Current Public Lectures

The Sixteenth UCI Distinguished Lecture Series on Brain, Learning and Memory Dates and speakers for the 2010 Lecture Series are:

The Scaffolded Mind: How Your Brain Adapts to Aging
Dr. Denise C. Park
Center for Brain Health, University of Texas, Dallas
Tuesday, February 2, 2010 - 7:30 p.m.
It is normal to experience subtle changes in memory and other cognitive functions with age. Accompanying these changes is a remarkable process of remodeling and reorganization of neural function that has been revealed through neuroimaging techniques. The brain is continuously responding to the aging process by building new neural circuits or “scaffolds.” Dr. Park will discuss her pioneering research on the changes that occur in the brain with age; the remarkable process of neural adaptation to these changes, and what is known about maintaining a healthy brain.

Helping the Brain to Repair Itself After Injury
Dr. Steven C. Cramer
Department of Neurology, University of California, Irvine
Tuesday, March 16, 2010 - 7:30 p.m.
Most patients show some degree of spontaneous recovery after a brain injury such as a stroke, although it is usually incomplete. Recent studies provide insight into the biological mechanisms responsible for this spontaneous recovery. Dr. Cramer, a leading researcher and physician in stroke recovery, will discuss these mechanisms and explore emerging therapies that aim to improve brain repair and thus reduce disability.

Music, Evolution, and the Human Mind
Dr. Aniruddh Patel
Senior Fellow in Theoretical Neurobiology, The Neuroscience Institute
Tuesday, May 18, 2010 - 7:30 p.m.
Music, like language, is a universal human accomplishment.  The recent explosion of research on music and the brain has brought new life to old questions, including ones first raised by Darwin.
Why is music so pervasive in human life?  Are we musical today because music helped our ancestors survive?  Has the human mind been shaped by natural selection for music?  Dr. Patel will offer a new perspective on these questions from the standpoint of neuroscience.

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