NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS NEWSLETTER
Volume 28, Issue 9 (September, 2024)

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Welcome to the Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter.

In this issue:

  1. What's New at Neuroscience for Kids
  2. Neuroscience for Kids Site of the Month
  3. Book Review
  4. Brain Awareness Video Contest: People's Choice 2024
  5. Media Alert
  6. Treasure Trove of Brain Trivia
  7. Support Neuroscience for Kids
  8. 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 August including:

A. August Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news2808.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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2. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS "SITE OF THE MONTH"

The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for September is the "American Brain Foundation" at:

https://www.americanbrainfoundation.org/

The American Brain Foundation was established to research, prevent, treat and cure diseases and disorders of the brain. The American Brain Foundation provides researchers with funding to support their work and hosts events that discuss the latest developments in the field.

The web site of the American Brain Foundation is a great place to learn about neurological disease. In the "Brain Diseases from A-Z" section of the foundation's web site, you will find descriptions of the symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and research efforts of many different neurological conditions. I especially recommend that you browse through the section of the web site titled "Personal Stories" where you will find articles about people who have been affected by brain diseases

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3. BOOK REVIEW

It is never too early to learn your "A, B, Cs." And it is never too early to learn about the brain and nervous system. So, why not learn about these at the same time? This is exactly what neuroscientist Dr. Shayna A. Wrighten has done with her book From Axon to Zebrafish...The ABCs of Neuroscience.

As a professor in the Department of Biology at Francis Marion University, Dr. Wrighten teaches human physiology and neuroscience to undergraduate students. With From Axon to Zebrafish...The ABCs of Neuroscience, Dr. Wrighten has brought the wonder of the brain to a new audience: young children and their caregivers. I asked Dr. Wrighten why she wrote From Axon to Zebrafish...The ABCs of Neuroscience and here is what she said:

"I wrote From Axon to Zebrafish...The ABCs of Neuroscience to show children, and their caregivers, that neuroscience is fun, relevant, and can be understood by anyone. Science books for children are becoming more popular, but there seems to be a lack of these books in the area of neuroscience and I want to help fill that gap. As a neuroscientist, writer, and mother of young children, this book allowed me to combine various aspects of my life to produce something fun that I could share with my, and other, children. I hope that From Axon to Zebrafish...The ABCs of Neuroscience will spark curiosity and appreciation for neuroscience in young children around the world."

You can find Dr. Wrighten’s book on her Little Sapiens website: http://www.little-sapiens.com.

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4. BRAIN AWARENESS VIDEO CONTEST: PEOPLES CHOICE 2024

There is still time to vote in the Brain Awareness Video Contest. Just visit the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) YouTube channel and “like” your favorite video. The video that receives the most likes will be the winner. Voting closes at noon (EST) on September 15, 2024. For more information and a link to the SfN YouTube channel, visit:

https://www.brainfacts.org/for-educators/programs-and-events/brain-awareness-video-contest-peoples-choice-2024-081524

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5. MEDIA ALERT

A. "Treating the Side Effects" (AMERICAN SCIENTIST, September-October, 2024).

B. "Perfume or Noxious Fume?" (AMERICAN SCIENTIST, September-October, 2024).

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6. THE TREASURE TROVE OF BRAIN TRIVIA

A. There are a total of 439 pediatric neurosurgeons in the continental US (Source: Farivar, D., et al., Geographic access to pediatric neurosurgeons in the USA: an analysis of sociodemographic factors, Childs Nerv. Syst., 40:905-912, 2024).

B. Gabby Thomas, who won the gold medal in the women's 200 meter race at the 2024 Paris Olympics, earned her undergraduate degree in neurobiology from Harvard University in 2019 (Source: https://tinyurl.com/2hdfrbv8).

C. The National Football League will allow players to wear Guardian Caps to protect against concussions during the upcoming regular season (Source: https://tinyurl.com/452un9ns).

D. A device implanted into the brain that monitors and stimulates the brain may help treat patients with Parkinson's disease (Source: Oehrn, C.R. et al., Chronic adaptive deep brain stimulation versus conventional stimulation in Parkinson's disease: a blinded randomized feasibility trial. Nature Medicine, 2024; DOI: 10.1038/s41591-024-03196-z).

E. "Earworms" are the types of songs that get stuck in your head.

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7. SUPPORT NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS

To ensure that Neuroscience for Kids stays available, we need your help. All contributions to Neuroscience for Kids are tax deductible (subject to IRS regulations). If you would like to donate to Neuroscience for Kids, please visit:

Help Neuroscience for Kids

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8. 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)