NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS NEWSLETTER
Volume 12, Issue 6 (June, 2008)

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Welcome to the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter.

Here is what you will find in this issue:

1. What's New at Neuroscience for Kids
2. Neuroscience for Kids Site of the Month
3. Senator Edward Kennedy has Brain Tumor
4. Addiction Science Award for Students at International Science Fair
5. Pauletta and Denzel Washington Family Gifted Scholars Program
6. Illusion of the Year Contest
7. Expressions of Courage Art Contest
8. Media Alert
9. Treasure Trove of Brain Trivia
10. Summer E-mail Changes
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 May including:

A. May Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news125.html
B. Brainy Sudoku Puzzles (with answers)
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/S1.pdf
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/S1a.pdf
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/S2.pdf
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/S2a.pdf
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/S3.pdf
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/S3a.pdf
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/S4.pdf
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/S4a.pdf
C. July and August 2008 Neurocalendars
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/july08.pdf
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/pdf/aug08.pdf
D. Mountain Climbing: Hazardous To Your Brain?
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/mount.html
E. Stroke Awareness: Just Learn It!
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/slearn.html
F. Brain Scans Make Data More Believable
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/brainp.html

In May, 18 new figures were added and 59 pages were modified.
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2. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS "SITE OF THE MONTH"

The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for June is "NeuroEd" at:

http://www.perpich.com/neuroed/

NeuroEd, developed by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, is a collection of materials for high school students and teachers who are interested in neuroscience. The materials are divided into two main sections:

A. Modules: information about addiction, brain tumors, depression, neurological injuries and Parkinson's disease.

B. Enrichment Materials: biographies, ethical issues, literary offerings, additional resources.

Each section has articles and a few videos from different Dana publications. The site suggests that NeuroEd materials should be used in seminar-style classes or to supplement advanced placement neurobiology classes. Although it appears that the site has not been updated since 2004, there are still many useful materials.
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3. SENATOR EDWARD KENNEDY HAS BRAIN TUMOR

Last month, US Senator Edward M. Kennedy suffered a seizure and was taken to a hospital in Boston. Tests revealed that Sen. Kennedy has a malignant brain tumor (a glioma) located in his left parietal lobe. The exact location and size of the tumor will determine the risks to the senator's health. For more information about brain tumors, including treatment options, see: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/tutorials/braincancer/htm/index.htm

http://www.abta.org/
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4. ADDICTION SCIENCE AWARD FOR STUDENTS AT INTERNATIONAL SCIENCE FAIR

The National Institute on Drug Abuse sponsored the first addiction science award for high school students at the 2008 Intel International Science and Engineering Fair (ISEF). Prizes of $2,500 (first place), $1,500 (second place) and $1,000 (third) were awarded to three students. For more about this new award and the ISEF, see:

http://www.drugabuse.gov/sciencefair/

http://www.nih.gov/news/health/may2008/nida-08.htm

http://www.societyforscience.org/isef/
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5. PAULETTA AND DENZEL WASHINGTON FAMILY GIFTED SCHOLARS PROGRAM

Academy Award-winning actor Denzel Washington and his wife Pauletta have established the Pauletta and Denzel Washington Family Gifted Scholars Program in neuroscience for undergraduate, graduate and medical students. The program provides students with the opportunity to work in the research laboratory of Dr. Keith L. Black, a neurosurgeon at Cedars-Sinai Hospital in Los Angeles. One undergraduate student will receive $2,000/month and one graduate or medical student will receive $2,500/month during a summer fellowship in Dr. Black's laboratory.

The Washington family is to be congratulated for its support of young neuroscientists. This is a great opportunity for students to experience a laboratory environment and to learn how research is conducted.
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6. ILLUSION OF THE YEAR CONTEST

Check out the best visual illusions of the year at:

http://illusioncontest.neuralcorrelate.com/
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7. EXPRESSIONS OF COURAGE ART CONTEST

The Ortho-McNeil Neurologics company is sponsoring the "Exprsssions of Courage Art Contest." The contest is open to anyone who has been diagnosed with epilepsy. The artwork should reflect how people "feel about hope, strength, courage and freedom." Entries must be received by July 16, 2008.
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8. MEDIA ALERT

A. Several people associated with neuroscience were included in the 2008 TIME 100, a list of the World's Most Influential People as selected by TIME magazine (May 12, 2008):

Jill Bolte Taylor: neuroscientist who suffered a stroke and has written a book about her experience and recovery.

