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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 January including:
A. December Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news2901.html
B. New Neuroscience in the News
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/inthenews.html
C. 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 February is the "The History of Alzheimer's Disease" at:
https://www.nature.com/immersive/alzheimers-disease-history/index.html
Millions of people are affected by Alzheimer's disease, a neurodegenerative disorder that slowly affects memory and thinking. Although there are still many mysteries about Alzheimer's disease and we still do not have a cure for the disorder, progress is being made.
In this month's "Site of the Month," the publishers of the journal Nature take people on a journey through the major historical milestones of Alzheimer's disease research. The site is constructed as a timeline of significant events and their dates. To learn more about a particular research finding, click on an entry heading that will take you to a Nature article with more information.
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The 2025 Neuroscience for Kids Drawing Contest will close on February 1, 2025. Entries will be judged and the results will be announced in the March 2025 issue of this newsletter.
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This summer I will again direct the Young Scholars Program-REACH at the Center for Neurotechnology (University of Washington, Seattle, WA). This program is intended for high school students interested in neurotechnology and neuroscience. The one-week program will run in-person and virtually from July 14 to 18, 2025.
During the YSP-REACH program, students will receive an introduction to neuroscience and neural engineering, neuroethics, and the latest developments in brain-computer interfaces. The program is well suited for students interested in a science, math, technology and engineering, with a specific interest in neural engineering and neuroscience.
The application deadline for summer 2025 YSP-REACH program is March 15, 2025. For more information and an application form, see:
https://centerforneurotech.uw.edu/education/k-12/young-scholars-program-reach/
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Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is an international event to promote the public and personal benefits of brain research. The official week for the next BAW is next month, March 10-16, 2025.
Everyone can get involved with BAW. There is no official program or strategy you have to follow. Your event can be as simple as a display of brain-inspired artwork or a visit to a museum to learn about the brain. You could also invite a local neuroscientist to give a presentation.
Still can't think of anything to do for BAW? Then paint a rock with a brain or a neuron and add a few words such as "BAW 2025" or "Brain Awareness Week." Then put your brain rock outside and take a photo of your "Brain Rock" and upload your photo to my Brain Rock Padlet (see link below). To add your photo, click on the small + in the circle in the lower right side of the following web site:
https://padlet.com/chudler/the-brain-rocks-nyoasc2tfaiopl5z
For other BAW ideas, visit:
Dana Foundation: https://dana.org/brain-awareness-week/
Society for Neuroscience: https://www.sfn.org/outreach/brain-awareness-campaign
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A. "The Master Immune-system Controller in Our Brains," "Making Waves," "Mapping a Millimeter," and "Strangers in Sync" (DISCOVER magazine, January-February, 2025).
B. "Octopus Brains" is the cover story of the January-February 2025 issue of AUSTRALIAN GEOGRAPHIC.
C. "Brain Surgery Without a Knife" (AMERICAN SCIENTIST magazine, January-February, 2025).
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A. Composer Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart (1756-1791) likely had Tourette syndrome (Source: Chirchiglia, D., et al., When history meets neurology: Neurological diseases of famous people, Neuroscientist, 25:388-393, 2019.
B. Jazz musician Charles Mingus (1922-1979) was diagnosed with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's Disease) in 1977 (Source: Pearl, P.L., Neurological problems of jazz legends. J Child Neurol. 24:1037-1042, 2009).
C. The earliest known drawing of an insect (bee) brain was created by Johannes Swammerdam, a Dutch scientist, in the mid-1670s (Source: Strazzoni, A., The first illustration of an insect brain: Swammerdam on the honeybee (with an unedited autograph), Notes Rec. [2025], https://doi.org/10.1098/rsnr.2024.0028.
D. British playwright Nick Payne wrote a play titled "Incognito" with three main characters: H.M., the patient with anterograde amnesia; Thomas Harvey, the pathologist who removed Albert Einstein’s brain; a neuropsychologist.
E. "Oneirology" is the word for the scientific study of dreams.
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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.