The program, which included academics, students, and guests, offered participants a rich scientific content by addressing the intersections of neuroscience with different disciplines.
"The brain is the organ that makes us who we are."
Brain Awareness Week was inaugurated with a speech by our Rector, Prof. Dr. Ersoy Kocabıçak. Highlighting the crucial role of brain health in human life, Prof. Dr. Kocabıçak stated that although the brain constitutes only about 2% of body weight, it consumes approximately a quarter of the circulating blood and a significant portion of the oxygen, highlighting its central importance in human life.
Professor Dr. Ersoy Kocabıçak pointed out that the brain is an extremely complex structure consisting of approximately 86 billion nerve cells and trillions of connections, emphasizing that protecting brain health is of great importance for a longer and higher quality of life. Stating that neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's, dementia, and Parkinson's significantly affect the quality of life today, Professor Dr. Ersoy Kocabıçak said that Brain Awareness Week provides an important platform for raising public awareness on this issue.
Different Dimensions of Neuroscience Were Addressed Through Scientific Presentations
On the first day of the event, Neuropsychologist Prof. Dr. Öget Öktem Tanör was with the participants, giving a talk titled "Types of Memory and Memory Impairments".
In her presentation, Prof. Dr. Öget Öktem Tanör explained the different types of memory, which she defined as the ability of a living organism to retain information about itself and its environment. She stated that keeping memory constantly active and learning new things would be effective in strengthening it.
On the first day of the program, Mehmet Selman Demirci from Cerrahpaşa Faculty of Medicine gave a presentation titled “Tabula Rasa,” and Erdem Tüzün from Istanbul University Aziz Sancar Experimental Medicine Research Institute presented on “Autoantibody-Mediated Mechanisms in Neurological Diseases.”
Interdisciplinary Experience Through Workshops
On the second day of the program, participants had the opportunity to experience neuroscience alongside different disciplines by attending workshops that explored neuroplasticity experientially, the art of marbling from a neuroaesthetic perspective, the cognitive effects of aromatherapy, and the processing of music and language in the brain.
Cinema and the Brain's Memory Mechanisms
The third day of the event concluded with a screening of the film Memento. The screening provided participants with the opportunity to evaluate the brain's memory mechanisms and the impact of perception on human behavior from a different perspective.
Brain Awareness Week, which attracted significant interest from academics, students, and participants, concluded as a productive and inspiring program that explored science from diverse perspectives.
