Head Banging: How Music and Concussions Impact Brain Health

September 25, 2018
6:00 pm – 7:30 pm

South Shore Cultural Center, Robeson Theater
South Shore Cultural Center, South South Shore Drive, Chicago, IL, USA

Register Now

Program Series:
Health and Wellness

Share

Share

Watch the highlights here!

How do our experiences, such as learning how to play music and playing sports, affect our brain? Although we are surrounded by sound all of the time, we rarely give much thought to this invisible yet powerful companion. The auditory system is a uniquely complex sensory system and the ability to make sense of sound relies on exquisite precision by the brain. Given the complexity and precision of the auditory system, accurate sound processing is particularly vulnerable to head injury. On the other hand, its precision can be honed by activities that exercise the auditory brain such as playing a musical instrument.

We have discovered a way to objectively capture the imprint that sounds leave on our brains. This biological approach empowers us to learn more and more about this invisible ally and enemy of brain health. Dr. Kraus will examine the promise of measuring soundprints in the brain to assess and manage sports-related concussions. She will discuss how music training is beneficial for the brain, strengthens our communication skills, and can inform health care, education, and social policy. Join us on September 25th to get swept away in this sensory learning experience.

Resources:

See ‘Music’ and ‘Concussion’ at www.brainvolts.northwestern.edu

See Demonstration of our Biological Approach

Event Details

This program is part of the “Science in the Parks” initiative and is presented by C2ST and the Chicago Park District. It is geared towards adults and kids alike.

Doors open at 5:30 pm and the program starts at 6:00 pm. The program will take place in the Robeson Theater at the South Shore Cultural Center. The Robeson Theater is located to the right once you enter the main doors of the South Shore Cultural Center

Light snacks and refreshments will be provided

ISBE Clock Hrs will be provided for CPS teachers.

Parking:

Metered parking is available in the lot on site.  Get rates and additional information.

The parking lot is inside of the South Shore Cultural Center. Drive through the archway at the intersection of 71st St, Exchange Ave., and Rte. 41,  continue along the driveway to the roundabout and make a right to enter the public parking lot.

For directions using public transportation visit www.transitchicago.com.

Notice: As a guest of Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST), you agree to be photographed, videotaped, or filmed and grant C2ST permission to put the finished footage/photography to any uses that it may deem proper including marketing, advertising (print, radio, and television) and PR-related activities.

Featured Guest

Nina Kraus, PhD

Nina Kraus, is the Hugh Knowles Professor of Communication Sciences, Neurobiology, and Otolaryngology at Northwestern University. She is a scientist, inventor, and amateur musician who uses hearing as a window into brain health.

She began her career measuring responses from single auditory neurons and was one of the first to show that the adult nervous system has the potential for reorganization following learning; these insights in basic biology galvanized her to investigate sound processing in the brain in humans.

Through a series of innovative studies involving thousands of research participants from birth to age 90, her research has found that our lives in sound, and our experiences, for better (musicians, bilinguals) and for worse (concussion, aging, language disorders), shape how our brain makes sense of the sounds we hear.

Using the principles of neuroscience to improve human communication, she advocates for best practices in education, health, and social policy. See www.brainvolts.northwestern.edu.