• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK: Cervell..a..mente 2019 – Drugs affecting Brain activities
  

Cervell..a..mente (Brain…Mind) is a cycle of seminars conceived for introducing high school students to the results of the research in the rapidly growing field of Neuroscience. More than 60 schools with about 6000 students attend the event yearly, thus contributing to the success of this annual appointment organized by the Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases of the University of Milan.

The 2019 edition of Cervell..a..mente will be devoted to the subject of “Drugs affecting brain activities” and will be held in the course of the week from February 25th to March 1st at the University of Milan Great Hall, when speakers from the Italian Academia will present the state-of-the art of therapies now available for treating of neurological and neuropsychiatric disorders. In addition, they will discuss how and to which extent chemicals, life style (including the use of internet) and diet may have a major impact on how the brain functions by contributing to modulate its complex neuronal circuitries and interactions among neurons, microglia and macroglia cells.

Video Archive: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/media?mid=711

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK – Cervell.a.mente 2017: Art & Brain

CEND (Center of Excellence on  Neurodegenerative Diseases ) of the University of Milan, and coordinated by Professor Adriana Maggi will come back in 2017 with its traditional cycle of seminars  on Neurosciences, and this year its aim is to underline the link between artistic production and brain functions. Along with other general interest topics, such as addictions, mood disorders, the development and functions of the nervous system, neurodegenerative diseases and new technologies applied in brain surgery field, we will deal to go more in depth in the link between Art and Brain, by approaching the subjest form different perspectives, like how art can be affected and influenced by drugs abuse or by mood disorders. In particular, Professors Margaret Rose and Carlo Caltagirone will talk about the wide representation of neurological disorders done by William Shakespeare, as seen by the perspective of the humanist and the scientist. We will also see how the concept of Beauty is far from being immutable but, instead, how it often changes. Moreover, Professor Fabio Babiloni of Brainsigns – spin-off of University La Sapienza of Rome – will show us how it is possible to measure emotions elicited by Art. Cervell.a.mente 2017 will take place at the University of Milan, from the 6th until the 10th February, 2017.  

Video archive: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/media?mid=599    

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK 2016

CERVELL.A.MENTE 2016 – BRAIN AND TECHNOLOGIES Cervell..a..Mente, cycle of seminars organized by CEND (Center of Excellence on Neurodegenerative Diseases) of the University of Milan and co-ordinated by Prof. Adriana Maggi, will come back in 2016 with the topic ‘Brain and Technologies’. This year, the seminars are focused on new technologies and how they have led a  meaningful progress in knowledge; the use of computational methods, functional imaging and molecular biology have allowed to achieve results in the study of functions and brain disorders, that were unimaginable just a few years ago. However these new technologies represent also a challenge for our brain, because it had to adapt itself to comprehend and respond to new stimuli, to memorize and to deal with an ever more stressful environment and to learn concepts, which are more and more complicated by the day. Diego Fornasari, Professor at the University of Milan, whom have in CEND activities for the Brain Awareness Week since the very first edition, will give his lecture on drug addiction; Professor Pier Paolo Battaglini, Supervisor of the Trieste Interdipartimental Center for Neuroscience, will explain how ‘brain-computer’ interfaces work and Rosa Maria Moresco, head of the laboratory PET University of Milan Bicocca, will talk about imaging in the study of neurodegenerative diseases. Egidio D’Angelo, Professor at the Department of Nervous System Sciences at the University of Pavia, will held a seminar on the studies conducted in Europe under the Human Brain Project, while his colleague Professor Giorgio Metta, Head of the iCUB Facility at the Italian Institute of Technology (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, IIT), will discuss about robots and artificial intelligence. Seminars will also deal with general interest topics, such as the development and functions of the nervous system, and they will be held by other well-known speakers of past editions, such as: Doctor Alessandra Colciago and Professors Raffaella Molteni and Fabrizio Gardoni. The seminars will be held at the University of Milan, from February 15th to 19th, 2016.

