OHSU has announced its speaker lineup for OHSU Brain Awareness Season 2007. This year's edition of the annual celebration features world-renowned brain researchers and experts who will travel to Oregon to discuss their research. In addition, the series has a new home: The Newmark Theater at the Portland Center for the Performing Arts. OHSU's Brain Awareness Season is considered one of the largest and finest by the event's national sponsor, the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives.

Highlights from this season's schedule include:

Feb. 6 - Hearing and the Brain - This talk will be presented by OHSU Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator Teresa Nicolson, Ph.D., and McGill University's Daniel J. Levitin, Ph.D., Author of "This Is Your Brain on Music." Nicolson will explain how the brain responds to sound, as rocker-turned-scientist Levitin explores the brain's role in listening to and enjoying music. The program will feature musical selections to demonstrate the role of music in the mind.
 
Feb. 13 - Senses and Substances - When do healthy pleasures become unhealthy pleasures? Why does alcohol use vary, and what is the line between casual use and compulsive use? Martin Paulus, M.D., of the University of California, San Diego, delves into the science of reward pathways/addiction.

Feb. 20 - Vision and the Brain - The eyes are the window for the brain. Yet, there are many mysteries about how we see and how our brain makes sense of what we see. OHSU Casey Eye Institute Director David Wilson, M.D., shares his vision of the brain's role in seeing the world we live in.

Feb. 27 - Pain and the Brain - From splitting headaches to backaches to sore feet, millions of Americans experience pain on a daily basis. Allan Basbaum, Ph.D., a neuroscientist at the University of California, San Francisco, explains how chronic pain develops and explores the idea that chronic pain is a disease itself and not merely a symptom of another disease.

March 6 - New Therapies for Stroke - Stroke is like a heart attack in the brain. Sometimes there are warning signs. Other times they strike without warning. Find out about the latest stroke research from prevention to recovery from OHSU's Helmi Lutsep, M.D., of the Oregon Stroke Center. In addition, learn about ways to keep from becoming a victim yourself.

March 13 - The Brain and Our Sense of Self - Diane Ackerman, Ph.D., author of "An Alchemy of the Mind" and "A Natural History of the Senses" explores how the brain builds a sense of self and the world in which we spend our days. Ackerman's bestselling book "A Natural History of the Senses," recently became a five-part PBS series.

March 31 - Neuroscience Town Hall:  A Clear Strong Voice for Neuroscience Research - Mahlon DeLong, M.D., co-founder of the American Brain Coalition and nationally known neuroscientist/clinician, will lead a healthy discussion on neuroscience research and advocacy efforts at the national level, along with representatives from the National Institutes of Health and our Oregon congressional delegation.  Oregon, with its new OHSU Brain Institute, is on the leading edge of both research and advocacy.

A full list of events, locations and times can be found at www.oregonbrains.org.

Lecture tickets can be purchased at www.oregonbrains.org or by calling 503 494-0885.