BRAIN DAY 2015 – Programme

FROM FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH TO THERAPY

A day with a focus on Bochum’s neuroscience with lectures, information stands and activities.
02.09.2015, 12-17, RUB Conference Center


PROGRAMME

13:00BEGIN OF THE SUPPORTING PROGRAM
Presentations of support groups
Activities to join in
13:30WELCOME AND OPENING
Prof. Dr. Denise Manahan-Vaughan,
Speaker of Collaborative Research Centre 874, Ruhr-University Bochum
13:45GLIOBLASTOMA MULTIFORME – FUNDAMENTAL RESEARCH TO IMPROVE
THE THERAPY OF BRAIN TUMORS
Prof. Dr. Carsten Theiß,
Department of Cytology, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum
Read more
The influence of the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) on the central and peripheral nervous system is of great scientific and therapeutic interest, as brain tumors, like glioblastoma, release VEGF. Our team’s current data was able to show that VEGF has a positive effect on dendrite-, somato- and spinogenesis in neonatal and juvenile Purkinje cells in the cerebellum. Additionally, we were able to show, that VEGF improves the sprouting and motility of neural growth cones of the spinal ganglion. Furthermore, VEGF also has a positive effect on glia cells, in regards to their growth, their ability to communicate, and their movement. It must now be the task to investigate these fundamental research findings further, in order to achieve a better control of the effects of VEGF on nerve and glial tissue.
14:15PRION-DISEASES IN HUMANS AND ANIMALS – MODELS FOR INVESTIGATING NEURODEGENERATIVE DISEASES
Prof Dr. Jörg Tatzelt,
Department for Biochemistry of Neurodegenerative Diseases, Institute of Biochemistry and Pathobiochemistry, Faculty of Medicine,
Ruhr-University Bochum
Read more
Creutzfeldt-Jakob in humans and Scrapie in sheep are two fatal neurodegenerative diseases, which are transmitted via infectious proteins (prions). The history and the unique characteristics of these diseases are portrayed. Furthermore, their significance for the investigation of other neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s, is explained.
14:45COFFEE BREAK + SUPPORTING PROGRAM
16:00WANDERING NERVE CELLS AND EPILEPSY
Prof. Dr. Eckart Förster,
Department of Neuroanatomy and Molecular Brain Research, Faculty of Medicine, Ruhr-University Bochum
Read more
The significance of wandering nerve cells for the development of the brain has been known for some time. However, finding out that nerve cells in the adult brain also wander has been surprising. How and where do these nerve cells wander? What is the reason for this behavior under normal and pathological conditions, such as they occur in temporal lobe epilepsy for example? Can cell wandering lead to a change in the brain’s architecture? The lecture will explore these fascinating questions.
16:30THE DISCOVERY OF SLOWNESS – A FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF BRAIN ACTIVITY
Prof. Dr. Laurenz Wiskott,
Institute for Neural Computation, Ruhr-University Bochum
Read more
The extraordinary complexity of the brain cannot be genetically encoded in every detail. Furthermore, its impressive adaptability leads us to believe, that, for a large part, it structures itself through learning processes. Understanding these principles of self-organization is a great challenge – not only for experimenters, but also for theoretical scientists aiming to simulate such processes using mathematical models. In this lecture Prof. Dr. Laurenz Wiskott will present slowness as a possible principle of self-organization in the brain and he will give several examples, which support this idea.

SUPPORTING PROGRAMME

Get in contact with Bochum’s neuroscientists! Learn about current research projects and see demonstrations of scientific methods.

Get physically active with sports scientists from the Ruhr-University’s Department of Sports Medicine and Sports Nutrition. Their theme is “Sensory perception – “SENSationally” fascinating!”. Try yourself at a circuit course for the senses and discover how the senses “vision” and “balance” can influence your physical performance.

Would you like to learn about how people perceive faces? Then you should visit the presentation on facial recognition and look at some face-specific illusions, complete a new kind of face test, or try your hand at drawing faces upside down.

The EU Project ICanHear and the Collaborative Research Center 823 are investigating the acoustic perception of humans. Learn how the human auditory system works. And, with the help of audio demonstrations, experience the effects of hearing loss and the performance of hearing aids.

Neuroscientists of the Ruhr-University will demonstrate the possibilities of electroencephalography (EEG) and explain how this technology is used in diagnostics and therapy. The Neuropsychological Therapy Center will introduce an online guidebook for people with acquired brain damage and their relatives.

Cutting-edge technologies and current questions of society contribute to brain research. The Neural Plasticity Lab illustrates this with chosen examples and hands-on demonstrations. For example you can find out about “augmented reality” and how scientists use a pair of glasses to give the wearer additional information to reality.


INFORMATION STANDS OF THE SUPPORT GROUPS

Alzheimer Gesellschaft Bochum e.V. Demenz-Servicezentrum Region Ruhr

Aphasiker-Zentrum NRW e.V.

Autismus-Therapie-Zentrum Dortmund und Hagen

Clusterkopfschmerz-Selbsthilfe-Gruppe Recklinghausen

Deutsche Multiple Sklerose Gesellschaft

Gesichtsfeldausfall-Selbsthilfegruppe Niederrhein

Kinderneurologie-Hilfe Münster e.V. (KNH)

Neuronale-Ceroid-Lipofuszinose – Gruppe Deutschland e.V.

Restless Legs Selbsthilfegruppe Bochum

u.a.


REGISTRATION

Participation is free of charge
Please confirm your attendance via
Sfb874-pr@rub.de
Or Phone: 0234 32-26675


DIRECTION

Public Transport: subway U35 exit „Ruhr-Universität Bochum“, enter through Mensa (university cafeteria)

Car: via Universitätsstraße, Parking Deck P9, then follow signposts

Download Map Directions here.