Public Lecture: The Marvelous World of the Brain

Our brain is the organ with which we interact with the material and social environment, perceive some of it, act within it, and thus interpret it. Continuously, new connections are formed between the approximately 86 billion nerve cells – but only those connections remain that are actively used. This is the basis of learning – engaging with the environment in solving everyday problems.

After damage to the human brain in adulthood due to trauma or illness, the possibilities for restoring structure are very limited. Some functions of damaged brain areas can be taken over by other intact areas, or lost functions can be partially or fully compensated by adapting remaining functions or using assistive devices. Socio-verse and material-verse behavioral activities are organized differently in the brain. In recovery from brain damage, similar mechanisms come into play as in the normal development of a healthy nervous system. Therefore, principles of neurorehabilitation include creating learning-promoting conditions in the environment, avoiding situations that hinder learning, training strength, endurance, and full joint mobility, and engaging in targeted movements in activities to solve everyday problems. Exercise and training processes, such as those known in musicians and athletes, are also key to success in neurorehabilitation.

In recent years, the study of neuroplasticity – the brain's adaptation of structures and functions to changing demands from the environment – has become a central topic in neuroscience. The changes observed in therapies can also provide new insights into the foundations of learning.

No medical background is required for understanding.

To the Programm

Registration: mit Semesterpass
Speaker: Prof Dr. med. Jürg Kesselring FRCP, Präsident Schweizerische Hirnliga, Ehem. Chefarzt Neurologie & Neurorehabilitation Kliniken Valens