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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 August including:
A. August Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news2708.html
B. New Neuroscience in the News
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/inthenews.html
C. Proprioception
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/proprio.html
D. Visit or follow my Instagram site with neuroscience facts and trivia:
https://www.instagram.com/ericchudler/
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The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for September "Brain Health: It's SPECtacular" at:
https://sites.krieger.jhu.edu/mnf/
"Brain Health: It's SPECtacular" is a free program for students in PreK through 5th grade aimed at fostering appreciation for science and the importance of the brain and nervous system in everyday life. The program consists of "stories" that explain how brain health is dependent on the interactions between the brain and Social, Physical, Emotional & Cognitive (SPEC) health. All of the stories are anchored in science, age-appropriate (curriculum standard aligned), and presented in a fun and informative way. Easy-to-use program materials offer teachers, parents, caregivers and youth program organizers the freedom to explore, engage with, and implement the content and materials of the program to best fit the needs of their students in a classroom or after-school setting. There is also a "self-administered" format that allows children to watch the story videos on their own.
The program was developed by Dr. Linda K. Gorman, a Johns Hopkins University neuroscientist, with support from Johns Hopkins University. She developed the Brain Health: It's SPECtacular program to help children understand how much our brain does for us in our everyday life and to teach them how to take care of their brains by focusing on the role the brain plays in Social, Physical, Emotional, and Cognitive (SPEC) health.
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Last month the United States Postal Service issued a set of 20 Forever stamps illustrating the work of scientists and researchers. The stamps are beautiful illustrations of different life science subjects. I think they are really works of art. See the stamps at:
You can find more examples of neuroscience on stamps on the Neuroscience for Kids web site at:
https://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/stamps/stamps.html
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Last month I spent two weeks working with about 25 high school students in the Neuroscience for Neurodiverse Learners program. Students learned about brain research and what to expect when they enter college. We also did many hands-on activities including a sheep brain dissection. I provided the students with several lectures including:
Brain Basics / Music and the Brain / The Senses / Memory and Learning / Neuroethics / Neuroscience and Neurotechnology Through the Lens of Hollywood
You can read more about the Neuroscience for Neurodiverse Learners program on the University of Washington Disabilities, Opportunities, Internetworking and Technology (DO-IT) web site and in an article published in "Seattle's Child" (August 21, 2023):
https://www.washington.edu/doit/programs/nnl
https://www.seattleschild.com/do-it-center-camp-for-neurodiverse-students/
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A. "Do Insects Have Feelings and Consciousness," "Sherlock of Sleep," "Hypnotizing the Gut" and "Embracing the Darkness" in DISCOVER magazine (September-October 2023).
B. "What Happens when People with Dementia Commit Crimes?," in SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN (September 2023).
C. "Your Body's Secret Superhighway" (vagus nerve) in NEW SCIENTIST, August 26, 2023.
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A. Elementary school children who eat a healthy diet show an increased time spent reading and have better reasoning skills (Source: Naveed, S., et al., Effects of 2-year dietary and physical activity intervention on cognition in children -- a nonrandomized controlled trial. Scandinavian Journal of Medicine & Science in Sports, 2023; DOI: 10.1111/sms.14464).
B. Cold temperatures activate brain circuits in the thalamus that make mammals want to eat more (Source: Lal, N.K., et al., Xiphoid nucleus of the midline thalamus controls cold-induced food seeking. Nature, 2023; DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06430-9).
C. Older adults (aged 60-81 years old) who play digital puzzle games have similar memory and concentration.abilities as younger adults (aged 18-30 years old) (Source: Cutting, J., et al., Higher working memory capacity and distraction-resistance associated with strategy (not action) game playing in younger adults, but puzzle game playing in older adults. Heliyon, 2023; 9 (8): e19098 DOI: 10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19098).
D. People who play tackle football may have an increased risk of developing Parkinson's disease (Source, Bruce, H.J., American football play and Parkinson disease among men. JAMA Network Open, 2023; 6 (8): e2328644 DOI: 10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2023.28644).
E. Laboratory tests show that chemical compounds in espresso coffee can inhibit tau protein aggregation, a process that may be involved with Alzheimer's disease (Source: Tira, R., et al., Espresso coffee mitigates the aggregation and condensation of Alzheimer'ēs associated tau protein. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 2023; DOI: 10.1021/acs.jafc.3c01072).
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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.