NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS NEWSLETTER
Volume 16, Issue 3 (March, 2012)

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In this issue:

1. What's New at Neuroscience for Kids
2. Neuroscience for Kids Site of the Month
3. Neuroscience for Kids Writing Contest
4. Brain Awareness Week
5. Moon and Human Behavior Live Video Webcast
6. 2012 Neuro Film Festival
7. Neuroscience in India - Photos
8. Free Brain Health Fair in New Orleans
9. Media Alert
10. Treasure Trove of Brain Trivia
11. Support Neuroscience for Kids
12. 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 February including:

A. February Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/mar12.pdf
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/apr12.pdf

In February, 3 new figures were added and 68 pages were modified.
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2. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS "SITE OF THE MONTH"

The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for March is "Bruce Hood - What's in your head?" at: http://richannel.org/christmas-lectures-2011-bruce-hood--whats-in-your-head

Dr. Bruce Hood, a professor at the University of Bristol, gave a great presentation for the 2011 Royal Institution 2011 Christmas Lecture that you can view online. Dr. Hood's talk "What's in your head" is a good way to introduce neuroscience to students of all ages.

The presentation starts with a demonstration of how magnetic stimulation can affect brain function and then takes a tour of a brain scanning laboratory. Dr. Hood compares brain size of different animals to introduce basic neuroanatomy and has some interesting graphics to illustrate how neurons work. Guests to the program record neural activity from a locust and demonstrate how electrical activity from the brain is recorded from a person. Dr. Hood does a few more activities including the famous McGurk Effect, the Rubber Hand Illusion and the Ames Room to show how the brain tries to interpret the world.

The lecture is about one hour in length and I recommend that you watch the entire program.
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3. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS WRITING CONTEST - RESULTS

The 2012 NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS POETRY WRITING CONTEST is now closed and all winners have been sent their prizes. A total of 418 poems were entered from 26 states and 4 countries (USA, Canada, Indonesia and China). Thanks to everyone who participated. Here are some of the winning poems:

Keira J. (grade 1); poem sung to the tune of "Are you Sleeping":
Brains are awesome,
Brains are awesome,
They help you see.
They help you move.
They help you when you're talking.
They help you when you're reading.
Brains are cool!
Brains are cool!

Abhi D., (grade 4):
I know your amygdala can make you feel sad
Can make you feel angry
Can make you feel glad
Can make you feel evil, obnoxious or tense
Can make you feel joyful
Does all that make sense?

Morgan S., (grade 7):
A lightshow of thoughts,
Spinning axons, synapse sparks,
Planet in my skull.

Paul D., (adult), excerpt:
Our brains are filled with billions of neurons or nerve cells,
that create vast highways on which we tell,
different parts of the body to move and respond
To feel...to think...to sense the world of which we are fond.
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4. BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK

Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is this month! I hope you will participate at your own school or in your neighborhood. For more information about BAW, visit the Dana Alliance and Society for Neuroscience web sites at:

http://www.dana.org/brainweek/

and

http://www.sfn.org/BAW/

Show your BRAINY spirit for BAW:

http://www.neuro4kids.com
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5. MOON AND HUMAN BEHAVIOR LIVE VIDEO WEBCAST

Join me during a live video webcast when I will discuss the effects of the moon on human behavior. Does the Moon's phase effect violence or crime, depression or psychosis, the number of patients in emergency rooms, accidents, overdoses, or animal bites? Hear what the research says!

The webcast will take place on March 28th at 8pm (Eastern Time). See:

http://mymoonspace.com/p_chudler.cfm

The webcast is sponsored by MyMoon and funded by NASA's Science Mission Directorate.
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6. 2012 NEURO FILM FESTIVAL

Vote for your favorite video entry to the 2012 Neuro Film Festival. The contest is sponsored by the American Academy of Neurology Foundation to help raise awareness about brain research. Voting for the "Fan Favorite" video is open until March 8, 2012. See the entries and vote at:

http://patients.aan.com/go/about/neurofilmfestival
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7. NEUROSCIENCE IN INDIA - PHOTOS

Photos from my trip to India to teach a group of Tibetan Buddhist monks and nuns are available at:

https://picasaweb.google.com/echudler/SFMBangalore?authuser=0&feat=directlink
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8. FREE BRAIN HEALTH FAIR IN NEW ORLEANS

The American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Foundation is sponsoring a free brain health fair during the AAN annual meeting in New Orleans on Saturday, April 21, 2012, at the New Orleans Ernest N. Morial Convention Center. The family event connects patients, families, and caregivers affected by a neurologic disorder with important resources to win the battle against brain diseases.

The fair offers free classes about research advances in Alzheimer's disease, autism, brain injury, epilepsy, headache, multiple sclerosis, Parkinson's disease, sleep disorders, stroke and other types of brain disease, and fun activities for kids and teenagers.

Registration is now open:

http://patients.aan.com/go/activities/brainhealthfair
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9. MEDIA ALERT

A. Two interesting articles in the February, 2012, issue of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN: "Fetal Armor: How the Placenta Shapes Brain Development" by Claudia Kalb and "The Collision Syndrome" by Jeffrey Bartholet about football players diagnosed with Lou Gehrig's disease.

B. The cover story in the March, 2012, of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN is "The Neuroscience of Identity" with an article titled "What Makes Each Brain Unique" by Fred H. Gage and Alysson R. Muotri.

C. "The Art of Memory" by Oliver Uberti (NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC, March, 2012) describes a memory champion's method.

D. "Early Decision" by Bonnie Rochman (TIME magazine, February 27, 2012) discusses how prenatal testing may reduce the number of babies with Down syndrome.

E. A new issue of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN MIND is now on newsstands with the articles "Supertaskers and the Multitasking Brain" by David L. Strayer and Jason M. Watson, "A Mind in Danger" by Victoria Costello, "The Secrets of Self-Improvement" by Marina Krakovsky, "Sensational Senses: Immerse Yourself," "Edges of Perception" by Ariel Bleicher, "I Know How You Feel" by Janina Seubert and Christina Regenbogen and "Smells Like Old Times" by Maria Konnikova.

F. "Getting to No" by Jeffrey Kluger (TIME magazine, March 5, 2012) discusses the chemical and psychology of saying "no."
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10. THE TREASURE TROVE OF BRAIN TRIVIA

A. Cats cannot taste sweet flavors. (Source: Jef Akst, "Cat Cravings", The Scientist, January, 2012, p. 20.)

B. As of January 13, 2012, India has gone one year without a case of polio. (Source: Science, January 20, 2012, p. 268.)

C. Paedophryne amauenis, a newly discovered frog species found in an eastern New Guinea rainforest, is the world's smallest vertebrate (animal with a backbone). These adult frogs average 7.7 millimeters in length. (Source: Science, January 20, 2012, p. 269.)

D. March is National Brain Injury Awareness Month.

E. The Trinidad Moruga Scorpion chili pepper has replaced the Bhut Jolokia chili pepper as the world's hottest pepper.
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11. 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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12. 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)