Sisters turns out to explore the brain

On a cold dark Monday night, more than 250 Sisters Country folks packed the FivePine Conference Center to hear a lecture on "Mapping the Brain."

On November 7, Dr. Arthur Toga, a world-renowned brain-mapping researcher delivered a clear, concise overview of the scientific community's efforts to better understand the brain and how it functions.

"What is it that we spend most of our time doing in brain science?" said Dr. Toga, "We are looking at the 'what and where' (with mapping). We still have a great deal to go on the how and why."

Through a set of vibrant color slides and videos, Dr. Toga illustrated and detailed the intensely complex challenge of mapping and understanding how the brain handles information that it receives from the senses.

"For me, I like studying the machinery of it (the brain). It is the equipment that enables all that we do," he said. "I like to understand how it works and how it is organized, and we really don't know that in a complete way," said Toga. "The fact that it is such a grand challenge to understand what it is that makes us who we are. You can't have more fun than that. It is what makes you you and me me. You can't not be intrigued by that," he said with great enthusiasm.

In 1983 Dr. Toga started a small research laboratory at the Washington University School of Medicine at St. Louis. In 1987, the lab moved to UCLA, and has now grown to include 123 people. The Laboratory of Neuro Imaging (LONI) is one of the United States' foremost neurological research centers.

When asked what he wanted his audience to understand, Toga said, "I think one of the things that people don't often acknowledge is how dynamic the brain is. It always changes throughout your life. It changes by you doing it deliberately; it changes because it is an adaptive system that is supposed to change. It changes a lot."

One of LONI's major projects involves a worldwide study of Alzheimer's disease. Dr. Toga said, "Think about any other system in the body, without exercise they atrophy. Muscle atrophy occurs with age no matter how much you use them. The same happens with the brain. Atrophy occurs with age even though you try to keep up, it is still a progressive process that you can slow down perhaps, but you can't stop."

The Alzheimer's study involves 59 sites around the country, plus Japan, Australia, and Europe. LONI receives thousands of scans every month. It is the largest study of its kind in the world, and is co-funded by major pharmaceutical companies and the U.S. government. The study is unique in that all the data is shared with anyone that requests it.

In conclusion, Dr. Toga said, "Each research method tells you something. In concert they give you a better picture than they do individually. The data are digital, they are wonderful, they are visual, they are exciting. They hold great promise in trying to tease out how the brain is organized and how it functions.

Bob Collins, chair of the barely six-month-old Sisters Science Club, was overwhelmed by the community response to Dr. Toga's appearance. Dr. Toga was thinking maybe 20 people would show up. Based on feedback, Collins was thinking maybe 100 at the most.

Collins said "We live in remarkable times when many of life's deep mysteries are yielding up their secrets. The Hubble Space Telescope is showing us the beginnings of space and time. Linear accelerators are revealing the basic structures of matter. Simple columns of resin unravel the genetic codes of animals and plants. And the brain MRI scan is teaching us who we are. Science is rigorous and true because her discoveries can be repeated and refined until they become part of our common understanding."

As a result of Dr. Toga's presentation, the Science Club added 58 more members, bringing the total up to 192.

"That's a good start," said Collins.

On December 12, at 11 a.m. in the Sisters High School library, the Science Club will launch their monthly community seminar series, "Big Ideas in Science." Each of these will begin with a 30-minute DVD on the subject. The first one is on "The Expanding Universe." Jim Hammond will be the moderator for the discussion and audience participation that follows.

For more information visit LONI's website, www.loni.ucla.edu, or www.sistersscienceclub.org.