March 28, 2003
If there is one thing that determines how fully a person lives at an older age, it is how well their brain works. The brain controls and powers virtually every aspect of life – from memory to moods, from thinking to sleeping, from movement to senses – and like the rest of the human body, it changes with age. The colloquium will provide insights into keeping the brain working at the highest possible level for the longest possible time. What are normal age-related changes in the brain and what are the symptoms of brain disorders? What can be done to maintain memory, manage stress, and cope with sleep disorders? What foods provide the best nutrition for the brain and protect it from illness? What do current research findings tell us about the brain and it’s functioning?
Dr. Guy McKhann is Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience at the Johns Hopkins University. Dr. McKhann is the founding chair of the Department of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine and he is the founding director of The Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute at the Johns Hopkins University. Dr. McKhann attended Harvard University and received his M.D. degree from Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. McKhann has served as the Associate Director for Clinical Research for the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and also served as the Acting Clinical Director of NINDS/NIH. Dr. McKhann has been involved with a number of scientific organizations, having been president of the American Neurological Association, the leading academic neurology society. He is currently the Scientific Advisor to the Charles A. Dana Foundation and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Group for the United Cerebral Palsy. Dr. McKhann currently serves on The Christopher Reeve Paralysis Foundation Board, and The National Academies, Committee on the Biological and Biomedical Application of Stem Cells. In addition to his work in this country, Dr. McKhann has been involved in research in China related to epidemics of a paralytic disease in children. For this work he has received an Honorary M.D. from Hebei University. He has also been an advisor to the Vatican on issues relating to the end of life, particularly “Brain Death.”
Dr. Marilyn S. Albert is Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. She is the Director of the Division of Cognitive Neuroscience and the Co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Alzheimer's Disease Research Center. Dr. Albert earned her Ph.D. degree in Psychology from McGill University. Elected President of the International Neuropsychological Society in 1996, Dr. Albert has served on various advisory committees, including the Board of Scientific Counselors of NIA. She is currently the Chair of the Medical and Scientific Advisory Committee of the Alzheimer's Association of the United States. Dr. Albert has served on the editorial boards of various international journals including Cerebral Cortex, the Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry and Neurology, the Neurobiology of Aging, and Neuropsychology. Dr. Albert has been frequently interviewed for television and the news media; for instance, appearing on the "Today Show." She is an advisor to the television show "ER", and has recently worked with "Scientific American" on an upcoming TV series on aging hosted by Alan Alda. She has been quoted in Newsweek, Time, the New York Times, the Washington Post, and USA Today, among others.