The Learning Brain
What is meant by the "learning brain"?
Why do we research the learning brain?
How do we study the learning brain?
Would you like to learn more about the learning brain?
Who researches the learning brain?
Would you like to support learning brain research?
What is meant by the "learning brain"?
The 10 billion cells of the human brain are strongly interconnected with each other, with each brain cell contacting approximately 10 thousand other cells. The changing weights of connections between brain cells represents the fundamental biological process of learning and memory. One of the striking characteristics of the brains of children is their enormous capacity to learn. Early in life, sensory systems, motor systems, and cognitive systems are all able to adapt to particular environments after only a few hours or days of specific exposure and these changes can last a lifetime. In addition, children have much greater ability to recover from brain damage than do adults.
The Brain Research Centre investigators are world leaders in studying the function, structure, and modifiability of connections between brain cells, and we seek to understand how individual connections are strengthened or weakened, along with how to modulate this process. The implications of being able to control and improve the biological mechanisms that underlie learning and memory offer hope for enhancing human performance, promoting recovery from brain damage, preventing neurodegeneration, and providing new strategies to deal with learning disabilities.
Why do we research the learning brain?
We do not all have equal capacities to learn, and learning disabilities constitute a particularly pernicious set of disabilities that affect our young children. Children with conditions such as fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS), dyslexia, attention deficit disorder, mental retardation, and other learning disabilities face lives of unfilled promise. Therefore, we investigate the learning brain to:
- understand the biological mechanisms in the brain that underly the process of learning and memory.
- use this knowledge to promote better recovery from diseases and trauma by increasing the plasticity and learning capability of the human brain.
- enable us to modify the environment of children to foster curiosity, innovation, and life-long learning.
- better diagnose, treat, and prevent learning disabilities.
How do we study the learning brain?
In fetal alcohol syndrome, there is evidence for the widespread death of brain cells caused by ingestion of alcohol during pregnancy. Centre members are working to understand the process by which brain cells die, and trying to devise therapeutics that will prevent alcohol from having a permanent effect on the developing fetus. In addition, we are working on new strategies to promote recovery from the damage caused by fetal alcohol exposure in the developing brain.
The Brain Research Centre program on the learning brain has strong links with other Vancouver based efforts to promote the education and well being of children. The Brain Research Centre is an active participant in the Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP), which seeks to bring together biological and community based investigations of child development. By combining studies at the community, functional, and biological levels, we will create an environment in which research into the biological mechanisms underlying learning can be rapidly disseminated to individuals in need.
Would you like to learn more about the learning brain?
Download a two-page summary here to read more about this interesting area of research.
Who researches the learning brain?
Douglas Allan, PhD Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences
Hugh Anton, MD Division of Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Department of Medicine
Vanessa Auld, PhD Department of Zoology
Patricia Baird, MD, CM Department of Medical Genetics
Shernaz Bamji, PhD Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences
Alasdair Barr, PhD Department of Psychiatry
Ronald Barr, PhD Department of Medicine
Gary Birch, PhD Department of Electrical & Computer Engineering
C. Laird Birmingham, MD Department of Psychiatry
Stephanie Borgland, PhD Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics
W. Thomas Boyce, MD Human Early Learning Partnership
Lara Boyd, PhD School of Rehabilitation Sciences
Johann Brink, PhD Department of Psychiatry
Brian R. Christie, MSc, PhD Department of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria
Valter Ciocca, PhD School of Audiology & Speech Sciences
Sterling Clarren, MD Department of Pediatrics
Mary Connolly, PhD Department of Pediatrics
Kenneth Curry, PhD Department of Anesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics
Adele Diamond, PhD Department of Psychiatry
Charles Dong, PhD Department of Surgery
Robert M. Douglas, MA, PhD Department of Ophthalmology
Eric Eich, PhD Department of Psychology
Brian Fisher, PhD Department of Computer Science
Stan Floresco, PhD Department of Psychology
Dean Foti, MD, CM Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine
Liisa Galea, MA, PhD Department of Psychology
Michael D. Gordon, PhD Department of Zoology
Peter Graf, PhD Department of Psychology
Ruth Grunau, PhD Department of Pediatrics
Kurt Haas, PhD Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences
Ismail Hafez, PhD Department of Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Farsheed Hedayati Vala, MD Faculty of Medicine
Manraj Heran, MD Department of Radiology
Anthony Herdman, PhD School of Audiology & Speech Sciences
Clyde Hertzman, MD, MSc Human Early Learning Partnership
Alan Hill, PhD, MD Department of Paediatrics
Antony Hodgson, PhD Department of Mechanical Engineering
Judy Illes, PhD Division of Neurology, Department of Medicine
Timothy Inglis, MSc, PhD School of Human Kinetics
Alan Kingstone, PhD Department of Psychology
Michael Kobor, PhD Department of Medical Genetics
James Little, PhD Department of Computer Science
Alan Mackworth, AM, PhD Department of Computer Science
Stuart Macleod, PhD Department of Medicine
John McDonald, PhD Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University
Steven Miller, MD Department of Pediatrics, Division of Neurology
William K. Milsom, MSc, PhD Department of Zoology
Pat Mirenda, PhD Faculty of Education
Christian Naus, PhD, Professor & Head, Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences
Timothy Oberlander, MD Department of Pediatrics
Dinesh Pai, PhD Department of Computer Science
Paul Pavlidis, PhD Department of Psychiatry
Anthony G. Phillips, MA, PhD Department of Psychology
John P.J. Pinel, MA, PhD Department of Psychology
Glenda Prkachin, PhD Department of Psychology, University of Northern British Columbia
Catharine Rankin, MA, PhD Department of Psychology
Andrew Rawicz, PhD School of Engineering Science, Simon Fraser University
Lynn A. Raymond, MSc, PhD, MD Division of Neurological Sciences, Department of Psychiatry
Urs Ribary, PhD Department of Psychology, Simon Fraser University
Peter Ruben, PhD School of Kinesiology, Simon Fraser University
Linda Siegel, MS, PhD Faculty of Education
Michael Silverman, PhD Department of Biological Sciences, Simon Fraser University
Elizabeth M. Simpson, MSc, PhD Centre for Molecular Medicine and Therapeutics
Edward Slingerland, PhD Department of Asian Studies
Terrance Snutch, PhD Department of Zoology
Kiran Soma, PhD Department of Psychology
Weihong Song, MD, PhD Department of Psychiatry
Miriam Spering, PhD, Department of Opthalmology & Visual Sciences
Paul Steinbok, MB BS Division of Neurosurgery, Department of Surgery
Leigh Anne Swayne, PhD Division of Medical Sciences, University of Victoria
Nicholas Swindale, PhD Department of Ophthalmology
Richard C. Tees, PhD Department of Psychology
Naznin Virji-Babul, PhD Department of Physical Therapy
Jane Wang, PhD Department of Electrical and Computer Engineering
Lawrence Ward, PhD Department of Psychology
Joanne Weinberg, PhD Department of Cellular & Physiological Sciences
Janet F. Werker, MA, PhD Department of Psychology
Catharine Winstanley, PhD Department of Psychology
Andrew Wister, PhD Department of Gerontology, Simon Fraser University
Pierre Zakarauskas, PhD Department of Ophthalmology
Would you like to support learning brain research?
The Brain Research Centre is committed to advancing our knowledge of the brain and to exploring new discoveries and technologies which have the potential to reduce the suffering and cost associated with disease and injuries of the brain. We invite you to help us deliver on this commitment.
