Getting the Word Out: Neuroscience Education and Outreach

Transcription

1 Getting the Word Out: Neuroscience Education and Outreach Eric H. Chudler, Ph.D. University of Washington, Seattle, WA

2 Getting the Word Out? Why is it important to understand the brain? When is the right time? How can difficult concepts be discussed?

3 Why Study Neuroscience? Emotional cost of neurological disorders on families and on individuals Economic costs of neurological disorders to society Education Standards/Benchmarks Career Opportunities Drug Abuse Awareness / Violence Education Practices Family/Individual? NEUROSCIENCE Society Standards/Benchmarks/Guidelines

4 ! $! $ Emotional/Economic Cost Disease Total Cases Total Costs Sleep Disorders 70,000,000 $100 billion Hearing Loss 32,000,000 $2.5 billion Depressive Disorders 20,900,000 $70 billion Traumatic Head Injury 5,300,000 $60 billion Stroke 5,200,000 $73.7 billion Alzheimer s Disease 5,300,000 $148 billion Multiple Sclerosis 400,000 $10.6 billion Schizophrenia 2,400,000 $62.7 billion Parkinson s Disease 1,500,000 $5.6 billion Tra. Spinal Cord Injury 5,300,000 $10 billion Huntington s Disease 30,000 $2 billion Statistics from Brain Facts, Society for Neuroscience, 2008, $!!

5 By 2030: Impending Surge (Stroke) 3.88%: US population (>18 years of age) will have had a stroke. $ billion: Total direct annual stroke-related medical costs. $56.54 billion: Indirect annual costs (attributable to lost productivity) Ovbiagele et al., Forecasting the future of stroke in the United States: a policy statement from the American Heart Association and American Stroke Association, Stroke, 44: , 2013.

6 People with dementia (millions) Impending Global Surge (Dementia) Estimates of dementia 81,100, ,300, ,300, YEAR Ferri, C.P., et al., Global prevalence of dementia: a Delphi consensus study, The Lancet, 366: , 2005.

7 Autism Spectrum Disorder 1 out of 88 children diagnosed with ASD $40,000 $60,000/yr cost to treat children with ASDs (in addition to medical costs) 1 in 5 children, currently or at some point during their life, have had a seriously debilitating mental disorder.

8 Education Benchmarks/Guidelines

9 Education Benchmarks/Guidelines Biology 11-12: By the end of this course, students will have an understanding of the structures and function of the nervous system. Grade 5: By the end of the grade, students will have recognized how the main systems of the human body work together.

10 Social Consequences (Ethics) Legal: lie detectors, polygraph, courtroom Medical: brain death, life, drug abuse, mental health treatment, mental competency

11 Social Consequences US Supreme Court Bans: 1) Death Penalty and 2) Life in Prison Without Possibility of Parole for Juveniles During the same period, the brain has not reached adult maturity, particularly in the frontal lobes, which control executive functions of the brain related to decision-making. APA brief [Roper v. Simmons, 2005] [Miller v. Alabama, 2012 Jackson v. Hobbs, 2012] Gogtay et al., Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA 101, , 2004.

12 Social Consequences Brain Scans as Lie Detectors! June 26, 2006: ACLU requests via the Freedom of Information Act all records held by the Dept. of Defense, National Security Agency, CIA, FBI and Department of Homeland Security on the use of fmri and other brain scanning methods that seek to detect truth, deception, guilty knowledge, accurate recollection or recognition to support interrogation or to identify individuals for questioning. Pearson, H., Nature, 441: ,

13 Social Consequences A Brain Scanner Near You? No Lie MRI Cephos No Lie MRI has potential applications to a wide variety of concerns held by individual citizens. Risk reduction in dating Trust issues in interpersonal relationships Issues concerning the underlying topics of sex, power, and money

14 NEUROETHICS: Are we moving too fast? What CAN be done? What SHOULD be done? Brain Imaging: job screening; parental control; security Neurocognitive Enhancement: smart drugs vs. tutoring Psychopharmacology: alter personality; selective memory Neurogenetics: screening of children/adults for disorders Machine-Brain Interfaces: therapeutic vs enhancement

15 Science (Neuroscience) Literacy The public is fascinated by the brain. We all must be able to evaluate this information.

16 Fact or Fiction Brain Myths What does the research say? 1. Right brain/left brain 2. Enriched environments (Use it or lose it?) 3. Critical periods 4. Water 5. Stress 6. Sleep 7. Brain Use? 8. Full Moon?

17 Sharing Science Contests Brain Awareness Week Classroom Visits and Workshops Laboratory Tours International Opportunities

18 Society for Neuroscience Core Concepts Fundamental discoveries promote health. The brain makes it possible to communicate knowledge through language. Brain is the body s most complex organ. Life experiences change the nervous system. Genetically determined circuits are foundation of the nervous system. Neurons communicate using electrical & chemical signals. Intelligence arises as brain reasons, plans, solves problems. The human brain endows us with a natural curiosity to understand how the world works.

19 Brain Awareness Week Brain Awareness Week (BAW) is an international effort organized originally by the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and the Society for Neuroscience to promote the public and personal benefits of brain research.

20 Brain Awareness Week Brain Awareness Week Open House Classroom Visits Bookstore and library displays Public lectures and events

21 Contests Drawing Writing I have billions of cells in my noggin, That order my limbs when I'm joggin'. When the oxygen flows, I thinks and I knows, That the brain's a real technical organ! My name is Sarah, can't you see. I'm a kid with Epilepsy. Don't be afraid, I'm not seizing But if I do, please no teasing.

22 Classroom Visits Approximately 1-2 visit/month to local schools. Hands-on activities and take-home material to reinforce web-based instruction. Teacher Workshops Local/National/International Methods and resources Lab Tours Methods Careers; Life in the lab

23 Concept: How is Information Transmitted? (The Synapse) Axon Terminal Soma Dendrite

24 Concepts, Demostrations, Models

25 International Opportunities Scotland Japan India

26 International Opportunities Japan

27 International Opportunities India Neuroscience for Monks Supported by the Sager Family Foundation (

28 International Opportunities India Neuroscience for Monks