Brain Awareness 2010: Lectures & Events

4 Lecture Series

February 1

How We Decide: From Brains to Behavior

Jonah Lehrer

At times, man is faced with life or death decisions or forced to make choices that have lifelong impacts. But how exactly does the brain make decisions when faced with complex problems? Are our brains efficient and well equipped to make choices? At what age do we develop good decision making abilities and why are some of us better equipped to make tough choices? Does reason or emotion rule?

Get some answers from author Jonah Lehrer, author of “How We Decide,” and a contributor to Wired Magazine, The New Yorker, The Washington Post and The Boston Globe. Mr. Leher is a graduate of Columbia University and a Rhodes Scholar; he has worked in Nobel Prize-winning neuroscientist Erik Kandel’s laboratory, edits the Mind Matters blog for Scientific American and writes his own highly regarded blog, The Frontal Cortex.

February 22

The Mercurial Mind: Bipolar Disorder and Creativity

Kay Redfield Jamison

How can one survive if their brain is constantly riding an emotional rollercoaster? That is a question faced by those who suffer from bipolar disease, otherwise known as manic-depressive illness.This relatively common mental disorder can cause unusual shifts in mood, energy, activity levels, and even influence one’s ability to carry out day-to-day tasks. It can also lead to unbridled exuberance and creativity. What does make the artistic temperament so unique and so volatile? 

Psychiatrist and author Kay Redfield Jamison, Ph.D., is one of the nation’s foremost experts on bipolar disorder. She has suffered from the disease her entire adult life. She is the author of several national bestsellers including An Unquiet Mind: A Memoir of Moods and Madness, Night Falls Fast: Understanding Suicide, and Touch with Fire: Manic-Depressive Illness and the Artistic Temperament. She is co-author of the standard medical text on manic-depressive illness and the recipient of national and international scientific awards, including a MacArthur Fellowship. 

Dr. Jamison will share her understanding, experiences and insights and discuss the heights and depths the mind can achieve.

March 1

The Emotional Brain: The Mysterious Underpinnings of Emotional Life

We know our emotions by their intrusions (welcome or otherwise) into our conscious minds.  Understanding emotion in the human brain is clearly an important quest, as most mental disorders are emotional disorders. Emotions become powerful motivators of future behaviors.  Mental health is maintained by emotional hygiene and mental problems, and to a large extent reflect a breakdown of emotional order.

Joseph LeDoux , Ph.D., is one of the top world experts on emotional memory. His work, especially on fear, has given us insight into the biological mechanisms of learning about and storing information about danger. This understanding of the role of the amygdala in conscious and subconscious memory and the role of cognition in regulating the fear reaction is both complex and exciting. Dr. LeDoux is the Henry and Lucy Moses Professor of Science and Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology at New York University. He is also the director of the Center for the Neuroscience of Fear and Anxiety … and a singer and guitarist in the science-themed rock band; The Amygdaloids!

March 8

The Executive Brain: The Frontal Lobes and the Civilized Mind

Can the characteristics of leadership be defined and mapped in the brain? Can we change our own brains to resemble those of outstanding leaders?  Are there training programs for more "leader-like' brains?Is there such a thing as "executive intelligence"?

When we stimulate our brain by actively thinking, we are sculpting our own neural architecture," says Jordan Grafman, Ph.D., Chief of the Cognitive Neuroscience Section in the NINDS.  How mental activity improves cognition (and reduces dementia risk in later life by setting up a cognitive reserve in the brain) is a central area of his research;  denser synaptic connections equals more flexibility , adaptability  and neuroprotection.  When you put your brain to work, you  make the science of cognitive fitness work for you.Putting it all together means enriching your brain… and your life… and increasing your chances of maintaining your mental edge and functional independence.Cognitive fitness is the next big thing; use it or lose it!

Marquam Hill Lecture

March 15, Free Marquam Hill Lecture

ADHD: What Goes Wrong, And Why? The Latest Thinking on the Intersection of Brain and Development in ADHD

Joel Nigg

Please contact the Portland Center for the Performing Arts at 503-432-2917 regarding tickets for this lecture.