Lectures to look at how we learn and remember

Sean Rushton

As long as our brain is a mystery, the universe- the reflection of the structure of the brain-will also be a mystery. – Santiago Ramon y Cajal

With the advent of sophisticated brain imaging tools, as well as new developments in established methods that did not exist a decade ago, our conceptions of the underlying mechanisms of the mind are evolving at an astonishing pace.

The latest research developments in the areas of neurobiology, learning and cognition will be the centre of the 2004 Frontiers in Research Lectures, which will be presented on November 17. Five world renowned experts have been invited to present their findings:

Janet F. Werker, fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, is a professor and Canada Research Chair in the Department of Psychology at the University of British Columbia and a senior scientist at the Brain Research Centre. Her lecture is entitled "Listening in infancy sets the stage for language acquisition."

• Dr. Brenda Milner, a professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurosurgery, Faculty of Medicine at McGill University, will discuss memory and the temporal lobes.
   
• Dr. Mircea Steriade is an honorary member of the Société de neurologie de Paris. He has also been a member of the Royal Society of Canada since 1994. His lecture will be delivered in French and is entitled “Sommeil et consolidation des traces de mémoire.”
   
• Dr. Freda Miller, a cell and molecular neurobiologist at the Hospital for Sick Children Research Institute, and a professor at the University of Toronto, will look at the search for accessible stem cells for the nervous system.

Related Link:

Frontiers in Research Web site