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A wonder-filled week of the brain

This week, learning becomes more exciting as Montreal neuroscientists join forces to reveal the wonders of the human brain during the 20th annual Brain Awareness Week (March 16 – 20). The week sees neuroscience students give over 350 bilingual presentations across Montreal providing 10,000 elementary and high-school students the chance to learn more about the brain. Youngsters will learn about the five senses while adolescents will be learning about the effects of drugs on the brain. The public is invited to participate in a Café Scientifique, titled ‘The Hijacked Brain: Drug Addiction and Beyond’ (details below).

As part of Montreal's Brain Awareness Week, the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital – The Neuro opens its doors to 60 elementary students. The students will have the chance to participate in fun, hands-on workshops designed to captivate young students, where they will learn about the brain and how it is studied. In plain language and with plenty of humour, The Neuro’s researchers will take students on a trip through the nervous system. In a workshop on brain anatomy, students will have a chance to observe and even touch a real human brain. Students will get to see some of the most sophisticated neuroscience machines - magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) used for diagnostics and for scientific discovery; magnetoencephalography (MEG) for mapping the brain’s activity, and more. The day culminates in a dynamic keynote lecture designed to both inform and inspire the students.

Brain Awareness Week is an international initiative created by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives to increase public awareness about the brain, new research, and inspire the next generation of scientists and clinicians. The Montreal campaign is organized by Brain Awareness Montreal (BAM) , a volunteer organization consisting of neuroscience graduate students from schools across Montreal, which offers a variety of programs for people of all ages, including the Montreal Brain Bee and Café Scientifiques on fascinating topics related to the brain. Montreal has one of the largest concentrations of neuroscientists in the world. BAM brings together students from The Neuro, Concordia University, Douglas Hospital Research Centre, Ï㽶ÊÓƵ, the Université de Montréal, and the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Café Scientifique: The Hijacked Brain: Drug Addiction and Beyond

Monday, March 16th, at 7:00PM, La Sala Rossa (4848 boul. Saint-Laurent, Montreal, H2T 1R5)

Why do our brains get addicted? Why do some people get addicted while others do not? How are different forms of addiction the same? How do they differ? Come join us for Brain Awareness Montreal’s first Scientific Café of 2015, where leading researchers Uri Shalev, PhD, Louise Nadeau, PhD, and Sylvia Cox, PhD, will discuss substance abuse, gambling and other addictions. After a brief discussion by each speaker, they will answer questions from the public. This bilingual evening of entertainment and enlightenment includes refreshments live music; is free and open to everyone.

The Neuro

The Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital — The Neuro, is a unique academic medical centre dedicated to neuroscience. Founded in 1934 by the renowned Dr. Wilder Penfield, The Neuro is recognized internationally for integrating research, compassionate patient care and advanced training, all key to advances in science and medicine. The Neuro is a research and teaching institute of Ï㽶ÊÓƵ and forms the basis for the Neuroscience Mission of the Ï㽶ÊÓƵ Health Centre. Neuro researchers are world leaders in cellular and molecular neuroscience, brain imaging, cognitive neuroscience and the study and treatment of epilepsy, multiple sclerosis and neuromuscular disorders. For more information, visit theneuro.com.