Lecture Recordings
2012 Brain Awareness Lectures
Each DVD is $10
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Monday, February 20, 2012
Alzheimer's and the brain: What can we do?
Gary Small, M.D.
Director, UCLA Center on Aging, Los Angeles
Alzheimer's disease affects five million people in the U.S. It's true that we have no "cure" for the disease, but Dr. Small shows how genetics account for only part of the risk. Multiple, large-scale studies have found healthy lifestyle choices lower risk and may delay the onset of symptoms, sometimes for years. The only "cure" for Alzheimer's is prevention, and the Alzheimer's Prevention Program shows how to take control.
An American is diagnosed with Alzheimer's every 70 seconds. The Alzheimer's prevention Program is an accessible guide for anyone who wants to start on the path to better brain health. Regardless of age, anyone can begin this revolutionary program and hopefully delay the effects of Alzheimer's or never experience the symptoms of the disease. -
Monday, February 27, 2012
Law, ethics, humanity and the brain: How do they get along?
Henry Greely, J.D.
Director, Stanford Law School Center for Law & Bioscience, Stanford
Neuroscience increasingly allows us to explain, predict, and even control aspects of human behavior. The ethical issues that arise from these developments extend beyond the boundaries of conventional bioethics into philosophy of mind, psychology, theology, public policy and the law. In classrooms, courtrooms, offices and homes around the world, neuroscience is giving us powerful new tools for achieving our goals and prompting a new understanding of ourselves as social, moral and spiritual beings.
Over the years, humans have been changing our world and ourselves, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse. Biomedicine will be creating more and more products that can be used for cognitive enhancement; some will be used in ways that will improve human life and society. How can society successfully balance protecting citizens from crimes while still protecting those with debilitating mental disorders? -
Monday, March 19, 2012
New understandings of the brain: Why do we need them and what do we do with them?
Alan Leshner, Ph.D.
Executive Director, American Association for the Advancement of Science, Washington, D.C.
Advances in neuroscience are raising medical hopes for millions of people. Once futuristic ideas are now becoming reality and improving the lives of soldiers, accident victims and others. But with these benefits come critical social and ethical issues.
For example, military research has developed a "robo-rat" that can be controlled through electrodes in its brain. Could other creatures be used as living robots too? How about the use of human tissues or genes? With each development comes the re-examination of traditional boundaries forcing us to question social values and conventions. -
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Creativity and the brain: What is it, who has it and how do we achieve it?
Jonah Lehrer
Author, Imagine: How Creativity Works and Proust Was a Neuroscientist, Los Angeles
Can we learn how to be more creative? As it turns out, we can, says Jonah Lehrer. Lehrer is the journalist whose writings on neuroscience—for Wired, The New Yorker and The New York Times Magazine, among others—become immediate flashpoints for discussion. In his new book, Imagine: How Creativity Works, Lehrer, the bestselling author, most recently of How We Decide, shows us that creativity is not some near-mystical trait that some people seem to possess, and which others try desperately to capture. We can—all of us—take practical steps to become more creative in everything we do. -
Thursday, April 26, 2012
Addiction and the brain: What is the toll it can take on the brain and on society?
Nora Volkow, M.D.
Director, National Institute on Drug Abuse, Bethesda
Addiction is both subtle and profound. It sneaks up on individuals and ruins families. Through neuroscience, we know more about addiction today than ever before. One of the country's leading experts on addiction, Dr. Nora Volkow, will explore how addiction starts, what it is and what can be done about it. She will present the most current findings on addiction which could ultimately lead to breakthroughs in preventing it. -
Monday, June 25, 2012
The brain on fire: Can inflammation cause diseases that destroy the brain?
Story Landis, Ph.D.
Director, National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda
Inflammation is part of the body's natural immune response to tissue damage. However, chronic inflammation is associated with many diseases. Why does the brain "turn on itself?" What is neuroinflammation? In the brain, it's thought to play a role in aging and neurodegenerative diseases, such as Parkinson's and Alzheimer's.
By linking so many illnesses to inflammation, researchers are now rethinking their assumptions about what makes us sick and looking for ways to treat inflammation—and perhaps avoid these outcomes. Much of the scientific work that is discovering the causes and potential treatments for such neuroinflammatory diseases is being done by The National Institute for Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS).
2011 Brain Awareness Lectures
Each DVD is $10
- February 7
Window into the Brain: A New Approach to Depression
Helen Mayberg, M.D., Emory University
Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) is a revolutionary technology—electrodes implanted in the brain so that low-voltage electrical currents stimulate regions to counteract disease. This relatively new medical technique, already benefitting thousands of Parkinson's disease patients, may one day be employed to treat a wider range of diseases including: depression, obsessive-compulsive disorder, Tourette's syndrome, dystonia, chronic pain and depression.
"DBS opens a new horizon of therapies for many of the chronic brain ailments that trouble humanity."
