NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS NEWSLETTER
Volume 9, Issue 7 (July, 2005)

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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. Reader Response
4. Hot Weather Ahead
5. Opportunities for K-12 Teachers
6. Attend the 2005 Society for Neuroscience Meeting in Washington, D.C.
7. Media Alert
8. Treasure Trove of Brain Trivia
9. Support Neuroscience for Kids
10. 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 June including:

A. June Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter was archived
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/news96.html
B. To Spray or Not to Spray?
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/spray.html
C. Noisy Airplanes Affect Learning
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/noise.html
D. Red Tide Kills Dolphins and Manatees
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/redtide.html

In June, 22 new figures were added and 106 pages were modified.

A newsletter asked me why I mention how many new figures were added and how many pages were modified on the Neuroscience for Kids web site. I answered that this information lets people know that the web site is always changing. New illustrations, photographs and projects are added to the web site each month. For example, a new activity ("Baked Brains/Baked Neurons") was added to the "Modeling the Nervous System" page at:

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/chmodel.html#baked

New bookmarks and electronic puzzle postcards were also added recently:

http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/works.html
http://faculty.washington.edu/chudler/jpuz.html
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2. NEUROSCIENCE FOR KIDS "SITE OF THE MONTH"

The Neuroscience for Kids "Site of the Month" for July is "Neuroanatomy Lab Resource Appendices" at:

http://isc.temple.edu/neuroanatomy/lab/index.htm

The Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology at Temple University School of Medicine has modified the "Neuroanatomy Laboratory Assistant (c) CD-ROM" and displayed the results on their web site. This collection of images, quizzes and videos is an incredible resource. Most of the material on the site is intended for medical and graduate students, but there is something for everyone.

The "Atlases/Images" section reviews the major structures of the human brain. Photographs, CAT scans and MRI images are used to illustrate areas of the brain, nerves and blood vessels. The "Neuroembryology" section describes how the nervous system develops. Try the "Interactive Quizzes" to test your knowledge of neuroanatomy. Beware! These quizzes are difficult. My favorite part of the web site is the "Neurological Exam." Within the Neurological Exam section, select "Videos" to see how a neurologist tests a patient for sensory, motor and mental abilities.
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3. READER RESPONSE

Many Neuroscience for Kids Newsletter readers have sent me email to express their concern that funding for Neuroscience for Kids is coming to an end. Some readers sent the names of foundations or companies that might be interested in supporting Neuroscience for Kids in its mission to educate the public about the brain. Other people were concerned that small donations would not really make a difference. I reminded these people that there is power in numbers. If only a small number of newsletter readers and web site users sent in small contributions, then Neuroscience for Kids would live on. One young reader who wants to become a neurologist pledged to hold a three-day lemonade and bake sale to help Neuroscience for Kids! I appreciate all of the letters of support and look forward to hearing from more newsletter readers.
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4. HOT WEATHER AHEAD

Summer is finally here in the Northern Hemisphere! Time to get outside and enjoy the warm sun. Let's not forget that the warm weather brings some risks, especially to young kids. Each year, young children die because they are left in cars with closed windows. When the temperature inside the car rises, the ability of the body to regulate body temperature can be damaged. When this happens, a person may lose the ability to sweat and the body will be unable to cool itself. This is heat stroke!

In the United States between 1995 and 2002, 171 children under the age of 5 years died because they were left in hot cars. Some (27%) of these children got into the cars when they were playing, but most of the children were left in cars by adults on purpose or by adults who forgot about them. Some parents left their kids in the car because they did not want to wake the child and did not think the car would get too hot.

Researchers at the Education Development Center (Newton, MA) suggest several ways to prevent heat-related deaths to children in cars:

A. Keep cars locked when they are not being used.

B. Educate people (parents, babysitters and caregivers) about the dangers of warm weather and cars.

C. Add parking lot patrols to look for kids in cars.

D. Design technology to reduce the chance that kids will be left inside cars and to prevent young children from entering cars.

E. Pass laws to hold adults responsible for leaving kids in cars.

Did you know?

* Body temperature is controlled by an area of the brain called the "hypothalamus." The hypothalamus has connections to the autonomic nervous system and can alter heat balance by affecting blood vessels in the skin that cause sweating. To cool the body, the hypothalamus sends messages to the body to make blood vessels near the skin surface larger. This helps heat escape from the body. The evaporation of sweat also cools the body. In hot weather, our brain also tells us to find a cooler place or to take off a piece of clothing.

* Pets should never be left in hot cars! They can also suffer from heat stroke.

Reference and further information:

Guard, A. and Gallagher, S.S., Heat related deaths to young children in parked cars: an analysis of 171 fatalities in the United States, 1995-2002, Injury Prevention, 11:33-37, 2005.

