Tag: Past

Dr. Alex Straiker will be back with a 5-year update on a favorite Science Café topic, the Science of Cannabis. How do cannabinoids work in the body? Are they dangerous? What has changed with the movement to legalize cannabis?

Four things are different from our usual meetings:
1) We’re starting at 7pm
2) We’re at Hopscotch on Morton & Dodds
3) Hopscotch doesn’t traditionally have food, though they’re working on that and we’ll update this event as more information becomes available They do have coffee, tea, beer, and pastries all the time.
4) We’re on the 3rd, rather than 4th Wednesday, so as not to conflict with Green Drinks

Stress is implicated in many psychological disorders, and the rate and expression of many stress-related disorders differs in women and men. Prefrontal cortex has been implicated in many stress-influenced psychological disorders. Using animal models, we have shown that stress affects prefrontal cortex differently in males versus females. Given that prefrontal cortex is an important regulator of emotional behavior, understanding the mechanisms underlying these different stress effects is key to developing appropriate treatments for stress-related disorders such as depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dr. Cara Wellman, director of the Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior will present this talk.

Huntington’s disease, a fatal neurodegenerative condition that strikes in the prime of life, is caused by a single gene defect. The mutant gene was identified in 1993 but hope for a cure was far from assured as subsequent research revealed an amazingly complex role for this gene in brain function. Now, a positive phase I clinical trial and a $45 million bet from Roche suggests a reason for optimism. And if the therapy works for HD patients could a similar approach work for other neurodegenerative conditions?

Dr. George Rebec will talk about this work and the implications.

(This talk was rescheduled because of a roof leak at Bears in June. Also, to avoid conflict with Halloween, we’re doing it on a Friday instead of Wednesday!)

Huntington’s disease, a fatal neurodegenerative condition that strikes in the prime of life, is caused by a single gene defect. The mutant gene was identified in 1993 but hope for a cure was far from assured as subsequent research revealed an amazingly complex role for this gene in brain function. Now, a positive phase I clinical trial and a $45 million bet from Roche suggests a reason for optimism. And if the therapy works for HD patients could a similar approach work for other neurodegenerative conditions?

Dr. George Rebec will talk about this work and the implications.