NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS NEWSLETTER
Volume 14, Issue 12 (December, 2010)

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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. Neuroscience for Kids Drawing Contest - Now Open
4. 2011 University of Washington Brain Awareness Week Open House
5. Summer Research Opportunity for High School Students
6. Society for Neuroscience Meeting
7. NEURO4KIDS
8. Media Alert
9. Treasure Trove of Brain Trivia
10. Support Neuroscience for Kids
11. 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 November including:

A. November Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news1411.html
B. Treasure Hunt #10
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/hunt10.html
C. FDA Warning About Caffeine-Alcohol Drinks
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/cafal.html
D. January, February 2011 Neurocalendars
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/jan11.pdf
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/feb11.pdf

In November, 4 new figures were added and 45 pages were modified.
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2. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS "SITE OF THE MONTH"

The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for December is "NOVA | Body & Brain" at: http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/body/

The "NOVA | Body & Brain" site is a subsection of the larger NOVA web site with articles, slide shows, videos about the life and health sciences, including the neuroscience. A video currently featured on the site is titled "Autism Genes" and discusses new research about genetic factors that might be responsible for autism. Also included is a short slide show with some excellent information and photos that describe how traumatic brain injury is diagnosed. I strongly suggest that you read the interview with Dr. Alfredo Quinones-Hinojosa that tells his story of becoming a brain surgeon.

When you finish with all of the material on the NOVA web site, read some of the suggested "NEWS" "LINKS" and "BOOKS" (right side of page) for more information.
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3. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS DRAWING CONTEST - NOW OPEN

Get out your pencils, pens and markers! The NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS DRAWING CONTEST is now open to students in kindergarten through high school. This year, TEACHERS and PARENTS can enter too! Use your imagination to draw a picture about the brain and you might win a prize. The complete set of rules and the official entry form for the contest are available at:

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/contest11.html
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4. 2011 UNIVERSITY OF WASHINGTON BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK OPEN HOUSE

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is a yearly event to promote the public and personal benefits of brain research. As part of international BAW at the University of Washington, you are invited to an Open House on Tuesday, March 1, 2011. Additional information and a registration form are available at:

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/baw.html
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5. SUMMER RESEARCH OPPORTUNITY FOR HIGH SCHOOL STUDENTS

Are you a high school student interested in gaining research experience? If you are, then you might want to apply to the Science & Engineering Apprenticeship Program (SEAP) offered by the Office of Naval Research. The eight-week summer program places students in labs around the country and pays these students $3,075 for their work. Visit the SEAP Web site to find out more about the program, to determine if you qualify, to read descriptions of participating labs, and to apply to the program:

http://seap.asee.org/

Applications are due in early January, 2011, so you need to get started with your application now!
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6. SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE MEETING

More than 30,000 neuroscientists arrived in sunny San Diego last month for the 2010 Society for Neuroscience meeting. I was able to join this group to hear about the newest research and present some of my own work. The meeting started on November 13 with a presentation by actress Glenn Close. Ms. Close talked about how mental illness has affected her family and ways that she is trying to reduce stigma attached to mental illness. On November 15, congressman Patrick J. Kennedy (Rhode Island) spoke about the importance of brain research. You can see videos of both of these presentations on the Society for Neuroscience Web site at:

http://www.sfn.org/index.aspx?pagename=am2010_highlights

The 2011 Society for Neuroscience meeting will be held in Washington, D.C. from November 12 to November 16.
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7. NEURO4KIDS

Neuroscientific mugs, cards, t-shirts, calendars and more! Perfect holiday and birthday gifts for your brainy friends and family. Visit NEURO4KIDS.COM at:

http://www.neuro4kids.com
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8. MEDIA ALERT

A. A new issue of Scientific American MIND is on newsstands now with articles including "Mind Over Magic" about how magicians use neuroscience to trick us.

B. The cover story of TIME magazine (November 22, 2010) discusses the issue of medical marijuana in the United States. This same issue has an article "Bringing Dogs to Heal" by Mark Thompson that discusses the use of dogs to help people with posttraumatic stress disorder.

C. "The Warrior's Brain" by Andrew Bast (NEWSWEEK magazine, November 22, 2010) discusses battlefield brain injuries.

D. "Hallucinogens as Medicine" by Roland R. Griffiths and Charles S. Grob (Scientific American Magazine, December 2010).

E. The cover story of PARADE magazine (November 28, 2010) is titled "Inside the Teenage Brain" by Judith Newman.
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9. THE TREASURE TROVE OF BRAIN TRIVIA

A. 9.5% of children (ages 4-17 years; 5.4 million children) in the United States have been diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD). (Source: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report (MMWR), Increasing Prevalence of Parent-Reported Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder Among Children --- United States, 2003 and 2007, November 12, 2010 59(44);1439-1443)

B. 16.5% of all fatal car accidents in the US involve a drowsy driver. (Source: TIME magazine, November 22, 2010, page 21)

C. The part of the brain known as the substantia nigra gets its name from Latin meaning "black substance."

D. Between 1999 and 2009, 24 new species of poison dart frogs were identified in the Amazon rainforest. (Source: Amazon Alive: A Decade of Discoveries 1999-2009)

E. The US government spends up to $20 billion each year to reduce illegal drug use. This includes costs associated with crop eradicationprojects and public education campaigns. (Source: Reuter, P. (ed), Understanding the Demand for Illegal Drugs, Washington, D.C.: National Research Council, 2010.)
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10. SUPPORT NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS

To ensure that Neuroscience for Kids stays available, we need your help. All contributions to Neuroscience for Kids are tax deductible (subject to IRS regulations). If you would like to donate to Neuroscience for Kids, please visit:

Help Neuroscience for Kids
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11. 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)