April 4 - Electricity, Epilepsy, and How Your Brain Stays Balanced

Time: 7-9 p.m., Wednesday, April 4th

Location: Pfizer Hall, Mallinckrodt Chemistry Labs, 12 Oxford St, Cambridge (link to directions)

Speakers: Kelsey Tyssowski

Much like Goldilocks, our brains are finicky: not too much, not too little, but just right—at least when it comes to their electrical activity. Your brain’s electrical activity allows you to interpret the world: everything you think, learn, see, touch, smell, taste, or hear causes a change brain activity. This means that with too little brain activity, and you can’t think or respond to your surroundings. But a brain that’s too active ends up with seizures. So how does your brain maintain the “just right” amount of activity? From the basic workings of your neurons to diseases that result from too much or too little brain activity, we’ll explore how your brain balances its electricity.