The brain's executive functions

The MIND Institute’s 2008-09 Distinguished Lecturer Series is scheduled to conclude June 10 with two talks by Adele Diamond, a founder of developmental cognitive neuroscience.

One talk is intended for scientists and health care professionals, and the other for a general audience. Both are free and open to the public; no reservations are needed.

In her general-interest presentation, at 6 p.m., Diamond plans to discuss the brain’s executive functions, having to do with paying attention and remembering what we have learned, and impulse control. These abilities are important to success throughout life, yet many children enter school without them.

Diamond is expected to present evidence that these skills can be encouraged later — even in children at 4 or 5 years of age — in regular classrooms in public schools, with regular teachers, without specialists or special equipment.

“Many interventions address fixing problems after they have arisen,” Diamond said. “But working with young children to prevent problems from arising may lead to better outcomes at much less expense.”

Diamond said research shows that the very activities that often are squeezed out of school curricula — like the arts and physical exercise — are excellent for developing executive functions and thus can be critical for academic success and for success later in life.

The title of her technical presentation, at 4 p.m., is “Prefrontal Cortex and Developmental Neuropsychology: Genetic and Environmental Influences.”

Location for the talks is the auditorium at the MIND Institute, 2825 50th St., Sacramento.

Neurodevelopmental disorders institute Aug. 7

Registration is under way for the eighth annual Summer Institute on Neurodevelopmental Disorders, offering research and best practices for interventions to support children and adults with autism, Asperger syndrome, fragile X syndrome and other neurodevelopmental disorders.

The one-day conference for families, educators and other professionals is scheduled for Aug. 7, presented by UC Davis and California State University, Sacramento.

Robin Hansen, director of clinical programs for the UC Davis MIND Institute, and director of UC Davis’ Center for Excellence in Developmental Disorders, is listed as the keynote speaker, addressing “The Many Faces of Autism: From Behavior to Biology.”

Early-registration fees are $85 for students, parents and caregivers, and $140 for professionals, with continuing medical education credit available. The fees go up after July 17.

Registration and more informaton.