Video archive: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/media?mid=536

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK 2015

CERVELL.A.MENTE 2015 – FEEDING THE BRAIN Cervell..a..Mente, the series of seminars on Neurosciences organized by CEND (Center of Excellence on  Neurodegenerative Diseases), in 2015 will came back with the topic “Feeding the Brain”. In the year the EXPO will be held in Milan and will revolve around the topic of “Food” , we will talk about food and will discuss the neurological implications of some feeding habits. Wouldn’t it be impossible to live only of food? We will also see how Music is a veritable source of feeding for our brain and, through behavioral and physiological studies, we will try to understand how can mathematic be already represented in our brain. Diego Fornasari, Professor of the University of Milan, and Stefano Erzegovesi, Head of the Eating disorders Centre of the IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele di Milano, will open the new edition of Cervell.a.mente talking about, respectively, drugs addictions and eating disorders. With Vittorio Sironi, Professor at University Bicocca and Scientific Director of the Research Institute on the History of Biomedical Thought (Centro Studi sulla Storia del Pensiero Biomedico, CESPEB), Raffaela Rumiati, Professor of Cognitive Neuroscience and Director of the Neuroscience Laboratory at the International School for Advanced Studies (Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, SISSA), e Marco Bianchi, scientific popularizer of the Veronesi Foundation, we will introduce the topic of Neurogastronomy and we will talk about the importance of a healthy diet. Enzo Nisoli, President of the Italian Obesity Society, will talk about the impact of diet and lifestyle on the development of diseases. Giuliano Avanzini, Head physician of the OU of Neurophysiology and Diagnostic Epileptology of Besta Hospital, will held a seminar about Music and Brain, whilst Giorgio Vallortigara, Deputy Director of the Center for Mind/Brain Sciences of the University of Trento, will show us how Mathematic is not actually learned, but it’s already represented in our brain. In the afternoon, lectures will be held by our researchers whom will deal with general interest topics, as functioning and behavior of the brain and mood disorders, along with Lorenzo Bello, whom will show new innovative techniques adopted in brain surgery. Cervell..a..Mente will take place at the University of Milan from the 16 until 20 March, 2015.

Video archive: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/media?mid=453

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK  – 2014

CEND comes back to the general public with a new cycle of lectures on Neuroscience, Cervell..a..Mente, characterised in 2014 by a slightly different schedule and target. Lectures will deal with the research performed and the results obtained by Neuroscience during the last decades, the way research itself has changed and what steps have been made forward an improvement in the quality of life of patients with neurodegenerative diseases. Lecturers will show how novel technologies have helped research and how different disciplines have blended in to lead man to new frontiers. The cycle of lectures will be opened by Vice-rector Maria Daniela Candia. Among the new lecturers, Giorgio Metta, Head of the iCUB Facility at the Italian Institute of Technology (Istituto Italiano di Tecnologia, IIT), will discuss about artificial intelligence and will intruduce the iCubhumanoid robot project. Stefano Gustincich, Professor at the International School for Advanced Studies (Scuola Internazionale Superiore di Studi Avanzati, SISSA) in Trieste, will report on the ways genes can influence the development and functioning of our brain, while his colleague Professor Pier Paolo Battaglini, Supervisor of the Trieste Interdepartmental Center for Neuroscience, will explain how ‘brain-computer’ interfaces work. Alice Mado Proverbio, Professor at the University of Milano-Bicocca, will take us into the world of ‘mirror neurons’, and Abutalebi Jubin, Instructor of Neuropsychology at the University Vita – Salute San Raffaele, Milan, will examine the behavior of brain in bilinguism. A little more than a year has passed since the departure of Nobel laureate Rita Levi Montalcini, so Pietro Calissano, President of the European Brain Research Institute (EBRI) and close co-worker of Professor Montalcini, will give a lecture on her life and discoveries and on how they changed brain research. The President of Italian Obesity Society, Enzo Nisoli, will then present on the importance of diet and lifestyle on the development of diseases. The audience of CEND lectures will then recognize: Diego Fornasari, Professor at the University of Milan participating in CEND lectures since their very first edition, who will give his lecture on drug addiction twice along the week; Lorenzo Bello, displaying new techniques of brain surgery; Vincenzo Silani, who will speak about neurodegeneration and its diseases; Fabrizio Gardoni, presenting on synaptopathies; Raffaella Molteni, dealing with anxiety and stress between normality and pathology; Daniela Tardito, who will speak about mood disorders; Alessandra Colciago, explaining the differences that are elicited by sexual differentiation on the brain. Lectures will be held at the University of Milan, from February 24th to 28th, 2014. On Monday (February 24) and Wednesday (February 26), morning lectures will be available for streaming at http://portalevideo.unimi.it Afternoon lectures will be held by CEND researchers and will deal will general interest topics, such as functioning and behaviour of the brain and mood disorders. The final programme, with lecture rooms, is available for the download. The press release about the event is available here.

