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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 June including:
A. June Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news3006.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 July is "Brain Function Cards" at:
https://parisbraininstitute.org/brain-function-cards
The Paris Brain Institute was created to research the brain and nervous system, develop treatments for neurological disease, teach the next generation of neuroscientists and inform the public about new developments in brain research. As part of their education and outreach program, the institute has developed a series of "Brain Function Cards" to highlight specific area of study at the institute.
Currently there are eight cards about attention, consciousness, creativity, memory, motivation, motor skills, social interactions and understanding the brain. Each card describes a function and how the institute is researching the topic. At the end of some cards, additional news articles are linked with more information. If you have time, explore more of the Paris Brain Institute website, especially the "Resources" link with information about the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of neurological disease.
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Now that summer has arrived in the northern hemisphere, many places are experiencing some very high temperatures. With more hot days ahead it is important to remember to keep cool and avoid overheating. Heatstroke is a dangerous type of heat-related illness and can occur when a person's body temperature goes above 40 degrees C (104 degrees F). The increase in body temperature can damage parts of the brain including the cerebellum, hippocampus, midbrain and thalamus. Symptoms of heatstroke include confusion, seizures, sweating changes, nausea, rapid breathing, increased heart rate and headache.
The good news is that heatstroke can be prevented by drinking plenty of fluids, wearing sunscreen and lightweight clothing, and avoiding the hottest time of day. Also, never leave anyone, especially children, in a parked car where temperatures can climb to dangerous levels quickly.
References:
Yoneda, K., et al., How can heatstroke damage the brain? A mini review, Front Neurosci., 2024 Oct 10;18:1437216. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1437216.
Cleveland Clinic: https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/21812-heatstroke
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Some of the basic principles about how our nervous system works appear during everyday life. I recently had a helpful reminder about one principle when I took a hot baking dish out of the oven. After I placed the dish on the counter to cool, I brushed the rim of the dish with my hand. However, my hand moved quickly away from the dish and I did not feel any pain or burn myself. After a sigh of relief, I thought to myself: "My nervous system saves me again!" The reason my response was so fast is a built in protective reflex mechanism. When you touch something that might cause an injury, a signal is sent from the source of the potential harm to the spinal cord. The spinal cord then sends a signal back to a muscle to move away from the danger. This happens even before a pain message gets to the brain.
Some reflex experiments and demonstrations:
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chreflex.html__________________________________________________________
A. Several young neuroscientists are profiled in the July/August 2026 issue of SCIENTIFIC AMERICAN.
B. "Choice Signals" by Sarah Scoles (MIT TECHNOLOGY REVIEW, May/Jun 2026).
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A. The word "brain" appears only once in the 1818 book "Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus" by Mary Shelley.
B. Last month, Christine Holt, Kelsey Martin, Erin Schuman and Oswald Steward received the 2026 Kavli Prize in Neuroscience "for the discovery of local protein translation in neurons and establishing its importance for brain development and plasticity." These neuroscientists will share the $1,000,000 award (Source: https://tinyurl.com/8bez8pr7).
C. Claude Lemieux (1965-2026), a National Hockey League player for 21 years, will have his brain donated for chronic traumatic encephalopathy brain research.
D. Dogs are able to use their sense of smell to detect powdery mildew on grape leaves; this ability may help grape growers protect their vineyards (Source: Aviles-Rosa, E.O., et al., Dogs can detect powdery mildew (Erysiphe necator) in grapevine (Vitis vinifera) leaves, J. Veterinary Behavior, 77:19-29, 2025).
E. Octopuses can learn to use a mirror to find hidden food (Source: Kieseler, M. et al., Octopus bimaculoides can learn to utilize a mirror to localize a reward outside the line of sight. Current Biology, 2026; DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2026.05.012).
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Summer break starts this month for many people. If your email address will change and you would still like to receive this newsletter, please let me know your new email address (chudler@uw.edu).
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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.