Kids In Cars

Hyperthermia Deaths of Children in Vehicles
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5. OPPORTUNITIES FOR K-12 TEACHERS

A. Distance Learning Course

If you are a teacher who wants to learn more about the brain, then you may be interested in "Brain Research in Education" (BRE), an Internet-based program from the University of Washington Extension. BRE is a series of three courses: 1) Brain Basics (October 4 - December 16, 2005); 2) Brain Research Processes (January 10, 2005 - March 24, 2006) and 3) Brain Research in Educational Curricula (April 4 - June 16, 2006). Teachers earn four Continuing Education Units (CEUs) or 40 clock-hours and a University of Washington Certificate of Achievement when they complete the courses.

B. Teachers of Psychology in Secondary Schools (TOPSS) Workshop

On August 17, 2005, I will be making a presentation in Washington, D.C. at a workshop sponsored by the TOPSS division of the American Psychological Association. The workshop is titled "Neuroscience and Research in the High School Classroom." Registration information and description of the workshop are available at:

http://www.apa.org/ed/topss/topss_preconpro.html
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6. ATTEND THE 2005 SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE MEETING IN WASHINGTON, D.C.

The annual Society for Neuroscience (SfN) meeting will take place in Washington, D.C., between November 12 and November 16. Although approximately 30,000 neuroscientists will be at the meeting, there will also be some activities for K-12 teachers. Teachers and neuroscientists who have partnered together are encouraged to apply for the Neuroscientist-Teacher Partner Travel Award. These partners will attend the Planning Workshop for Neuroscience Education Partnerships at the annual meeting. Award winners will receive complimentary registration, a $1,000 stipend for the teacher, and one night's hotel for the neuroscientist.

If you go the meeting, make sure you attend the Brain Awareness Campaign Meeting (November 13) and the presentation of the 2005 Science Educator Award (November 14). Also, browse the many posters in the Teaching of Neuroscience session.
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7. MEDIA ALERT

A. "New Hope for Addicts?" by Temma Ehrenfeld (Newsweek magazine, June 13, 2005) describes how an epilepsy drug may help alcoholics.

B. "Your Brain on Video Games" by Steven Johnson and "Extreme States" by Steven Kotler are both in the July 2005 issue of Discover magazine. "Extreme States" discusses how the brain may be involved with out-of-body experiences.

C. "Stem Cells. How Far Will We Go?" by Rick Weiss (National Geographic magazine, July, 2005) discusses the possibilities and controversies involved with stem cell research.

D. "A Little Bit Louder, Please" by David Noonan was the cover story in Newsweek magazine, June 6, 2005. This article discusses hearing loss and ways to protect hearing.

E. The Summer 2005 Newsweek issue, titled "Your Health in the 21st Century," features many articles on health, including "Seven Ways to Save a Brain," about Alzheimer's disease and "Managing Every Shade of Blue," about depression.

F. The July 2005 issue of Scientific American has the articles "Training the Brain" by Gunjan Sinha about using cognitive therapy to treat ADHD and "New Movement in Parkinson's" By Andres M. Lozano and Suneil K. Kalia about new treatments for Parkinson's disease.

G. "A Very Precious Gift of Time" by Josh Fischman (US News and World Report, July 4, 2005) discusses how Alzheimer's patients can benefit from an early diagnosis.

H. "The Marine Mammal Brain Game" by Melissa Demetrikopoulos, Lee G. Morris, Archibald J. Fobbs Jr., and John I. Johnson (The Science Teacher, Summer Issue, 72:24-29, 2005) describes a comparative neuroanatomy, physiology and behavior game for middle and high school students.
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8. THE TREASURE TROVE OF BRAIN TRIVIA

A. In the United States, July 4th is the day of the year with the most motor vehicle crash deaths--41% of these deaths involved a driver who had been drinking alcohol and had a high blood alcohol content. (Source: Farmer, C.M. and Williams, A.F., Temporal factors in motor vehicle crash deaths, Injury Prevention, 11:18-23, 2005.)

B. In 2003, there were 871,535 physicians in the United States. Of these doctors, 5,140 were neurosurgeons, 13,293 were neurologists, and 40,334 were psychiatrists. (Source: Pasko, T. and Smart, D.R. Physician Characteristics and Distribution in the US. 2005 edition, Chicago: AMA Press, 2005.)

C. In 1895, Wilhelm Konrad Roentgen discovered X-rays. He used the "X" in X-ray because he did not know how his discovery worked.

D. In 1998, the US government required breads and grains sold in the US to be fortified with folic acid. Since then, the number of children at risk for birth defects (such as neural tube defects) caused by folic acid deficiency has decreased by 32%. (Source: "For Babies, Going with the Grain," by John O'Neil, The New York Times, March 2, 2004.)

E. It is estimated that 62% of people in the US over the age of 53 have olfactory impairments (trouble smelling). (Source: JAMA, November 2002.)
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9. 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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10. 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)