AIMS Program

The other day I went to the AIMS program to hear about a nervous system and brain lecture with a cadaver demonstration at the end. I thought the lecture was very interesting because it went though all the parts of the brain and their functions. The presenter also compared brains to each other showing how alzheimer's damages the brain. The alzheimer's brain had shrunk and the grooves in the brain were very deep with little protection on them. Besides alzheimer's, concussions and other traumas to the head create similar effects on the brain. In order to protect your brain from this irreversible damage wearing a helmet and limiting contact sports that can cause repetitive damage to the brain. On the more technical side, I learned about the outer layers that protect the brain and how the brain develops from birth. I was excited to attend this lecture because I'm interested in studying neuroscience. So, learning some basic knowledge about the brain and it's functions helped me to see if it was something I would actually enjoy. Following the lecture I went to a cadaver demonstration where a med student at SLU went through the anatomy of a cadaver. It was crazy to be able to see all the organs and body systems right in front of me. I was glad I went to see the cadaver because I was able to ask questions directly to the med student in a small group and learn a lot more. Overall, the AIMS program was very educational and a good way to continue studying science outside of class.

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