UNews - neuroscience

Brenda Milner Lecture Series to feature renowned researcher of mental health and addiction

trevor.kenney — Tue, 02 May 2017 21:56:46 +0000

��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge graduate students at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) are pleased to welcome one of the world’s foremost authorities in addiction psychiatry, Dr. Anthony Phillips, as the keynote speaker for the 15th annual Brenda Milner Lecture Series (BMLS), May 10-11.

Phillips is a professor in the Department of Psychiatry at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of British Columbia, as well as the founding director of the UBC Institute of Mental Health and Scientific Director of the Mental Health and Addiction, CIHR Institute of Neurosciences. He will be giving a pair of presentations as part of the BMLS, including a free public talk, The Addicted Brain, on Thursday, May 11, 7 p.m. at the Lethbridge Lodge (Aspen Room).

Phillips is the latest high profile researcher to take part in the BMLS, a series that began in 2002 and is organized entirely by the neuroscience graduate student body. The talks carry the name of Dr. Brenda Milner, one of the most acclaimed scientists in Canada and also the first guest of the series.

“In the 14 editions that have been organized to date, we were honoured to welcome distinguished guests such as 2014 Nobel Prize recipient Dr. John O’Keefe, as well as Dr. Michael Merzenich of the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of California and Dr. Miguel Nicolelis, who you may recognize as the lead neuroscientist behind the 2014 FIFA Kick-off event,” says Rachel Dombowsky, co-chair of the 2017 BMLS committee. “The series was designed to promote scientific literacy and research awareness within the Lethbridge community by offering a public lecture as well as highlighting the quality of research that is taking place at the CCBN. The opportunity to interact with well-established researchers from other parts of the world helps graduate students build relationships and gain exposure to new ways of thinking.”

Phillips’ research interests cover a wide range of topics in the field of preclinical neuropsychopharmacology and systems neuroscience, more specifically looking at motivation and emotion. His pioneering research, with H.C. Fibiger, laid the foundation for the role of dopamine in the neural control of motivation and memory, with its clinical implications for understanding biological correlates of addiction. He has a long-standing interest in applying knowledge concerning normal brain-behaviour function to understanding the neural bases of mental illness and addiction.

In addition to his free public lecture, Dr. Phillips will also be presenting an academic lecture, A Role for Synaptic Long-Term Depression in Cognitive Flexibility, on Wednesday, May 10 at 4 p.m. in EP1201.

Renowned neuroscientist Dr. Adrian Owen headlines annual Brain Awareness Week activities

trevor.kenney — Fri, 10 Mar 2017 21:28:04 +0000

One of the world’s leading and most talked about neuroscientists is the featured speaker as the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Department of Neuroscience celebrates Brain Awareness Week, March 14-18, 2017.

The annual week of activities, presented by researchers in the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) and the Lethbridge Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience, is focused on showcasing the study of neuroscience to the community and giving people the opportunity to discuss brain-related activities with researchers at the forefront of their field.

The CCBN Open House and Brain Awareness Fair takes place Saturday, Mar. 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the CCBN.

Dr. Adrian Owen, the Western ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ Canada Excellence Research Chair in Cognitive Imaging & Neuroscience, is the visiting guest lecturer. He’ll host a pair of talks, including a free public forum on Tuesday, March 14, 7 p.m. at the Yates Memorial Centre, where he will present The Search for Consciousness.

“Adrian Owen is one of the world’s leading researchers in the area of neuroimaging and in studying patients in a vegetative state,” says Dr. David Euston, a faculty member and researcher in the U of L’s CCBN. “His work is incredibly compelling and has garnered worldwide media attention. We’re thrilled to be able to host him as our featured lecturer for Brain Awareness Week.”

British born, Owen first came to Canada in 1992 to work in the Cognitive Neuroscience Unit at the Montreal Neurological Institute at McGill ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. He returned to England and ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Cambridge in 1996 before earning his current Chair position at Western in 2010.

In 2006, he authored a groundbreaking paper in which he demonstrated that functional neuroimaging could be used to detect awareness in a patient declared to be in a vegetative state. Although these patients appear to be awake, they are completely non-responsive, failing to interact with those around them or their environment. What Owen and his team have been able to do through functional neuroimaging is show that these patients can actually communicate to those around them by simply modulating their thoughts.

The free public lecture is sponsored by the Harley Hotchkiss Memorial Fund, the Faculty Arts & Science Dean’s office and the Local Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience. The goal is to share world-leading neuroscience research with a non-specialized audience.

