Science on Tap

A monthly lecture series at UMD that explores the latest discoveries in science and technology in a relaxed atmosphere with food and drink

Neuroscience and the Search for a Fountain of Youth for the Brain

Elizabeth (Betsy) Quinlan
Professor of Biology and Director of the Brain and Behavior Institute
University of Maryland

Tuesday, December 7, 2021
Doors open at 6 p.m.
Lecture begins at 6:30 p.m.

The Hall CP
4656 Hotel Drive
College Park, MD 20742

Space is limited. Food and beverages will be available for purchase. One food or drink minimum per person. Happy hour specials will be available.

Questions? Contact Abby Robinson
at abbyr@umd.edu or 301-405-5845.

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This event is sponsored by the UMD College of Computer, Mathematical, and Natural Sciences and its Alumni Network.

ABOUT THE TALK
If you have ever struggled to learn a new language as an adult and observed the ease with which a toddler accomplishes this same task, then you know intuitively that there is something very different about how the adult brain acquires new skills. In addition to the loss of cognitive flexibility, aging also results in changes in the brain that increase risk of dementia, loss of hearing and vision, declining mental health, and a fatal outcome from infection or injury. Neuroscience is beginning to reveal how the brain changes with age and identify ways to "rejuvenate" the adult brain. This talk will describe new approaches to promote healthy aging of the brain, ranging from sensory deprivation to exercise, which are being used to maintain mental health, cognition and motor function, and reverse sensory deficits, such as those underlying amblyopia (lazy eye).

ABOUT THE SPEAKER
Elizabeth (Betsy) Quinlan is the Clark Leadership Chair in Neuroscience, Director of the Brain and Behavior Institute, and Professor in the Department of Biology at the University of Maryland. Her research focuses on developing therapies to reverse amblyopia in adulthood, incorporating insights from the function of brain circuits and the molecular composition of synaptic connections between neurons in the brain. Dr. Quinlan is a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and, among other awards, has received the Advancement of Science Award in 2010 from the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association.