It’s time to roll up your sleeves and rev your neurons.
As part of a week long tribute to neuroscience, the leaders of the Society for the Advancement of Neuroscience will host a trivia night dedicated to dispel what Sahba Seddighi, junior in College Scholars and president of the club, calls ‘pop neuroscience’ Tuesday in the Humanities and Social Sciences Building.
What Brain Awareness Week organizers have deemed a “Brain Bowl,” the game night, entitled “True or False: Debunking Myths in Neuroscience,” seeks to dispel myths set in motion by thrillers like “Limitless” (2011) and “Lucy” (2014) that perpetuate the false claims about the capacities of the human mind, Seddighi said.
“We are surrounded by the media, and neuroscience is no exception to the misconceptions brought about by our favorite Hollywood movies, TV shows and even books,” Seddighi explained. “This is not to say that we are all misinformed, but these perpetuated myths and the resulting gap in knowledge are far more common than one would expect.”
First brought to campus in 2012, Brain Awareness Week hosts panels on a variety of neuroscience issues each organized by UT’s Philosophy Club, the Department of Child and Family Studies, Brain and Spine Institute at the University of Tennessee Medical Center, the Alzheimer’s Tennessee Association and Vanderbilt University.
Reagan Long, a junior in college scholars studying medical illustrations, said she hopes events like the Brain Bowl will inspire greater awareness for the brain as a “beautifully complex organ.”
“Neuroscience is a topic that deserves more attention,” Long said. “I am most excited to engage in discussions with people who do not consider themselves to be strictly ‘scientific,’ and especially to do this in a setting that isn’t intimidating.”
Sophomore in College Scholars Alex Brito said she decided to participate in the Brain Bowl on Tuesday night after attending a panel held earlier in the week which discussed the uses of cognitive-enhancing drugs like Adderall and Vyvanse, solidifying her interest in the upcoming event.
“It was really interesting to hear the perspective of the neuroscientist and the perspective of the philosophy, and it kind of took it in an entirely new direction, hearing student of different fields comment on it,” Brito said. “It’s interesting when you combine that moral argument with the facts of how these cognitive enhancers work in your brain.”
As neuroscience majors, Brito and her peers in the Society for the Advancement of Neuroscience said the events are not merely “technical talks,” but rather designed for a mass audience and for enhanced focus on brain-related issues relevant to student life.
“It’s frustrating at times because we know so little about [neuroscience], and that’s one of the reasons I think Brain Awareness Week is so successful — because everyone wants to know more and everyone’s looking for answers.” Brito said.
The Brain Bowl will take place tonight in Room 51 of HSS at 6 p.m. For a full schedule of Brain Awareness Week, visit their website.
