"Brain Awareness Week" Activities Set by SIU Med School

A public forum on brain disease and aging as well as a program for middle school students will highlight Brain Awareness Week this month at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. The events will be held March 15 to 21 and are part of an annual national campaign to introduce lay audiences to the most complex organ of the human body.

The forum, "Brain Briefings," will be held 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesday, March 17, in SIU's South Auditorium, 801 N. Rutledge St., (second floor) Springfield. There will be two presentations by SIU faculty - "Overview of Severe Mental Illness" by Dr. Karen Broquet, associate professor of internal medicine and psychiatry and assistant dean for graduate medical education, and "Neuropsychology of Schizophrenia" by Ron Zec, Ph.D., associate professor of neurology and psychiatry.

"All About the Brain," a neuroscience health fair and educational program for 7th grade students from Lincoln Magnet School will be held 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. Tuesday, March 16. It will feature hands-on exhibits with demonstrations by nine SIU presenters. The exhibit stations are cranial nerve exam, human brain, epilepsy, how do we speak, effects of abusive drugs and medical history.

The programs are sponsored by SIU's Department of Neurology. To register for the "Brain Briefings" or obtain additional information about the week, call 545-8249 weekdays.

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NOTE TO MEDIA: If you are interested in covering "All About the Brain" at Lincoln Magnet School, please contact Ruth Slottag or Nancy Zimmers, SIU Public Affairs, 545-2155.