Brightest minds in memory research meet in Toronto for conference March 4-6, 2007

Toronto – Will electronic handheld organizers become the essential compensatory tool for aging Canadians and their fading brain power? Can engaging the mind with challenging learning activities slow down cell death in the brain’s memory centre – the hippocampus? What are the latest cognitive training techniques to help delay the onset of clinical dementia in at-risk individuals? Could distraction be a good thing for older adults?

Some of the brightest minds in memory research will gather in Toronto for the 17th Annual Rotman Research Institute Conference, March 4-6 at The Four Seasons Hotel. This year’s theme is “Advances in Memory Research”.

Leading experts from around the world will share new insights in understanding how memory changes with aging, how the brain adapts or compensates in later years, and how emotions are a double-edged sword for memory: supporting the easy recall of good memories but also causing the persistent haunting of bad ones in some people. At the Sunday workshop, they will present promising, evidence-based training techniques for memory rehabilitation in people with mild cognitive impairment and early-stage Alzheimer’s.

“Memory disorders represent one of society's major health problems. The more we understand them, the better the prospects for treating them,” says Dr Gordon Winocur, conference chair and senior scientist with The Rotman Research Institute at Baycrest.

The conference will showcase recent scientific advances that may eventually lead to more effective early interventions for slowing the onset of Alzheimer’s and other dementias, and for treating affective disorders such as anxiety and post-traumatic stress.

Among the topics this year:

Howaging affects memory and how the brain adapts or compensates in later years (Drs. Cheryl Grady, Patricia Reuter-Lorenz)
How external memory aids, such as electronic handheld organizers, can help people with a severe memory impairment (Dr. Brian Richards)
How to prevent new neurons from dying off in the hippocampus and maximize the number of cells you have in later life (Dr. Tracey Shors)
How cognitive rehab training can slow down cognitive decline related to mild cognitive impairment and early-stage Alzheimer’s (Drs. Kelly Murphy, Linda Clare)
How speaking two languages may delay the onset of dementia compared to monolinguals (Dr. Ellen Bialystok)
How distraction may have benefits for older adults (Dr. Lynn Hasher)
Why emotional events –both positive and negative – captivate our memory, and understanding the brain and hormone mechanisms associated with those persistent emotional memories (Dr. Kevin LaBar)

Dr. Endel Tulving, recipient of the prestigious Gairdner Award, and senior scientist at Baycrest’s Rotman Research Institute, will deliver the keynote presentation “Why Memory Matters” at 9:00 a.m. on Monday, March 5.

Suggested story angles attached.
To view the conference itinerary, go to: http://www.rotman-baycrest.on.ca/
and click on the Rotman Conference icon “Advances in Memory Research”

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For more information on this press release, or to set up interviews with speakers during the conference, please contact:
Kelly Connelly, Senior Media Officer
The Rotman Research Institute, Baycrest
My pager during conference: 416.612.5494
Office: 416.785.2432