BrainBlog

The webpage for the public-talk series: Click here . The link provides the scheduled talks for 2011-12 and the location where the talks will take place.

A program from the University of Pennsylvania: Take Your Brain to Lunch "Everything from education to warfare comes down to the workings of the human mind, and now the mind itself is being understood in terms of the brain. Come hear about the different ways that Penn Arts and Sciences faculty are studying this amazing three-pound organ and the insights it is offering on diverse human problems. "Martha Farah, Annenberg Professor of Natural Sciences in the Department of Psychology and Director of Penn's new Center for Neuroscience & Society, will lead conversations with Penn faculty members about the brain. So take your brain to lunch and enjoy some food for thought! All lectures are from 12:00 p.m. - 1:30 p.m. Light refreshments will be provided." For dates and topics, please see the UPenn webpage for the program

An Associated Press report this evening outlines changes at a number of Wyeth and Pfizer research facilities: Read article

e-patient Connections 2009 Health marketing Meeting website

A press release from the University of Pennsylvania: Penn Announces $50 Million Penn Integrates Knowledge Neurosciences Initiative September 18, 2008 PHILADELPHIA –- The University of Pennsylvania will make a major investment in neuroscience, the interdisciplinary study of brain/behavior relationships and nervous-system diseases, with a $50 million contribution from Penn’s Health System to endow five new Penn Integrates Knowledge (PIK) professorships. A portion of this contribution will supply start-up funds for each PIK professorship in neuroscience and will support interdisciplinary neuroscience initiatives involving the School of Medicine and other schools of the University. The announcement was made by Penn President Amy Gutmann and Provost Ronald Daniels. “This landmark contribution by the Health System represents an extraordinary commitment toward strengthening Penn’s academic programs.” Gutmann said. “With our commitment to integrating knowledge and our formidable teaching and ...

The 61st annual meeting of the American Epilepsy Society (AES) will take place in Philadelphia, from the 30th of November through the 5th of December. Details about the meeting can be found on the meeting webpage of the AES website.

From today's Philadelphia Inquirer : Mental gymnastics to maintain the brain Boomers try games and gadgets to ease minds about aging By Lini S. Kadaba Inquirer Staff Writer [snip] As more baby boomers enter their 60s and others witness their elderly parents descend into senility, say experts, they're chasing after cognitive fitness with the same vigor they've had while pursuing wrinkle-free skin and erectile function. By holding out the promise of sharper, longer-lasting brain cells, a plethora of gadgets, classes and computer games has captured the attention of forever-youngs - despite thin scientific proof that any of this will keep their minds humming. Nintendo's popular Brain Age: Train Your Brain in Minutes a Day (1.3 million copies sold, according to the NPD Group) is more about fun than an assessment of mental acuity. But others - such as MindFit from Cognifit Ltd. and Brain Fitness, with object identifications, geometric puzzles and list recitations - have s...