Current Public Lectures

The Fifteenth UCI Distinguished Lecture Series on Brain, Learning and Memory Dates and speakers for the 2009 Lecture Series are:

Overcoming Fear and Anxiety: Using Drugs to Improve Psychotherapy
Dr. Michael Davis
Emory University School of Medicine
Tuesday, January 20, 2009 - 7:30 p.m.
Anxiety disorders - which include conditions such as phobias, panic attacks, and post-traumatic stress disorder - are collectively the most common psychiatric disorder in the United States. Dr. Davis will discuss how the understanding of anxiety disorders has been increased by research into the brain systems responsible for acquiring, maintaining and overcoming fearful memories. He will also discuss how this research has led to the development of new directions for the treatment of anxiety disorders, in which psychotherapy is combined with a drug that improves the ability to overcome fearful memories.

The Power of Testing Memory: From the Laboratory to the Classroom
Dr. Henry L. Roediger III
Washington University, St. Louis
Wednesday, March 25, 2009 - 7:30 p.m.
Tests in education are usually considered to measure knowledge (in the classroom) or abilities (standardized tests). Dr. Roediger's pioneering research shows that tests do much more than assess what has been learned, because they also change what we know and remember. Successful retrieval, induced by tests, serves as a powerful memory enhancer. Dr. Roediger will discuss laboratory research to make this point and experiments that extend the findings to classroom settings.

Genetic Jeopardy: Lessons Learned from Huntington's Disease
Dr. Nancy S. Wexler
Columbia University
Tuesday, May 12, 2009 - 7:30 p.m.
Huntington's disease is an inherited, neurodegenerative disorder that attacks movement, mood and mental functions, and is invariably fatal. This devastating disease is caused by an abnormality in a single gene. World-renowned scientist, Dr. Nancy Wexler, will describe the 10-year effort that culminated in the discovery of the gene, and the impact of this discovery on the understanding of Huntington's disease and potential treatments. She will also discuss the importance of this research for the understanding of other neurodegenerative and inherited diseases.

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