The European Dana Alliance for the Brain (EDAB) is an organization of 212 eminent brain scientists, including five Nobel laureates, from 29 countries.
Launched in 1997, and modelled on the US-based Dana Alliance for the Brain Initiatives, EDAB is committed to enhancing the public's understanding of why brain research is so important.
EDAB brings the excitement of scientific progress to the general public and opinion-formers by working in partnership with charities, universities, schools, hospitals, the arts, the media and professional organizations.
Every March, EDAB coordinates Brain Awareness Week, during which hundreds of public events in dozens of countries celebrate the progress of brain research.
Nominations Being Accepted for New Brain Prize of 1 million €
A private Danish Foundation, Grete Lundbeck European Brain Research Foundation, will award 1 million € next May for its new Brain Prize. The Prize will recognize highly original and influential advances in brain research. Nominations are being accepted until 15 September, 2010. For more information about the Prize and the nominating process, please visit:
www.thebrainprize.orgFree Resources from the European Dana Alliance Available
The European Dana Alliance for the Brain offers a wide range of free publications on topics about the brain as well as health awareness and patient information resources.
The publications produced are available in several languages including English, French, German, Italian, and Spanish. Recently, Hungarian, Czech, and Polish have been added to the EDAB publication list. All are available to download in PDF form.
Our Staying Sharp Series provides information for patients, carers, health professionals and families. Topics covered in this series touch on Chronic Health Issues, Depression, Learning Throughout Life, Memory Loss and Aging and Quality of Life.
For interests in Brain Research our Annual Report on Brain Research describes and interprets important advances in neuroscience of the previous year.
We also have resources for teachers and secondary school students with Mindboggling and More Mindbogglers which is packed with information for the brain in fun format of games, riddles and puzzles.
For those who wish to have those common questions about brain research answered there is our pamphlet Q&A: Answering your Questions About Brain Research. This will provide answers to commonly asked questions about the brain and its disorders e.g. how brain-imaging techniques have affected neuroscience research.
NEUROSCIENCE IN EUROPE TODAY
Dana Interviews Pierre J. Magistretti, M.D., Ph.D. Studying Synapses for Markers of Disease Pierre J. Magistretti leads a consortium of several scientists and clinicians from Lausanne, Geneva, and Basel that has recently been awarded a national grant for collaborative studies on the synaptic bases of mental diseases. (Also read a SfN interview with Magistretti ) EDAB AND U3A SPONSOR NEUROETHICS: WHAT’S RIGHT? WHAT’S WRONG? Neuroethics: What’s Right? What’s Wrong? was the challenging topic for three leading experts at a public discussion presented by the European Dana Alliance for the Brain (EDAB) and the University of the Third Age (U3A) at the Royal Society in London on 24 March.Simon Baron-Cohen, Professor of Developmental Psychopathology at the University of Cambridge, Geraint Rees, Professor of Cognitive Neurology at University College London, and Dr Ilinah Singh, Lecturer in Bioethics and Society at the London School of Economics were the speakers at this annual Staying Sharp event. Moderator, BBC presenter, Vivien Parry reminded them that the audience from the University of the Third Age were most definitely sharp!
‘Neuroethics’ refers to the way neuroscience affects human life. For example, cognitive enhancement is an academic term, translated as ‘brain boosting’ in the public domain.
Ritalin, a ‘brain boosting’ drug prescribed for Attention Deficit and Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), improves concentration. “However, the Internet means that brain boosting drugs like Ritalin are easily available to young people without ADHD to enhance their concentration in exams. A more sinister use is by street gangs to sharpen the focus of their actions.” said Dr Singh.
Or take brain imaging, which is a powerful tool to help neuroscientists understand brain function. Yet commercial companies are developing the same technology to attempt to read someone’s mind or to detect lies. “After 3000 years of philosophical debate, the best way to find out what a person is thinking is to ask them,” said Professor Rees.
If brain scans were introduced into airports to predict behaviour or aggressive tendencies, who would interpret those scans? What action would be taken and under whose authority? Would a person who was anxious or angry that day be labelled a risk to security for the rest of his or her life?
Then there is the issue of society’s enthusiasm for a diagnosis for everything. Where do you draw the line between abnormality and diversity, given that public attitudes change over time? “Not so long ago, left handedness and homosexuality were seen as abnormalities” said Professor Baron-Cohen, an expert in autism. He believes that if a child is suffering due to uncontrollable behaviour, then a diagnosis will facilitate effective treatment. But if the child and family are able to lead a normal life, we need to be cautious about what a diagnosis might say about a person’s brain.
The panel concluded that neuroscience itself cannot tell us what is right or wrong. Discussions between scientists and the public, however, will help us all make wise decisions on how advances in brain research will benefit us all.