Neuroscience 2012 annual meeting to take place from Oct. 13-17

WHAT: Neuroscience 2012, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, is the world's largest source of emerging news on brain science and health. Learn how the brain works and new developments on a range of topics: aging, language, brain injury, parenting, and mental illness, among others. More than 16,000 new discoveries will be presented, with 30,000 attendees from around the world.

Credentialed media can access press conferences and special events on how brain science impacts daily life and society, including art, ethics, and public policy. For details on the latest research being presented in your area of interest, download the Preliminary Program and register at www.sfn.org/pressroom.

PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS:

Meeting events highlight the interplay between brain research and culture, politics, and society:

• "Dialogues between Neuroscience and Society" discussion with renowned artist Chuck Close, s noted for his highly inventive techniques used to paint the human face. A National Medal of Arts awardee, Close produced his iconic portraits while coping with serious impairments of his body and brain.
• "The Societal Impact and Biology of the Overt and Hidden Dysfunctions Resulting from Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI)" public symposium.
• "The Developing Brain: How Research and Advocacy is Shaping Public Policy" forum.
• "Communicating Research to Patients — A Moral Imperative for Neuroscientists?" roundtable.

Presidential Special Lectures feature:

• James Rothman, PhD, Yale University School of Medicine, discusses efforts to understand the brain's machinery for cell communication.
• Carla Shatz, PhD, Stanford University, explores critical developmental periods, and how manipulating them has relevance not only for understanding brain wiring and developmental disorders, but also for enhancing recovery from injury.
• Janet F. Werker, PhD, The University of British Columbia, addresses how exposure to language in the womb affects the brain and subsequent language development.                     
• Simon E. Fisher, DPhil, Max Planck Institute for Psycholinguistics, will discuss our "gift of gab," and research uncovering critical genes involved in speech and language. 

WHEN: Oct. 13-17

WHERE:  Ernest N. Morial Convention Center, New Orleans