–Dr. Mehmet Oz, Vice chair and professor of surgery at Columbia University and author of YOU: The Owner's manual: An Insider's Guide to the Body that Will Make You Healthier and Younger.
- February 14
From Genes to Brains: A New Understanding of Autism
Daniel Geschwind, M.D., Ph.D., UCLA
Autism is a tragic disease, for the patient and for the family. It is a poorly understood disorder. Nevertheless, the frequency among U.S. children is greater than that of pediatric cancers, diabetes and AIDS combined. Even more concerning: the prevalence of autism is increasing—one of every 110 children is diagnosed with the disease. In recent years, few medical conditions of childhood have stoked deeper concern—and ignited greater controversy. What is happening? Where does it come from? What can be done?
- February 21
Pain and the Brain: Perception and the Pathways to Relief
Howard Fields, M.D., Ph.D., UCSF
Pain is both a sensation and a motivation. Our expectations, mood and perspective on pain powerfully influence how much something actually hurts—and the decisions we make every day. The relief of pain and production of pleasure are closely related functions in the brain. Both have strong influences upon and are influenced by learning. Most people think of pain as a result of physical injury or disease, but psychological factors also play a huge role in pain perception. Pain is intimately tied to brain functions that govern behavior and decision making, including expectation, attention and learning. Pain competes for our attention and reaches far into our psyches. Neuropathic pain is especially difficult to live with and to treat. It is the result of damage to the body's nervous system and can cause excruciating pain.
- March 15
The Brain and the Immune System: How the Body Can Turn on Itself and Cause Such Problems as M.S., Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Stroke and other Disorders
Stephen Hauser, M.D., UCSF
Sometimes our bodies turn on us. The immune system becomes our own worst enemy. This can especially happen with the brain and nervous system causing a neuro-inflammatory response that can lead to such diseases as MS, Alzheimer's, Stroke, and Parkinson's. Neuroinflammation is a new and rapidly expanding field that has revolutionized our understanding of chronic neurological diseases. This field has grown to encompass researchers with backgrounds in many diverse fields, including pathology, biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, clinical medicine, and epidemiology. Important contributions to this field have come from work with populations, with patients, with postmortem tissues, with animal models, and with in vitro systems.
- $10 Marquam Hill Lecture
Joel Nigg, Ph.D.
2010 Brain Awareness Lectures
Each DVD is $10
- February 1
How We Decide: From Brains to Behavior Temporarily out of stock
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 15
Battling Brain Disorders: The Critical Importance of Mental Health AdvocacyFor the Individual and For Society
Congressman Patrick Kennedy, Rhode Island
Congressman Earl Blumenauer, Oregon, filled in when Congressman Patrick Kennedy was not able to attend
A lifelong resident of Portland, Oregon, Congressman Earl Blumenauer (OR-3) has devoted his entire career to public service. He gave an inspiring and committed talk about his belief in the critical importance of neuroscience research... to help families coping with neurological and psychiatric problems as well as to better understand of the nature of decision-making in policy development.
- 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
Joseph LeDoux
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
Jordan Grafman
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!
2009 BRAIN AWARENESS LECTURES
The Power and Potential of the Brain- Oregon's Most Natural Resource!
Each DVD is $10
- January 26th, 2009
Neuroplasticity: The Amazing Adaptability of the Brain, DVD
Mike Merzenich, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
- February 2nd, 2009
The Arts and Cognition Panel, DVD
Panel featuring: Helen Neville, PhD (University of Oregon), Chris Coleman (Portland Center Stage), Dan Wieden (Wieden + Kennedy), Mike Posner, PhD, (University of Oregon)
- February 9th, 2009
Aging Brain Plasticity: It's Never too Late to Learn or Improve, DVD
Carl Cotman, PhD, University of California, Irvine
- February 16th, 2009
10th Anniversary Celebration of OHSU Brain Awareness, DVD
Featuring: Valerie Day, Darrell Grant, Larry Sherman, PhD, Portland Chamber OrchestraOriginal performance, Brain Chemistry for Lovers by well known Portland pop and jazz artist Valerie Day, with Portland Chamber Orchestra, Pianist Darrell Grant and Larry Sherman, PhD, OHSU neuroscientist.
2008 BRAIN AWARENESS LECTURES
Each DVD is $10
- In Search of Memory, DVD
Eric Kandel, M.D.
Many adults can easily recall their childhood phone number or school locker combination. Where are these memories stored in the mind and how can we hold on to them for so many years? Answering questions like these earned neuroscientist Dr. Eric Kandel the Nobel Prize. Hear how his memory research helped form the basis of modern neuroscience. You may also learn why you always forget where you left your car keys.
- February 19, 2008
The Developing Human Brain, DVD
Pat Levitt, PhD, Vanderbilt University
Do our childhood experiences affect the development our brains? Is it possible to prevent depression or disability by addressing these problems early in life? Dr. Pat Levitt is an expert in diagnosing and disrupting abnormal brain development. As a parent, learn what you can do to spot early warning signs and attack brain disorders head on.
