2007 MTNCSfN Travel Award WINNERS Announced!!
Our local chapter of SfN has nominated one graduate student and one postdoctoral fellow for SfN travel awards:

Congratulations!!! Graduate Student Travel Award MTNCSfN Nominee:
Christopher M. Ciarleglio, Neuroscience Graduate Program,
Vanderbilt University / Nomination by Douglas G. McMahon, Ph.D.

Congratulations!!! Postdoctoral Travel Award MTNCSfN Nominee:
Anthony J. Baucum II, Ph.D., Molecular Physiology and Biophysics,
Vanderbilt University / Nomination by Roger J. Colbran, Ph.D.

Local Chapter 2007 Travel Award Winner's Flyer HERE (pdf)
****************************************************************** POST-Zambia WORKSHOP REPORT TO BE POSTED SOON!!!
Zambia Neuroscience Retreat and Workshop
INFECTIONS AND BRAIN DISEASE BURDEN

Printable Meeting Notice HERE (pdf)
Printable Meeting Program HERE (pdf)
Zambia Meet to Explore Brain Diseases (VUMC The Reporter Article)

NEED FOR THE NEUROSCIENCE MEETING IN ZAMBIA
As a way to contribute to the combat of global brain disease burden, the Middle Tennessee Chapter of the Society for Neuroscience (MTNCSfN) has a unique opportunity to conduct a neuroscience retreat and workshop in Zambia, Africa. MTNCSfN is an umbrella organization that serves to unite neuroscientists primarily from Meharry Medical College, Vanderbilt University, and Tennessee State University in Nashville, USA.

Briefly, the global health impact of brain disease is staggering! According to a new United Nations report, nearly one in six of the world’s population suffers from neurological disorders.

Here are some additional facts:
-Between 700,000 and 2.7 million people die annually from malaria, over 75% of them African children! Of all the manifestations of malaria, those impacting cognition and behavior are the subtlest, least defined, and have the most profound implications for children, families, and societies.
-In developed countries, complications such as HIV-associated dementia can occur in 20% of symptomatic individuals. Some 50% of patients with HIV/AIDS develop extrapyramidal dysfunctions. It is a certainty HIV/AIDS dementia and related brain disorders are rampant in areas where HIV/AIDS is endemic, i.e. sub-Sahara Africa.
-About 80% of individuals with epilepsy live in resource-poor countries. Epilepsy commonly affects young adults in the most productive years of their lives and frequently leads to their being unemployed.
-Chronic depression is the leading cause of disability as measured by “Years Lived with a Disability” and the 4th leading contributor to the global burden of disease. By the year 2020, depression is projected to reach 2nd place of the ranking of “Disability-Adjusted Life Years” for all ages and sexes.

Knowledge of basic neuroscience is imperative for understanding the causes of neurological diseases and their treatment. However in resource-poor nations few institutions have the personnel to offer basic neuroscience courses that include an explanation of the experiments from which the principles are derived, which is essential for developing a career in neuroscience research or medical practice. One innovative way to combat this disparity is to establish partnerships with academic institutions in resource-poor countries by sending visiting faculty to teach the principles of neuroscience. To this end, MTNCSfN working in conjunction with their counterparts at the University of Zambia School of Medicine and the Epilepsy Association of Zambia announce the first “Infections and Brain Disease Burden” Neuroscience Workshop and Retreat that will be held June 13th-15th, 2007 in Lusaka, Zambia. The main themes for the meeting will be (a) HIV/AIDS dementia, (b) cerebral malaria, (c) epilepsy, and (d) chronic depressive disorders. The meeting will be followed by an intensive 2–week course in neuroscience open to medical trainees and scientists. This inaugural class will set the stage for the implementation of neuroscience at the University of Zambia.

Dr. Sanika Chirwa, Meeting Organizer, Email: schirwa@mmc.edu
Dr. Betty Munalula, Co-Organizer, Email: bettymunalula@yahoo.co.uk
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INFECTIONS AND BRAIN DISEASE BURDEN
WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2007

8:00 a.m. REGISTRATION

8:30 a.m. Opening Session, Dr. Betty Munalula, presiding

Welcome and Introductions
Prof. Y. Mulla
Dean, School of Medicine, University of Zambia

Guest of Honor
Honorable Dr. Brian Chituwo
Minister of Health, Republic of Zambia

Mental Health and Neurological Disorders
Dr. Stella Nyangwe, W.H.O. Representative

Bench to Bedside Research: Role for International Collaboration
Dr. Valerie Montgomery-Rice, Dean, School of Medicine
Meharry Medical College, USA

Retreat Plenary Sessions
Session Chair: Dr. Betty Munalula, University of Zambia

9:30 a.m. BREAK

9:45 a.m. Global Brain Disease Burden
Dr. Sanika Chirwa, Meharry Medical College, USA

10:30 a.m. Status of Mental Health in Zambia
Dr. Mwanza Banda, Head, Psychiatry, University of Zambia

