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Welcome to the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter.
In this issue:
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Neuroscience for Kids had several new additions in July including:
A. July Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news2207.html
B. Neuroscience in the News
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/inthenews.html
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The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for August is "Concussions: A century of controversy and research" at:
http://www.scienceintheclassroom.org/collections/concussions-century-controversy-and-research
"Science in the Classroom (SitC)" was developed by the American Association for the Advancement of Science to help teachers and students understand scientific research. In this month's Site of the Month, SitC presents research about the prevention and diagnosis of concussions. The site contains several teaching guides, summaries, and links to articles about sports-related concussions and blast injuries.
The risks associated with football have been known for more than 100 years and the web site does a good job reporting on early attempts to reform the game to make it safer. A grainy, black and white video of the 1903 Princeton vs. Yale football game that was filmed by Thomas Edison shows how the game was played many years ago. An additional discussion about more recent efforts to make football and other sports safer would make the web site even more useful.
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It's great to hear about summer camps that focus on science, especially neuroscience. Last month, I participated in two summer camp programs to get young people interested in brain research.
The first camp I worked with was the YSP-REACH program sponsored by the Center for Sensorimotor Neural Engineering (CSNE). In this 5-day camp, high school students were introduced to the fields of neuroscience, neural engineering, and neuroethics. During REACH camp, the students attended lectures, worked with hands-on activities and toured CSNE partner labs on the University of Washington Seattle Campus. In addition to speaking to the students about basic neuroscientific concepts, I taught a sheep brain dissection class where the students learned neuroanatomy.
The INSIGHT High School Program, sponsored by the University of Washington Harborview Injury Prevention and Research Center, was the second summer camp where I taught neuroscience. This 4-week camp introduces students to public health, biomedical research and medicine. In addition to providing lectures about the brain, I taught the sheep brain dissection class and also a SpikerBox workshop. During the SpikerBox workshop, students were able to see and hear action potentials from a cockroach leg nerve and use electrical stimulation to make the cockroach leg move.
For more information about these programs, see:
CSNE YSP-REACH:
http://www.csne-erc.org/content/young-scholars-program
INSIGHT High School Program:
http://depts.washington.edu/hiprc/education/insight-hs/
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Getting bit by a cobra is not something you would expect to happen in Michigan. But last month, the Detroit Free Press reported that this is exactly what happened when a man was bitten by his pet albino monocle cobra. Initially, the toxin from the snake caused the man to become nauseous and he was treated at a local hospital. Later, the toxin affected the man's ability to breathe and he had to be airlifted to another larger hospital for treatment. Eventually, doctors were able to obtain antivenom to counteract the effects of the neurotoxin.
Cobra venom blocks receptors for the neurotransmitter acetylcholine. When acetylcholine receptors are blocked, acetylcholine cannot do its job and people can suffer from muscle weakness and respiratory failure. With respiratory support and appropriate antivenom, a person who is bitten by a cobra can make a full recovery.
I don't know about you, but I'll stick to more ordinary pets such as dogs and fish.
Reference: Zaniewski, A., Bite from exotic snake sparks multistate scramble for antivenom, Detroit Free Press, Published July 30, 2018, Updated, July 31, 2018.
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A. The cover story of the August 2018 issue of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN is "The Seventh Sense." The article discusses how the immune system helps the brain monitor microbes in the body.
B. The cover story of the August 2018 issue of NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC is "Sleep. Inside the new science of slumber."
C. "In Search of Your Inner Bat" by Michael S.A. Graziano (AMERICAN SCIENTIST, July-August 2018).
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A. Spider can detect electrical fields in the atmosphere. (Source: Morley, E.L and Robert, D., Electrical fields elicit ballooning in spiders, Current Biology, published online on July 5, 2018, DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2018.05.057.
B. Plants belonging to the genus Fittonia are also known as nerve plants.
C. Greek philosopher Aristotle wrote "On Sleep and Sleeplessness" around 350 B.C.E. to explain why we sleep.
D. Last month, actor Alan Alda (M*A*S*H and West Wing) revealed that he has Parkinson's disease and that he was diagnosed in 2015.
E. "Inemuri" is the Japanese word that means "sleeping while present"; this is a form of napping in a place not meant for sleep (Source: National Geographic magazine, August, 2018.)
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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)