Can Neuroscience Help First Nations Communities Heal? (Part 1)

Southern Alberta Council on Public Affairs (SACPA)

One of Bryan Kolb’s most memorable talks was a public lecture in Lac La Biche, AB, attended by many First Nations elders. Kolb spoke about how stress and abuse during childhood can cause certain genes in the brain to be turned on or off, and how these changes can be passed from one generation to another — altering the behaviour of the offspring. Through this explanation, the elders began to see the problem of residential schools in an entirely new light. Dr. Kolb will explain how severe stress, for example in residential schools, can cross generations and cause all kinds of problems later. Thanks to institutions like U of L’s Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience, it is now recognized that childhood stress and abuse has many consequences. But the wide-ranging societal implications of the ongoing research, being conducted by Kolb at the University of Lethbridge, suggests the most important work — actually reversing the neurological effects of early adversity — is still to come. Speaker: Dr. Bryan Kolb Dr. Bryan Kolb has played a founding role in the study of neuroscience. As a neuroscientist at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience (CCBN) in Lethbridge, Kolb’s primary interests are in brain development, brain plasticity, and brain changes over time, including after injury. A recipient of the Order of Canada, Kolb has published seven books and more than 400 articles and chapters. In the process, Kolb and a pioneering faculty and research team, has helped turn the University of Lethbridge, a relatively young institution that just celebrated its 50th anniversary, into a hotbed for neuroscience research. Moderator: TBA Date: Thursday, April 5, 2018 Time: Doors open 11:30 am, Presentation 12 noon, buffet lunch 12:30 pm, Q&A 1 – 1:30 pm Location: Royal Canadian Legion (north door) 324 Mayor Magrath Dr. S. Lethbridge Cost: $14 buffet lunch with desert & coffee/tea/juice or $2 coffee/tea/juice. RSVP not required