NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS NEWSLETTER
Volume 11, Issue 1 (January, 2007)

____________________________________________________________

Welcome to the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter.

Here is what you will find in this issue:

1. What's New at Neuroscience for Kids
2. Neuroscience for Kids Site of the Month
3. Neuroscience for Kids Drawing Contest - One More Month
4. Seeing, Moving and Thinking Again
5. Flealess in Seattle
6. Summer Research Programs for High School Students
7. Media Alert
8. Treasure Trove of Brain Trivia
9. Support Neuroscience for Kids
10. How to Stop Your Subscription
____________________________________________________________

HAPPY NEW YEAR FROM NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS!
____________________________________________________________

1. WHAT'S NEW AT NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS

Neuroscience for Kids had several new additions in December including:

A. December Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news1012.html
B. New Neuroscience Center at Boston University
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/conte.html
C. More Products Recalled Because of Lead
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/leadm.html
D. Human Olfaction: Nothing to Sniff At
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/humolf.html
E. Site of Month Selection Archive
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/sites.html

In December, 12 new figures were added and 26 pages were modified.
__________________________________________________________

2. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS "SITE OF THE MONTH"

The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for November is "The Museum of Scientifically Accurate Fabric Brain Art" at:

http://neuroscienceart.com/

In The Museum of Scientifically Accurate Fabric Brain Art, developmental psychologist Marjorie Taylor and psychiatrist Karen Norberg use PET and fMRI brain scans as inspiration to create beautiful pieces of art. Quilting, applique, embroidery, beadwork, knitting and crocheting methods are used to make the artwork.

The web site is really a "blog" with photographs of the art where you can read and post comments about each piece. There are only seven examples of this work on the web site and I hope Dr. Taylor and Dr. Norberg are working on more.
__________________________________________________________

3. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS DRAWING CONTEST - ONE MORE MONTH

Speaking of artwork -- the NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS DRAWING CONTEST is open for ONE MORE MONTH to students in kindergarten through high school. The complete set of rules and the official entry form for the contest are available at:

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/contest67.html

All entries must be received by February 1, 2007. Students from all countries are welcome to enter the drawing contest.
__________________________________________________________

4. SEEING, MOVING AND THINKING AGAIN

Last month I was at a meeting in Washington, D.C., where I heard a talk by Dr. Mark Humayun. Dr. Humanyun is an ophthalmologist (an M.D.) who has a Ph.D. in biomedical engineering. He is also the director of the Biomimetic Microelectronic Systems (BMES) center at the University of Southern California.

The BMES research I heard about was incredible! Scientists at BMES are working to create implantable devices (microelectronics) that connect to the nervous system. These new mini-machines should help people with neurological disorders. The three main devices under development at BMES are a:

A. Retinal Prosthesis: a device implanted into the eye to help people who are blind. The device converts visual images into signals that stimulate the retina. These signals are then sent to the brain to create perception.

B. Neuromuscular Prosthesis: a device implanted into a limb and brain to help people who are paralyzed. Sensors and stimulators are placed into the brain and on muscles to help people who have had a stroke or have suffered a spinal cord injury.

C. Cortical Prosthesis: a device implanted into the brain to help people who have suffered brain damage. The scientists are currently focusing their work on the hippocampus and are trying to develop a device that will communicate with neurons important for memory.

At the meeting, Dr. Humanyun showed a video of one patient who was blind for 30 years and then was implanted with a retinal prosthesis. After the patient recovered from surgery, he was able to "see" the difference between a cup, plate and knife. This may not be difficult for you to do, but this is a fantastic accomplishment for someone who could not see anything for 30 years! Further research and development are sure to create even better devices.

Read more about the work at BMES on their web site at:

http://bmes-erc.usc.edu/index.htm
__________________________________________________________

5. FLEALESS IN SEATTLE

My dog, Buddy, just turned 7 years old. In all the years Buddy has been with my family, he has never had any fleas. Perhaps he has been flealess because of the weather we have in Seattle or maybe my house doesn't make a good home for fleas. Maybe Buddy doesn't taste good to a flea. I am not complaining, of course. Who wants fleas?

