The Nugget Newspaper - News and Opinion from Sisters, Oregon

How does your brain learn and retain information? As the field of neuroscience continues to uncover the neural mechanisms of memory, can we employ some of these findings to help boost recall?

Dr. Mark Pitzer is an award-winning neuroscientist at the University of Portland who weaves together stories with scientific findings to help explain complicated concepts. Dr. Pitzer has worked for the last 25 years to better understand and treat disorders of the brain, including Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases. Last February, he whetted our appetite with how the brain manipulates our visual world by highlighting some objects, deleting others, and altering our conscious awareness.

Dr. Pitzer returns to The Belfry on Tuesday, November 28, at 7 p.m. for a presentation titled “Building Stronger Memories: Insights from Neuroscience to Enhance Learning and Retention,” which will explore how the brain creates memories, and how specific brain systems involved in emotions, movement, and vision can be deliberately recruited to strengthen recall.

The presentation is part of the Frontiers in Science lecture series.

The social hour begins at 6 p.m. with light fare, beer, and wine available for purchase. Admission is $5 at the door; teachers and students are admitted free. The Belfry is located at 302 E. Main Ave.

For more information contact the Sisters Science Club at [email protected].