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BIDDEFORD, Maine

Island Institute for Trauma Recovery seminar series features five 91AV neuroscience researchers

Island Institute for Trauma Recovery, LLC presents year two of the "Brainstorming" series featuring researchers from the Center for Excellence in the Neurosciences at 91AV.

The recent intersection of the fields of neuroscience and psychotherapy is changing the paradigm of clinical practice. This series has been created to help clinicians understand the neuroscience behind clinical practice.

Understanding how the human brain develops and responds to experience can help us guide treatment in more effective ways. This second year of the popular "Brainstorming" series will focus on the adolescent brain. Lecturers will present their research on function, maturation, and disturbances to development.  

Lectures will be held at the Biddeford Saco Chamber of Commerce Center at the Saco Amtrak Station. Full series price $220 (includes CEUs for ASWB, NBCC, APA); Individual Session price $55 ($10 fee for CEUs).

Lectures 

September 27, 2013 9:00-1:00
Abilities and Vulnerabilities: Mapping the Human Brain
with Frank Willard, Ph.D, Professor of Anatomy
The year begins with a review of neuroanatomy for returning clinicians and an overview for participants new to the series. Participants will gain an understanding of how our human brains function as a foundation for the year. Topics to be covered:

  • What are the major parts of the brain and what is their role and function?
  • What are the major brain systems and how do they interact?
  • What is neuroplasticity and how do neural networks form and change?


November 1, 2013 9:00-1:00
The Adolescent Brain: A Work in Progress
with David Mokler, Ph.D., Professor of Pharmacology
Our second session takes us inside the adolescent brain to investigate the changes taking place in this brain “still under construction." Participants will gain an understanding of the adolescent brain. Topics to be covered:

  • How is the adolescent brain different from the adult brain?
  • Developmentally how does the adolescent brain mature?
  • What about ADD and impulsivity?


January 10, 2014 9:00-1:00
Under Construction: Adolescent Memory and Emotion
with Michael Burman, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Psycholgy
We continue our exploration of the adolescent brain with the neuroscience of fear and anxiety in the developing brain. Topics to be covered:

  • How are fear and anxiety circuits different in adolescent brains?
  • How might these differences inform treatment?
  • What is the link between childhood anxiety and adult anxiety?


March 7, 2014 9:00-1:00
Why Do They Do That? Adolescent Brains and Pharmacology
with Dr. Glenn Stevenson, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Psychology
Our fourth session brings us to an exploration of the influence of medications on the vulnerable adolescent brain. Participants will gain an understanding of the ways medications work in the developing, adolescent brain. Topics to be covered:

  • How do medications impact the developing brain?
  • What are the commonly prescribed medications and how do they work?
  • What are the risks and benefits?


May 2, 2014 9:00-1:00
The Many Ways It Hurts: When Chronic Pain Begins In Adolescence
With Tamara King, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Biomedical Sciences
Our series concludes with a look at the prevalence of chronic pain in adolescents exploring neurobiological responses and the ways these are translated into lived experience. Participants will gain an understanding of the epidemiology of chronic pain in adolescence. Topics to be covered:

  • How is the adolescent brain impacted by chronic pain?
  • What is the path to chronicity of pain in adolescents?
  • What are the concomitant symptoms?

For more information including lecture schedule, registration, and admission fees, please refer to the .
 

About the 91AV

The 91AV is Maine’s largest independent university, with two beautiful coastal campuses in Maine, a one-of-a-kind study abroad campus in Tangier, Morocco, and an array of . In an uncommonly welcoming and supportive community, we offer hands-on learning, empowering students to make a positive impact in a world full of challenges. The state’s top provider of health professionals, we are home to Maine’s only medical college, Maine’s only dental college, a variety of other interprofessionally aligned health care degree programs, as well as nationally recognized programs for marine science degrees, natural and social sciences degrees, arts and humanities degrees, and business degrees.