Video archive: http://portalevideo.unimi.it/media?mid=363

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK – 2013

CEND traditional lectures for Brain Awareness Week took place also in 2013 and were organized under the endorsement of the Municipality of Milan, the Province of Milan and CARIPLO Foundation. The programme of 2013 cycle of lectures is still available for the download. Lectures were held from February 4th to 8th at the University of Milan and were attended with usual enthusiasm by not only students from secondary schools but also by university students, by teachers from schools of various degrees, by associations and people interested in the presented topics for personal or professional reasons. The widening of the audience shows how people ask for more and more information in this area, being competent, curious and careful about social problems, and underlines the paucity of events which could satisfy this growing demand. Moreover, resounding success was achieved by the distribution of issues of “NEUROSCIENZE: La Scienza del Cervello” (Neuroscience: The Science of the Brain”) and “Neuroscienze per iniziare” (Neuroscience for beginners), kindly provided by Trieste Interdipartipmental Center for Neuroscience, headed by Prof. Piero Paolo Battaglini. Together with lectures, the exhibition “Use your Brain” was proposed again in 2013. Fifteen panels were exposed in the main branch of the University of Milan from March 11 to 24.

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK  – 2012

CEND organiZed its traditional initiative for secondary school student in 2012 as well, with lessons on the nervous system, its development and functions, enriched with new topics and lecturers. Lectures were held at the University of Milan, from February 13 to 17, 2012. Students from schools in Milan and in Regione Lombardia participated with their usual enthusiasm: more than 7500 students attended the lectures.

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK  – 2011

Similarly to what done in past years, CEND has organised also for 2011 the cycle of lectures for higher education students on the nervous system, its development and its functions. Lectures were held at the University of Milan, from February 21 to 25, 2011. Similarly to past editions, CEND initiative proved successful, with great participation of school from Milan and its province: registered participant were more than 6000.

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK – 2010
• Like in previous years, CEND organized for 2010 its traditional initiative for secondary school students, with new lectures about development and functions of the nervous system. Lectures were held in Milan, at the University, and were organized in two series, the former in the morning, from February 1 to 5, and the latter in the afternoon, from February 8 to 12. The event confirmed the increasing success shown by previous editions. More than 5700 students registered to lectures, from 45 school institutes of Regione Lombardia.

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK  – 2009
• CEND and students

CEND organized for 2009 its traditional initiative for secondary school students, with a new series of lectures about the nervous system, its development and its functions. Lectures were held in Milan, at the University, and were organized in two series, the former in the morning, from February 9 to 13, and the latter in the afternoon, from February 16 to 20. More than 4700 registrations were received.

• Summer school

Like in 2008, CEND organized a celebrative event to take place during the CEND initiative for higher education students. The event took place on February 13, 2009 in the Aula Magna of the University of Milan. Students whoM won 2008 edition of CEND Summer School participated and received the attendance certificate.

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK  – 2008
• Brain Awareness Week: Activities 2008

CEND and students Lectures organized for 2008 Brain Awareness Week edition were attended by more than 4600 students. They were organised, like previous years, at the University of Milan and two series of lectures were here held, the former in the morning (from February 18 to 22), the latter in the afternoon (from February 25 to 29). Due to the high number of people registered, lectures on February 19 and 20 were given in the Aula Magna of the University of Milan. On February 20, the lecture also represented the chance to meet the students who won 2007 edition of CEND summer school and to present 2008 summer school project.

• Summer school

Like past year, also in 2008 CEND organized a Summer school project giving the chance to deserving students from region Lombardia to attend prestigious laboratories in Italy or in Europe. Project details were communicated on February 20, at the lecture for secondary school students held at the Aula Magna of the University of Milan. The event saw the participation of Prof. Gianpiero Sironi, Prorector for Research and Technoloy Transfer, Professors Nereo Bresolin and Adriana Maggi, CEND President and Director, and Professor Bruna Baggio, from Region Lombardia School Office (download the flier and the programme of the event). Students who won last year’s edition of CEND Summer school were invited to speak about their own experience and received the participation certification. Look at the pictures and read the press report. In 2008 Summer school edition, 7 students were awarded: 2 students attended the laboratory of Prof. Barbara Demeneix at the Scientific Research National Council in Paris; 2 students attended the laboratory of Prof. Luis-Miguel García-Segura at the Cajal Institute of the Scientific Research Superior Council in Madrid; 1 student attended the laboratory of Prof. Silvano Cella, at CEND in Milan, Department of Medical Pharmacology, Chemotherapy and Toxicology; 1 student attended the laboratory of Dr. Maura Francolini, at CEND in Milan, Department of Medical Pharmacology, Chemotherapy and Toxicology; 1 student attended the laboratory of Prof. Anna Maria di Giulio, at CEND in Milan, Department of Medicine, Surgery and Dentistry. More detailed information on CEND Summer school and on the procedures adopted for the selection can be found in the Project Description available for the download. Candidates selected to participate in 2008 Summer school will refer about their experience during 2009 edition of CEND Brain Awareness Week activities, when they will receive the participation certification.