“Adrian Owen’s research aims to answer deep questions about consciousness, but the practical applications of his research are immediately obvious. Even better, Dr. Owen is excellent at presenting very complex topics in a way that the general public can easily understand. It should be a great talk,” adds Euston.

Brain Awareness Week also allows researchers at the CCBN to open their doors to the community to shine a light on the cutting edge work they are performing every day through an annual open house.

“We’ve designed a number of brain-related activities for all ages to take part in,” says Dr. Artur Luczak, a professor and researcher in the CCBN. “Our researchers are among the world’s best in the study of neuroscience and the discoveries they are making, right here in Lethbridge, will benefit society for years to come. This is your chance to come and take a look at some of this work.”

The CCBN Open House and Brain Awareness Fair takes place Saturday, Mar. 18 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. in the CCBN (north end of campus). For more information, contact euston@uleth.ca or call 403-394-3915.

Dr. Artur Luczak elected to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists

caroline.zentner — Tue, 13 Sep 2016 16:31:58 +0000

While he’s recently received media attention for his paper on choking self-treatment published in the journal Resuscitation, Dr. Artur Luczak, a ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge neuroscience professor, typically receives attention for his research into neural activity in the sensory cortex.

Luczak has been elected to the Royal Society of Canada’s College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists. The College is the first national system of multidisciplinary recognition for the emerging generation of Canadian intellectual leadership. Members have demonstrated a high level of achievement at an early age in their career.

“Neuroscience is a fantastic journey of discoveries and I really enjoy taking a part in it,” says Luczak, who is currently working on an epilepsy project at Stanford ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ. “It is a great honour for me to be recognized by the RSC but I owe it to many people I have worked with.”

“Artur’s hard work has led to many worthwhile academic accomplishments and I was happy to nominate him,” says U of L President Mike Mahon. “I’m very pleased he has been elected to the College of New Scholars, Artists and Scientists.”

As part of the Lethbridge Brain Dynamics group at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, Luczak’s has determined through his research that information in the brain’s cortex is not processed continuously but in discrete packets. Some neurons, whether spontaneously or in response to a stimulus, are active early and others are active later. Taken together, their activity forms a packet filled with information. He proposes the packets allow the brain to integrate and exchange information throughout all brain areas.

Luczak is also involved in promoting brain research as president of the Lethbridge Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience. His expertise in computational neuroscience gives students the opportunity to use statistics and programming techniques in neuroscience.

Luczak’s website has more information about his research work.

Anyone who wants to know more about the College and its annual nomination process is invited to attend a workshop on Tuesday, Nov. 15 at the U of L. Dr. Alidad Amirfazli, president of the Royal Society of Canada College of New Scholars, will be on hand to explain the process.

U of L neuroscience research in the spotlight during annual Brain Awareness Week

caroline.zentner — Thu, 17 Mar 2016 20:34:07 +0000

Residents of southern Alberta are invited to learn more about the brain research being done at the ��Ѹ��Դ��߿�Ƭ of Lethbridge’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) during an open house on Saturday, March 19 as part of the yearly Brain Awareness Week.

The open house from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. gives visitors the chance to explore the CCBN, tour the labs, talk to researchers and learn about the groundbreaking discoveries being made right here in southern Alberta. Youngsters will enjoy engaging in educational brain-related activities. More information is available online through the neuroscience department and in an event poster.

Dr. Matthew Tata, chair of the Department of Neuroscience, will give a free public talk on cognitive robotics and how neuroscience can be used to make robots smarter on Tuesday, March 22 at 7 p.m. in the Yates Memorial Centre.

“The idea of helpful machines that exhibit intelligent behaviours goes back at least as far as ancient Greek mythology. We now live at a time when the technology of robotics has caught up with human imagination,” says Tata.

Recent advances in robotics have been inspired by discoveries about how our own brains work. The Cognitive Robotics lab at the U of L is working at the front of this field. Tata will describe and demonstrate some of the innovations and explain how they follow from basic neuroscience research. He’ll also discuss how artificial intelligence and robotics is likely to affect our lives and communities in the future.

“We welcome everyone to take part in this year’s Brain Awareness Week activities,” says Dr. Artur Luczak, a U of L professor and neuroscience researcher, and one of the organizers of Brain Awareness Week. “CCBN researchers are happy to talk about their work, show people around the building, and answer any questions they may have.”

Brain Awareness Week is a global campaign to increase public awareness of the progress and benefits of brain research. Local activities are organized by the Lethbridge Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience.

UNews - neuroscience

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