Group items tagged

Project NEURON develops curriculum materials for middle and high school teachers to use in their science classrooms. Each unit addresses various science education standards, including the Next Generation Science Standards, within the context of neuroscience topics and research performed on the University of Illinois campus. All of our completed materials, which have been classroom-tested and revised, are available on this website to teachers and educators for free. For teachers who wish to engage with our materials hands-on, we also provide professional development opportunities through local workshops and national teaching conferences such as NSTA.

This directed case study follows two college roommates, Darrell and Anthony, who have just returned to school after winter vacation. They share that their ageing fathers are concerned about their declining faculties and are amused by their fathers' efforts to reverse the process.  Darrell's dad plays "brain games" on the computer while Anthony's father believes running will slow his memory decline. Intrigued, the roommates search through their biopsychology class notes to find out whether their fathers are correct. They review the topics of synaptic formation and plasticity, including axonal and dendritic development, and chemical factors in the brain that promote the survival and growth of neurons or stop the genetically programmed death of neurons. Based on research findings, students reading this case will decide whether Darrell and Anthony's fathers are correct in their assertions. The case is appropriate for a wide variety of courses including introductory anatomy or physiology, or for upper-division biopsychology, biology, or neuroscience courses.

Some tiny clusters of brain cells grown in a lab dish are making big news at this week's Society for Neuroscience meeting in San Diego. Known as "minibrains," these rudimentary networks of cells are small enough to fit on the head of a pin, but already are providing researchers with insights into everything from early brain development to Down syndrome, Alzheimer's and Zika.

Trailblazers in neuroscience Dr. Christof Koch and Dr. John Donoghue reveal mind-blowing insights on how the brain turns thought into voluntary behaviors and how that knowledge is empowering victims of neurological trauma with regained physical abilities.

Genes to Cognition (G2C) Online is about modern neuroscience. It focuses on cognitive disorders, cognitive processes, and research approaches. Use the dynamic network maps to explore our library of 750+ unique items. Or, use the linear Selected Items menu on top of each map to tour selected content.  Explore, interact, and have fun! 

Kenneth Wesson works as a keynote speaker and educational consultant for pre-school through university-level institutions and organizations. He speaks throughout the world on the neuroscience of learning and methods for creating classrooms and learning environments that are "brain-considerate."

Scientists have genetically engineered monkeys so that they exhibit behaviors similar to autism, with a goal of testing potential therapies on the animals in hopes that their resemblance to humans will yield more answers about the disorder. The scientists found that the monkeys showed "very similar behaviors related to human autism patients, including repetitive behaviors, increased anxiety and, most importantly, defects in social interactions," said Zilong Qiu, a leader of the research at the Institute of Neuroscience at the Chinese Academy of Sciences in Shanghai. The team is now imaging the brains of the monkeys, he said, "trying to identify the deficiency in the brain circuits that is responsible for the autism-like behavior."

Student friendly online "your world" magazines, on a variety of topics.

https://www.dropbox.com/static/images/icons128/folder_dropbox.png

https://www.dropbox.com/static/images/icons128/folder_dropbox.png