• Exhibition “Use your brain ”

On the occasion of the celebrative day organized at the Aula Magna of the University of Milan to present the new CEND Summer school project, the exhibition “Use your brain” was set up again to be visited by students and attendants. Look at the pictures.

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK  – 2007
• CEND and students

Lectures were held in the morning, on February 5th-8th and 12th, at the Department of Pharmacological Sciences of the University of Milan and were attended by approximately 1200 students coming from 8 institutes from Milan and from nearby towns and provinces.

• Summer school

In collaboration with CRESCENDO, an Integrated Project founded by the European Union, CEND organized for the first time in 2007 a summer school to provide deserving students with the chance to have a working experience in the field of scientific research. Thanks to this initiative, three students from schools in the region Lombardia could spend two weeks attending important European research laboratories. A girl, studying at the Institute A. Cesaris of Casalpusterlengo (Lodi), attended for two weeks the laboratory of Prof. Barbara Demeneix at the Scientific Research National Council in Paris. A girl, studying at the Institute A. Cesaris of Casalpusterlengo (Lodi), attended for two weeks the laboratory of Prof. Adriana Maggi at CEND in Milan. A boy, studying at the Institute Capirola of Ghedi (Brescia), attended for two weeks the laboratory of Prof. Eugenio Muller at CEND in Milan. On the occasion of the lectures for secondary school students organized by CEND to celebrate the 2008 Brain Awareness Week, the three of them were invited to present short reports on their experiences. On the same day, they received an attendance certificate.

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK  – 2006

Following the success of previous editions, CEND organized in 2006 a new series of lessons for secondary school students. Lectures were given in the afternoons from March 13th to 16th at the Department of Pharmacological Sciences of the University of Milan, with approximately 1800 students attending, coming from 20 institutes from Milan and nearby towns and provinces.

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK  – 2005

The series of lessons for secondary school students, born in 2004 as an “itinerant” version, moved back to the University in 2005. For the first time CEND invited the students to attend the seminars, thus housing, during the afternoons from February 14th to 17th, approximately 1300 students coming from schools from Milan and from nearby towns and provinces.

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK  – 2004
• Exhibition “Use your Brain”

The exhibition, born in 2003 within the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology, was proposed again to the public with a new set up in the Octagon of the Vittorio Emanuele II Gallery in Milan, thus bringing neuroscientific research amongst the people. Opened on March 15th at the presence of Minister Girolamo Sirchia, the exhibition was attended by hundreds of people during its seven-day opening. Look at some panels and at the photogallery of the exhibition here.

• CEND and students

Teachers from the University of Milan brought CEND research to secondary school students first in 2004. Lectures, on educational and formative topics, were held in 11 secondary schools in Milan, with a total attendance of about 1600 students. Schools participating in this initiative were:

Collegio San Carlo

Istituto Leone XIII

ITAS Natta

ITIS Mattei

Liceo Classico G. Berchet

Liceo Classico G. Carducci

Liceo Classico G. Parini

Liceo Linguistico A. Manzoni

Liceo Scientifico Einstein

Liceo Scientifico Marconi

Liceo Scientifico Vittorio Veneto

• BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK  – 2003
• Exhibition “Use your Brain “

CEND usa Il Cervello (CEND use its Brain)

The Center of Excellence CEND, together with the Insitute of Neuroscience of the National Research Council (CNR), set up an exhibition on brain within the Leonardo da Vinci Museum of Science and Technology. The exhibition, addressed to general public, aims at revealing the “secrets” of the organ responsible of thoughts, feelings and senses. Look at some panels from the exhibition.

• PazzescaMente (MadMind)

  A scientific café to spread knowledge on neuroscientific research among the outsiders: this was PazzescaMente, set up by CEND as fortnightly meetings, meant to disseminate scientific topics, especially to move the young to science by raising their interest in medical-scientific disciplines. With this purpose, the scientific café, which represented the first ever initiative of this kind in Milan, was mainly addressed to students at the last year of their secondary school and at the beginning of their university career. Read more about the subjects discussed during PazzescaMente meetings.