NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS NEWSLETTER
Volume 11, Issue 7 (July, 2007)

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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. Singing Neuroscientists
4. Book Review
5. Brainy Museum Exhibits
6. Media Alert
7. Treasure Trove of Brain Trivia
8. Support Neuroscience for Kids
9. How to Stop Your Subscription
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1. WHAT'S NEW AT NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS

Neuroscience for Kids had several new additions in June including:

A. June Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news116.html
B. Bo Diddley Recovering From Stroke
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/bod.html
C. More Products Recalled Because of Lead
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/leadmm.html
D. Fun Science Fair Projects That Capture Kids Attention
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/fair1.html
E. New Brainy Ads
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/ads5.html

In June, 17 new figures were added and 39 pages were modified.
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2. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS "SITE OF THE MONTH"

The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for July the "Brain Bank -- Peek Inside the Human Head" video at: http://news.nationalgeographic.com/news/2006/03/0309_060309_brain_video.html

National Geographic Digital Media has created this short video about the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center. See how a brain is prepared for research and used to investigate the mysteries of the mind.
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3. SINGING NEUROSCIENTISTS

Dr. Joseph LeDoux is a well-respected neuroscientist at the Center for Neural Science at New York University. Dr. LeDoux studies how the brain is involved with emotion and memory and he has written many research papers and two books, "Synaptic Self: How Our Brains Become Who We Are" and "The Emotional Brain."

In addition to his scientific interests, Dr. LeDoux is a guitarist who plays in a rock band called "The Amygdaloids." You read that correctly! Dr. LeDoux plays in a rock band.

Other band members in The Amygdaloids include fellow neuroscientists Drs. Daniela Schiller and Nina Galbraith Curely and environmental scientist Dr. Tyler Volk. The group played in Madison Square Garden during the graduation ceremony for NYU's College of Arts and Science and has been profiled in several publications. You can see and hear The Amygdaloids perform such classics as "Heavy Mental," "Mind Body Problem," "If You Want Your Brain To Last," "All In A Nut," "A Trace" and "When The Night Is Dark" on their Web site at:

http://www.amygdaloids.com/
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4. BOOK REVIEW

"Tall Tales about the Mind and Brain: Separating Fact from Fiction," edited by Sergio Della Sala, New York: Oxford University Press, 2007 [ISBN: 0-19-856876-2]

Reading level: high school and above.

(Note: I contributed a chapter to this book, but I do not receive any payment for sales of the book.)

Do you use only 10% of your brain? Does listening to music make you smarter? Is brain size related to intelligence? Does your handwriting tell something about your personality or state of mind? What is an out-of-body experience? These are just a few of the questions addressed in "Tall Tales about the Mind and Brain."

Each chapter of "Tall Tales" takes on a different mind or brain myth. My chapter, titled "The Power of the full moon. Running on empty?," discusses the belief that the full moon causes an increase in abnormal human behavior. A critical examination of the evidence supporting and refuting each myth allows readers to fully understand the truth behind a belief. The book is written in easy-to-understand language, but details are not spared.

Unfortunately, the book is very expensive. The hardback book costs $175 and the paperback book costs $57.50. Nevertheless, you may be able to convince your library to buy the book.

If you are interested in hearing about the mind and brain myths discussed in the book, you can attend a conference to be held September 5-7, 2007, in Edinburgh, Scotland at Our Dynamic Earth.
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5. BRAINY MUSEUM EXHIBITS

Why not visit a museum this summer for a brainy experience? Here are a few exhibits that you might enjoy:

A. "Brain Matters/Make it Move!" at the Museum of Natural History (Las Cruces, NM; until September 9, 2007). Read about "Brain Matters/Make it Move!" at:

http://eventful.com/events/E0-001-003647923-5

B. "BODIES...The Exhibition" is in various cities:

http://www.bodiestheexhibition.com/

C. "Dreamstage Sleep and Brain Science Museum" at the North Star Farm, East Burke, VT. Read about this exhibit at:

http://sleep.med.harvard.edu/news/107/
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6. MEDIA ALERT

A. "The Science of Appetite" is the cover story of the June 11, 2007, issue of TIME magazine. This article discusses how the brain controls appetite and hunger.

B. "Confronting Alzheimer's" is the cover story of the June 18, 2007, issue of NEWSWEEK magazine.

C. Scientific American Reports recently published an issue called "The Early Years." This magazine discusses brain development and includes the following articles:

* Big Answers from Little People by D. Dobbs
* Test Subjects in Diapers by G. Aschersleben
* Detecting Autism Early by U. Kraft
* Broken Mirrors: A Theory of Autism by V.S. Ramachandran and L.M. Oberman
* Mindful of Symbols by Judy S. DeLoache
* Informing the ADHD Debate by A. Rothenberger and T. Banaschewski
* Just a Bit Different by I. Moeller
* Stopping the Bullies by M. Schaefer
* The Teen Brain, Hard at Work by L. Sabbagh
* Is the Teen Brain Too Rational? by V.F. Reyna and F. Farley
* The Myth of the Teen Brain by R. Epstein
* Train Your Brain by U. Kraft
* Circuit Training by K. Mossman

D. The cover story of Scientific American (July, 2007) is "The Memory Code" by Joe Z. Tsien. This article discusses how the brain creates memories. Another article in this magazine, "A Malignant Flame" by Gary Stix discusses how chronic inflammation may play a role in Alzheimer's disease and other disorders.

E. "When Does Your Brain Stop Making New Neurons?" by Sharon Begley (NEWSWEEK magazine, July 2-9, 2007) discusses the brain's ability to change over time.
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7. THE TREASURE TROVE OF BRAIN TRIVIA

A. Lithium, a metallic element used to treat bipolar disorder, was an ingredient in the original recipe for the lemon-lime soft drink 7UP. In fact, the first name for 7UP was "Bib-Label Lithiated Lemon-Lime Soda." (Source: Meyers, M.A., Happy Accidents. Serendipity in Modern Medical Breakthroughs, New York: Arcade Publishing, 2007.)

B. In 1938, Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist Otto Loewi was jailed by the Nazis in Austria. Only when he transferred his Nobel Prize money to a Nazi-controlled bank was he allowed to leave Austria. (Source: Meyers, M.A., Happy Accidents. Serendipity in Modern Medical Breakthroughs, New York: Arcade Publishing, 2007.)

C. Hammerhead sharks can detect one part per 25 million of blood in seawater. (Source: Schwab, I.R. and McComb, D.M., Keeping a cool head, British Journal of Ophthalmology, 91:138, 2007.)

D. In 1979, Anthony (Tony) Coelho became the first person with epilepsy to be elected to the U.S. House of Representatives.

E. Tsar Peter the Great (born, 1672; died, 1725) suffered from seizures that sometimes caused him to lose consciousness. (Source: Hughes, J.R., The seizures of Peter Alexeevich = Peter the Great, Father of Modern Russia, Epilepsy & Behavior, 10:179-182, 2007.)
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8. 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
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9. 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
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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)