Rhythm and the Brain

Rhythm is a dominant feature of the universe, originating with the Big Bang. It is everywhere, and is observable at every level; from the vibrations of atoms to the movement of the galaxies. Take a fascinating tour of rhythm and its role in life and the very core of functioning of our brains. The presentation will conclude with Dr. Gazzaley narrating a live audio/visual demonstration of Mickey's brain rhythms using real-time wireless EEG while he is performing.

Presenters

Adam Gazzaley

Professor

UCSF

Dr. Adam Gazzaley obtained an M.D. and a Ph.D. in Neuroscience at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, completed clinical residency in Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania, and postdoctoral training in cognitive neuroscience at UC Berkeley. He is the founding director of the Neuroscience Imaging Center at the UC San Francisco, an Associate Professor in Neurology, Physiology and Psychiatry, and Principal Investigator of a cognitive neuroscience laboratory. His laboratory studies neural mechanisms of perception, attention and memory, with an emphasis on the impact of distraction and multitasking on these abilities. His unique research approach utilizes a powerful combination of human neurophysiological tools, including functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), electroencephalography (EEG) and transcranial stimulation (TES). A major accomplishment of his research has been to expand our understanding of alterations in the aging brain that lead to cognitive decline. His most recent studies explore how we may enhance our cognitive abilities via engagement with custom designed video games, neurofeedback and TES. Dr. Gazzaley has authored over 80 scientific articles, delivered over 300 invited presentations around the world, and his research and perspectives have been consistently profiled in high-impact media, such as The New York Times, New Yorker, Wall Street Journal, TIME, Discover, Wired, PBS, NPR, CNN and NBC Nightly News. Recently, he wrote and hosted the nationally televised, PBS-sponsored special “The Distracted Mind with Dr. Adam Gazzaley”. Awards and honors for his research include the Pfizer/AFAR Innovations in Aging Award, the Ellison Foundation New Scholar Award in Aging, and the Harold Brenner Pepinsky Early Career Award in Neurobehavioral Science.

Mickey Hart

Percussionist

Grateful Dead

Mickey Hart is a percussionist and ethnomusicologist. He is best known as one of the two drummers of the rock band the Grateful Dead. Mickey has written books on the history and traditions of drumming throughout history, was inducted into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, is a two time Grammy Winner, and currently serves on the board of "Music and the Brain" at Institute for Music and Neurologic Function at Beth Abraham Hospital. Hart has sonified the Universe, the Golden Gate Bridge, and the America’s Cup. On his new record SUPERORGANISM, Hart is breaking new ground by combining music with science and the human body. “This time we journey into the micro, the hidden worlds of rhythm within us, within our bodies,” says Hart. “My brain wave signals are reimagined in sound using a cap with electrodes that can read the throbs and signals of the brain. I have also sonified the sounds of stem cells, and heart rhythms for this recording. Long a social activist, Hart appeared in August 1991 before the U.S. Senate Committee on Aging, speaking on the healing value of drumming and rhythm on afflictions associated with aging. In 1991, Hart founded Rhythm For Life, and put on a 2000 person drum circle at the College of Marin, and in the Fall of 2004, broke the Guinness World Record: Largest Drum Ensemble for his 5000 person drum circle, also in Northern California.