11:15 a.m. Neuroscience Training: Challenges and Solutions
Dr. Betty Munalula
Head, Physiological Sciences, University of Zambia

12:00 p.m. LUNCH

WEDNESDAY, JUNE 13, 2007
Workshop – HIV/AIDS Dementia
Session Chair: Prof. Nkandu Luo, HIV/AIDS Consultant

1:00 p.m. HIV/AIDS: Diagnosis, Staging and Management
Dr. Peter Mwaba, Acting U.T.H. Executive Director, Zambia

1:45 p.m. HIV/AIDS Dementia: Where Are We?
Dr. Susan DeRiemer, Meharry Medical College, USA

2:30 p.m. The Interaction Between Affect and Immune Response: Implications for HIV Infection
Michael Siuta, Vanderbilt University, USA

3:15 p.m. BREAK

3:30 p.m. Novel Strategy for Combating HIV/AIDS
Dr. James Hildreth, Meharry Medical College, USA

4:15 p.m. Question and Answer Period

5:00 p.m. END OF SESSION

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2007
7:30 a.m. REGISTRATION

Workshop – Cerebral Malaria
Session Chair: Dr. F. Goma, University of Zambia

8:00 a.m. Malaria: Diagnosis, Staging and Management
Speaker – Dr. Mukuka/Dr. Chipeta, Malaria Research Center, Zambia

8:45 a.m. Cerebral Malaria Pathophysiology
Speaker – Dr. C. Shinondo, University of Zambia

9:30 a.m. Molecular Determinants of Cerebral Malaria
Dr. Josiah Ochieng, Meharry Medical College, USA

10:15 a.m. BREAK

THURSDAY, JUNE 14, 2007
10.30 a.m. Parasitic Infections of the Brain
Speaker – Dr. C. Shinondo, University of Zambia

11:15 a.m. Question and Answer Period

12:00 p.m. LUNCH

Workshop – Chronic Depressive Disorders
Session Chair: Dr. Mwanza Banda

1:00 p.m. Causes and Prognosis of Depression
Dr. Simenda, Chainama College of Health Sciences

1:45 p.m. Inflammation and Depression
Dr. Knut Hestad, Norwegian University Science & Technology, Norway

2:30 a.m. Experimental Approaches for the Treatment of Depression
Dr. Efrain Garcia, Vanderbilt University, USA

3:15 pm BREAK

3:30 p.m. Sleep Disorders and Depression
Dr. Sanika Chirwa – Meharry Medical College, USA

4:15 p.m. Question and Answer Period

5:00 p.m. END OF SESSION

FRIDAY, JUNE 15, 2007
7:30 a.m. REGISTRATION

Workshop – Epilepsy and Seizures
Session Chair: Anthony Zimba, Epilepsy Association of Zambia

8:00 a.m. Epilepsy: Diagnosis, Staging and Management
Speaker – Dr. (Brig. General) J.B. Simpungwe, Ministry of Health, Zambia

8:45 a.m. Global Campaign Against Epilepsy: Zambia Program
Speaker – Mr. Anthony Zimba, Chair, Epilepsy Association of Zambia

9:30 a.m. The Neuron Specific K-Cl Cotransporter, KCC2, and Epilepsy
Nicole Garbarini, Vanderbilt University, USA

10:15 a.m. BREAK

10.30 a.m. Autism: Genetics and Underlying Neuropathology
Dr. Sarah E. Owens, Vanderbilt University, USA

11:15 a.m. Question and Answer Period

12:00 p.m. LUNCH

Zambian INDABA – Round-Table Group Discussions
Session Chairs: Dr. Betty Munalula & Dr. Sanika Chirwa

1:00 p.m.
• Setting Priorities for Capacity Building to Manage Brain Disease Burden
• Optimizing International Collaborations and Equal Participation
• Challenges for Training the Next Generation of African Neuroscientists
• Removing Barriers to Publishing in High-Impact Scientific Journals
• Funding African Neuroscience Research

3:15 p.m. BREAK

3:30 p.m. Group Reports and Evaluations

Special Presentation
4:00 p.m. Manganese Neurotoxicity: Transport, Mechanisms, and Speciation
Dr. Michael Aschner, Vanderbilt University, USA

5:00 p.m. END OF SESSION

7:00 p.m. BANQUET

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NEUROSCIENCE RETREAT AND WORKSHOP
PLANNING COMMITTEE:

Dr. Sanika CHIRWA, Chair
Dr. Betty MUNALULA, Co-Chair
Dr. Sarah E. OWENS
Dr. Efrain GARCIA
Dr. Anthony ZIMBA

SPONSORS:
Middle Tennessee Chapter Society for Neuroscience
University of Zambia School of Medicine
Society for Neuroscience
International Brain Research Organization
Meharry Medical College
Vanderbilt Brain Institute
Epilepsy Association of Zambia

To join the Middle Tennessee Chapter Society for Neuroscience (MTNCSfN),
click HERE.