But some dogs (and cats) do have flea problems. And do you know where people have looked to solve the flea problem? Neuroscience, of course!

Fipronil and imidacloprid are two popular insecticides used to control fleas on pets. Just a few drops of these chemicals on a pet's back will kill fleas for up to a month. Both fipronil and imidacloprid attack a flea's nervous system. Fipronil interferes with the GABA neurotransmitter system and imidacloprid interferes with the acetylcholine (nicotinic receptor) neurotransmitter system. When an insect comes in contact with either chemical, its nervous system is affected and it dies.

The amount of chemical used to kill insects does not appear to be dangerous to pets or to humans. However, you can get these products only from a veterinarian. For more information about fipronil and imidacloprid, see:

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/fipronil.pdf

and

http://npic.orst.edu/factsheets/imidacloprid.pdf
_________________________________________________________

6. SUMMER RESEARCH PROGRAMS FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

How would you like to spend your summer doing research in a neuroscience lab? If you are a high school student, there are many opportunities for you, but you must get your applications ready soon. Here are just a few of the research programs that offer lab positions to high school students:

A. Undergraduate and High School Summer Research Program in the Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Neuroscience at the University of Nebraska Medical Center (Omaha, NE)

B. Summer Program in the Neurological Sciences at the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, MD)

C. CURE project at Oregon Health & Science University (Portland, OR)

D. PENN Science Academy at the University of Pennsylvania (Philadelphia, PA)
_________________________________________________________

7. MEDIA ALERT

A. "The New Face of Alzheimer's" is the cover story of U.S. News and World Report (December 11, 2006).

B. The December 11, 2006, issue of Newsweek magazine has several neuroscience articles including "Peering in the Future," "Minds and Magnets," "Stem Cells Are Where It's At," and "A Six-Foot Lab Rat."

C. The January 2007 issue of Discover magazine has several neuroscience-related articles including an interview artificial intelligence expert Marvin Minsky, "Consciousness in a Cockroach," and a list of the top six "Mind & Brain Stories of 2006."

D. "Better Ways to Target Pain" by Gary Stix (Scientific American, January, 2007) discusses the search for better pain relievers.

E. Dr. Nora Volkow, a neuroscientist who is the director of the National Institute on Drug Abuse, was listed as a person to watch in 2007 by Newsweek magazine (January 1, 2007).
_________________________________________________________

8. THE TREASURE TROVE OF BRAIN TRIVIA

A. January is National Glaucoma Awareness Month.

B. Every 21 seconds, someone in the US suffers a traumatic brain injury. (Source: Carroll, L., War on the brain, Neurology Now, 2:12-25, 2006.)

C. Approximately 5% of the neurosurgeons in the United States are female. (Source: Firlik, K., Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside, New York: Random House, 2006.)

D. The famous neurosurgeon Harvey Cushing (some people call him the father of neurosurgery) had a colloid cyst deep inside his own brain. (Source: Firlik, K., Another Day in the Frontal Lobe: A Brain Surgeon Exposes Life on the Inside, New York: Random House, 2006.)

E. Hippocrates recommended that teeth be cleaned with a ball of wool moistened with honey. (Source: Wynbrandt, J., The Excruciating History of Dentistry, New York: St. Martin's Press, 1998.)
_________________________________________________________

9. SUPPORT NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS

To insure that Neuroscience for Kids stays available, we need your help. If you would like to contribute to the funding of Neuroscience for Kids, please visit:

Help Neuroscience for Kids
_________________________________________________________

10. HOW TO STOP RECEIVING THIS NEWSLETTER

To remove yourself from this mailing list and stop your subscription to the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter, send e-mail to Dr. Eric H. Chudler at: chudler@u.washington.edu
_________________________________________________________

Your comments and suggestions about this newsletter and the "Neuroscience for Kids" web site are always welcome. If there are any special topics that you would like to see on the web site, just let me know.

Eric

Eric H. Chudler, Ph.D.
(e-mail: chudler@u.washington.edu)
(URL: http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/neurok.html)