Paul Allen: Microsoft co-founder who established the Allen Institute for Brain Science

Nicholas Schiff: neurosurgeon who is pioneering the use of deep brain stimulation to help people with neurological disorders.

Shinya Yamanaka & James Thomson: scientists who are investigating ways that adult human cells can be used to form new tissues in the human body.

Bob & Suzanne Wright: family who established "Autism Speaks," an organization to raise awareness and to support research about autism.

B. Scientific American (Scientific American Reports, May 2008) has a new special issue titled "105 Mind-Bending Illusions Highlights." The magazine also has several articles about illusions and visual perception.

C. "Mental Mirrors" by Marco Iacoboni (Natural History, May, 2008) describes how the brain's mirror neurons copy the actions of the outside world.

D. "Forgetting is the New Normal" by Sue Halpern (Time magazine, May 19, 2008) discusses memory.

E. "Growing Up Bipolar" by Mary Carmichael is the cover story of Newsweek magazine (May 26, 2008).

F. "The Neurobiology of Trust" by Paul J. Zak (Scientific American, June, 2008).

G. "Could an Acid Trip Cure Your OCD?" by Linda Marsa (Discover magazine, June, 2008) discusses the potential use of psychoactive drugs to treat mental disorders.

H. The new issue of Scientific American Mind (June, 2008) has articles about creativity, split-brain experiments, and the genetics of mental illness.

I. The cover story in the June 2, 2008, issue of Time magazine is titled "The Truth About Vaccines" by Alice Park. The article discusses the risks of declining childhood vaccines and the possible relationship between vaccines and autism. This issue of Time also discusses brain cancer in the story "Battling Brain Cancer" by Sanjay Gupta, M.D.
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9. THE TREASURE TROVE OF BRAIN TRIVIA

A. Magician David Blaine will attempt to go without sleep for 1,000,000 seconds (approximately 11.57 days or 278 hours). The most often cited record for the longest time without sleep is 264 hours, set by Randy Gardner in 1965. (Source: Time magazine, May 19, 2008.)

B. Physicians have the highest suicide rate of any profession. (Source: Time magazine, April 28, 2008, page 16.)

C. In 1927, Julius von Wagner-Jauregg was the first psychiatrist to win the Nobel Prize.

D. St. Hubert is the patron saint of rabies victims.

E. Famous people who suffered from insomina: W.C. Fields (actor), Alexandre Dumas (writer), Judy Garland (actress), Theodore Roosevelt (US president), Groucho Marx (comedian), Mark Twain (author). (Source: Wallechinsky, D. and Wallace, A., The New Book of Lists, New York: Canongate, 2005.)

E. Serious mental illness costs the United States at least $193 billion each year in lost earnings. (Source: Kessler, R.C., et al., Individual and Societal Effects of Mental Disorders on Earnings in the United States: Results From the National Comorbidity Survey Replication Am. J. Psychiatry, first published on May 7, 2008.)
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10. SUMMER E-MAIL CHANGES

Will you be away from school or work and unable to read your e-mail during the summer? Will you be changing e-mail addresses when school starts in August or September? Do you still want to receive the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter? If you will not be able to receive e-mail over the summer or if you will be changing your email address, make sure that you let me know (e-mail: chudler@u.washington.edu) where to send the newsletter. If my e-mail to you bounces back to me because it could not be delivered, your e-mail address will be removed from the mailing list. If this happens to you, just send me an e-mail to resubscribe. Have a good summer!
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11. SUPPORT NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS

To insure that Neuroscience for Kids stays available, we need your help. If you would like to contribute to the funding of 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)