55 minutes
- Gender and the Brain, DVD
Larry Cahill, Ph.D.
Men may be from Mars and women may be form Venus, but sometimes it feels like we're from different solar systems entirely. Dr. Larry Cahill is an expert on gender and the brain. His research has identified the many differences and similarities between the male and female brains and has resulted in some mind-boggling findings. Hear how our brains can sometimes cause conflict but often compliment one another.
57 minutes, March 3, 8
- February 25, 2008
The Sleeping Brain, DVD
Al Lewy, MD, PhD, Oregon Health & Science University
Can sleep improve your memory and your mood? What's more important when it comes to sleep, quantity or quality? Distinguished sleep neuroscientist and body clock expert, Dr. Al Lewy reveals the silence of sleep in a lively lecture guaranteed not to make you drowsy.
50 minutes
2007 BRAIN AWARENESS LECTURES
Gray Matters- the Brain and the Senses
Each DVD is $10
- February 6, 2007
Hearing & the Brain, DVD
Teresa Nicolson, PhD, OHSU Daniel J. Levitin, PhD, McGill University
How composers exploit the way our brains make sense of the world? Why we are so emotionally attached to the music we listened to as teenagers? Why 10,000 hours of practice, rather than talent, is the key to musical expertise? How those insidious little jingles (called earworms) get stuck in our heads?
- February 13, 2007
The Senses & Substances, DVD
Martin Paulus, MD, University of California, San Diego
Drugs heighten the senses for many, but at what costs. Learn how decision-making dysfunctions contribute to transition from causal use of drugs to drug dependence and how these dysfunctions contribute to relapse.
- February 20, 2007
Vision & the Brain, DVD
David Wilson, MD; Casey Eye Institute, OHSU
The eyes are the window for the brain. Yet, there are many mysteries about how we see and how our brain makes sense of what we see. Why is our visual system 20/20? How do we perceive art? Why do woodpeckers not get headaches…or detached retinas? The visual system is an incredible and vulnerable asset to human existence. Learn about the complexity and potential of vision.
- Pain & the Brain, DVD
Alan Basbaum, PhD, University of California, San Francisco
Chronic pain adversely influences the daily lives of millions of people. This fascinating lecture will not only touch on the mechanisms that underlie the development of chronic pain but will explore the idea that chronic pain is a disease itself and not merely a symptom of another disease. The lecture will explain the differences between acute and chronic pain and discuss the nature of the changes that occur as the disease of pain develops. Most importantly, breakthroughs in our understanding of the molecular basis of the generation of pain have identified a host of novel therapeutic targets. These were discussed in the context of treating diverse pain conditions including those arising from tissue injury (arthritis, cancer) as well as the "neuropathic pains" that result from injury to the nervous system itself, such as occurs in complex regional pain syndrome, diabetic neuropathy, multiple sclerosis or after spinal cord injury.
- March 13, 2007
Our Sense of Self, DVD
John Frohnmayer, former Chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts
We perceive our environment through our senses. The brain integrates and interprets these perceptions and, in turn, this helps shape our psyche and our intellect; who we are. We often communicate and translate these perceptions through the arts…and how the arts reflect our being is often strange and wondrous…and controversial. Art can reflect the real world or the surreal; how the artist senses and expresses the world is part of the human experience. John Frohnmayer has had extensive experience with the legal, the political, and the artistic worlds.
2006 BRAIN AWARENESS LECTURES
Each DVD is $10
- Behavior and Addiction and the Brain, DVD
Bob Hitzemann, Ph.D., Oregon Health & Science University
John Crabbe, Ph.D., Oregon Health & Science University
Now more than ever, society and especially parents are concerned about the impacts of drugs and alcohol on the brain. A person's decision to take drugs or drink irresponsibly can impact their lives for years. In some cases, these decisions can result in physical changes to the brain. Hitzemann and Crabbe of OHSU investigate the impacts of abuse.
2004 BRAIN AWARENESS LECTURE
Each DVD is $10
- February 4, 2004
The Bard on the Brain: Understanding The Mind Through The Art Of Shakespeare And The Science Of Brain Imaging, DVD
Paul Matthews, MD, Oxford University
Neuroscientist and author Paul M Matthews, MD, illuminates the fascinating parallels between Shakespeare and the current quest of neuroscience to reveal the secrets of the brain. His lecture will feature live performances of some of the most compelling scenes of Shakespeare's plays with actors from Portland's Artists Repertory Theatre.
96 minutes. Includes Q & A.
2003 BRAIN AWARENESS LECTURE
Each DVD is $10
- The Brain/Body Connection, VHS TAPE
Inside the Mind of Ira Flatow
Ira Flatow, award-winning host of NPR's "Talk of the Nation: Science Friday", shares his passion for all things scientific.
