging technologies, such as functional MRI, are being used to study brain activity malfunctions in mental health problems such as obsessive compulsive disorder.
Free public lectures during Brain Awareness Week:
For the last nine years, Montreal’s neuroscience community has also hosted public lectures during Brain Awareness Week. The following lists the topics and locations of this year’s events. Come join us and learn more about your gray matter.
Neuro 101: The ABC’s of how Your Brain Works
Dr. Jim Pfaus & Dr. Michael Petrides
Monday, March 13, 2006 • 7:30-9:00 PM
Montreal Neurological Institute
3801 University St.
Jeanne Timmins Amphitheatre
When Blues and Obsessions Take Over: A Look at Depression and OCD
Dr. Adam Rodomsky & Dr. Guy Debonnel
Tuesday, March 14, 2006 • 7:30-9:00 PM
Montreal Neurological institute
3801 University St.
Jeanne Timmins Amphitheatre
Comprendre l’enfant derrière le trouble d’attention avec hyperactivité (in French)
Dr. Philippe Robaey
Wednesday March 15, 2006 • 7 :30-9 :00 PM
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine
3175, Côte-Ste-Catherine Street
Justine-Lacoste Beaubien Amphitheatre
Insight into the Mind: What Brain Imaging Reveals About How You Think and Feel
Dr. Jorge Armony & Dr. Natasha Rajah
Thursday, March 16, 2006 • 7:30-9:00 PM
Douglas Hall, Douglas Hospital
6875 LaSalle Blvd., Verdun
Info: (514) 761-6131, extension 2770
Brain Awareness Week, created by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, is an international initiative to teach the public about brain function and new research. The Montreal organizing committee, led by Katarina Dedovic and Mehereen Wadiwalla, neuroscience students at the Douglas Hospital Research Centre, McGill University, makes use of the fact that Montreal has one of the largest concentrations of neuroscientists in the world, and brings together students from the Montreal Neurological Institute/Hospital, the Université de Montréal, Concordia University and the Université du Québec à Montréal.
Brain Facts
- The brain is the most powerful organ of the body and only weighs about three pounds. The adult brain contains about 100 billion neurons.
- Between 20-25% of the blood flow from one heart beat goes to the brain.
- Depression, which affects 10-25% of Canadians, is characterized by a chemical imbalance in the level of serotonin, an important neurotransmitter in the brain.
- Treatments for ADHD increase levels of the neurotransmitter dopamine in the brain. This stimulates attention and motivational circuits - enhancing one's ability to focus and complete tasks.
- Brain imaging technologies, such as functional MRI, are being used to study brain activity malfunctions in mental health problems such as obsessive compulsive disorder.
Free public lectures during Brain Awareness Week:
For the last nine years, Montreal’s neuroscience community has also hosted public lectures during Brain Awareness Week. The following lists the topics and locations of this year’s events. Come join us and learn more about your gray matter.
Neuro 101: The ABC’s of how Your Brain Works
Dr. Jim Pfaus & Dr. Michael Petrides
Monday, March 13, 2006 • 7:30-9:00 PM
Montreal Neurological Institute
3801 University St.
Jeanne Timmins Amphitheatre
When Blues and Obsessions Take Over: A Look at Depression and OCD
Dr. Adam Rodomsky & Dr. Guy Debonnel
Tuesday, March 14, 2006 • 7:30-9:00 PM
Montreal Neurological institute
3801 University St.
Jeanne Timmins Amphitheatre
Comprendre l’enfant derrière le trouble d’attention avec hyperactivité (in French)
Dr. Philippe Robaey
Wednesday March 15, 2006 • 7 :30-9 :00 PM
Centre Hospitalier Universitaire Sainte-Justine
3175, Côte-Ste-Catherine Street
Justine-Lacoste Beaubien Amphitheatre
Insight into the Mind: What Brain Imaging Reveals About How You Think and Feel
Dr. Jorge Armony & Dr. Natasha Rajah
Thursday, March 16, 2006 • 7:30-9:00 PM
Douglas Hall, Douglas Hospital
6875 LaSalle Blvd., Verdun
Info: (514) 761-6131, extension 2770
