BrainBlog

Royal Society of Canada honours nine McGill researchers from Medicine, Law and Arts Posted on Tuesday, September 13, 2011 McGill Reporter By Tamarah Feder "The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) announced 78 new Fellows this week, including nine McGill researchers and scholars from the faculties of Medicine, Law and Arts. They join the over 100 current McGill-affiliated Fellows." Read full article Among the 78 is: " Michael Petrides (Neuropsychology/Cognitive Neuroscience Unit) has provided us with new ways to conceptualize the role of the prefrontal cortex in cognitive processing and one of the most influential models of the anatomo-fuctional organization of the lateral frontal cortex. His discovery of the cytoarchitectonic homologue of Broca’s language are in the monkey is having a major impact on conceptions of the evolution of language circuitry in the primate brain."

The University of Victoria is honouring alumnus Chris Fibiger, neuroscientist, this evening, along with ten other distinguished graduates. Read the full press release

The annual conference of the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) takes place from the 10th to the17th of April 2010, in Toronto. Conference homepage

Windsor neuropsychologist Dr. Byron Rourke to receive The Order of Canada next week. Read the article in The Windsor Star

The Novel Tech Ethics research team at Dalhousie University, where today's Neuropsychology Abstract of the Day originated: Novel Tech Ethics website From the homepage: "The Novel Tech Ethics research team led by Françoise Baylis and based at Dalhousie University, focuses on novel technologies that promise transformation. These technologies challenge us to explore the social, political, and cultural understandings of the self, and to reexamine our ethical obligations to others, including those with whom we will not co-exist. "Currently, the Novel Tech Ethics research team has a particular focus on neural, genetic, and reproductive technologies. Grant-funded projects in these areas address the concerns of the individual, the community and the species. Academic exchanges, public discussion and debate contribute to our understanding of these issues and also help to inform public policy." Among other features at the website, podcasts of presentations for their 2009 conf...

The neuropsychological community was saddened last month by the death of Dr. Esther Strauss of Victoria, Canada. Here is her obituary, which appeared in the Victoria Times-Colonist on 19 June 2009: Victoria Times-Colonist 19 June 2009 Esther Strauss STRAUSS, Esther Helen It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Dr. Esther Strauss of Victoria, British Columbia, the beloved wife of Dr. Josef Cherniawsky, mother of Ze'ev, Avital and Tamar, sister of Howard Strauss (Donna) and aunt of Jessica, Nathan, Cathy and Dana. Esther passed away on June 17, 2009 at the Palliative Care Unit at Royal Jubilee Hospital after a 3 and a half year battle with ovarian cancer. Esther never gave up fighting, always saying that she wanted to be with us forever. The love of her life was her family, which always came first. Esther excelled both in family life and in her chosen profession. She obtained her Bachelor of Arts degree at McGill University in 1969 where she majored in psychology and...

Today is election day in Canada. Vote! Here is a discussion of one of the health care issues in Canada: a shortage in the number of physicians: From The CBC: Why MDs are scarce and what can be done about it Read the article

From the Times-Columnist : Symphony starts the year with 'bigger bag of tricks' PREVIEW What: Victoria Symphony with clarinetist Simon Aldrich When and Where: 7:30 p.m., Jan. 5 at the Mary Winspear Centre in Sidney; 2:30 p.m., Jan. 6 and 8 p.m., Jan. 7 at the Royal Theatre Tickets: For the Sidney concert, tickets are $26/29, available at the box office (656-0275). For the Victoria concerts, tickets are $13.50 to $27.25, available at the box office (385-6515). For more information, visit: www.victoriasymphony.ca Sarah Petrescu , Times Colonist Published: Thursday, January 03, 2008 When Victoria Symphony Maestra Tania Miller and her team plan a season of concerts, they are driven by the artists, pieces and instruments they want to shine the spotlight on. This year, Miller wanted to highlight a wind instrument. She chose contemporary composer John Adams's piece Gnarly Buttons , "a phenomenally challenging, funky piece," she says, and recruited Montreal clarinetist Si...

Sarah Polley's movie won a Canadian film award this weekend: From the CBC : Polley's film big winner at Director's Guild Awards Last Updated: Sunday, September 30, 2007 | 9:38 AM ET The Canadian Press Sarah Polley's poignant Away From Her was the big winner at the 2007 Directors Guild of Canada Awards on Saturday. The film was honoured as best picture, and Polley was named best director; her husband, David Wharnsby, won the prize for best picture editing. The critically acclaimed movie chronicles the intrusion of Alzheimer's disease into the lives of an aging couple, played by Gordon Pinsent and Julie Christie. [ ... Read the full article ... ] Read my earlier post about this movie here .

From Australia's National Nine News: Alzheimer's struggle brought to screen Friday Sep 21 08:19 AEST At just 28 years of age, Canadian director Sarah Polley has made a debut feature film that directors twice her age and experience would be proud of. Also a talented actress, she is best known to Australian audiences for her acting roles as a supermarket checkout chick in the 1999 crime thriller Go and a schoolgirl in Atom Egoyan's The Sweet Hereafter. For her directorial debut, Away From Her , Polley chose to tell the story of a couple in their 60s who are dealing with Alzheimer's disease. It is hardly a film you would expect a 20-something film-maker to produce. The fact that she convinced Oscar winners Julie Christie and Olympia Dukakis to be part of the movie is even more impressive. "During rehearsals, all of a sudden it dawned on me that I was directing people who were twice my age, and who had a good deal more experience than I did, and who were actors that ...

From the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation : Neurological conditions cost Canada nearly $9B a year: report Last Updated: Friday, June 22, 2007 | 5:02 PM ET CBC News Neurological conditions such as stroke and Alzheimer's disease cost Canada nearly $9 billion a year in direct costs, say neurologists who warn the health-care system may not be able to handle increased costs of an aging population. Early diagnosis of neurological diseases will help reduce long-term costs, says Dr. Charles Tator. Friday's report from the Canadian Institute for Health Information, titled The Burden of Neurological Diseases, Disorders and Injuries in Canada is a consensus report by neurologists who tallied the costs of 11 conditions they treat: Alzheimer's disease Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (Lou Gehrig's disease) Brain tumours Cerebral palsy Epilepsy Head injury Headaches Multiple sclerosis Parkinson's disease Spinal injuries Stroke The conditions represent an estimated almost seven per...