Brain awareness week 2013

The World Brain Awareness Week will take place from 11th to 15th of March 2013. The objective of the activities planned during this week is to raise society’s awareness on how the brain works and how researchers are developing a better understanding in this field.

Of course, research on brain diseases, which aims to increase knowledge on their pathogenesis, as well as on prevention and therapeutic approaches, will play an important role in this week’s events.

CReSA, as in former years, will actively participate by offering activities to highschool students regarding transmissible spongiform encephalopathies (TSEs).

TSEs are neurodegenerative diseases, also known as prion diseases, which severely damage the brain. Some of them affect animals, such as scrapie, which affects small ruminants, and bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), which affects cattle. This is why this diseases are studied by CReSA. BSE is a zoonosis, which means it can also affect the human brain.

Among the activities planned, the participants will have the opportunity to visit CReSA research facilities and to participate in a seminar (held at CReSA or at the same school) where the researchers working with prions will explain to the students how CReSA is contributing to the society regarding prion diseases.

The activities for school students must be booked in advance. For further information check out the School program activities website.

Neurones espongiformes

Spongiform neurons

About the author of this post:

Investigador de l'IRTA-CReSA. Laboratori PRIOCAT - SESC (Suport a Escorxadors) - Diagnòstic TBC. enric.vidal@irta.cat