[Congressional Record Volume 157, Number 41 (Thursday, March 17, 2011)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E516]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                 IN HONOR OF 2011 BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK

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                           HON. RUSS CARNAHAN

                              of missouri

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 17, 2011

  Mr. CARNAHAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Brain 
Awareness Week and the benefits of this informative week in educating 
students on brain science in my congressional district and across the 
country. During Brain Awareness Week, which is held March 14-20, 
neuroscientists around the globe educate K-12 students, senior citizens 
and the public at large on the wonders of the human brain. These 
activities include tours of neuroscience laboratories, museum 
exhibitions and classroom discussions on the elements of the human 
brain.
  In my congressional district, neuroscientists at Washington 
University recognized Brain Awareness Week during their annual NeuroDay 
on March 5. Nearly 5,000 of my constituents walked through the St. 
Louis Science Center to learn about brain research and treatments in 
the area. The daylong event included exhibits called Hands-on Human 
Brains, The Buzz about the Electric Dish, Spying Tips from Horseshoe 
Crabs, The Teenage Brain on Prism Goggles, and The 6th Sense.
  Today, in recognition of Brain Awareness Week, I would like to 
highlight a devastating neurological condition that affects millions of 
Americans: Multiple Sclerosis, MS. As a co-chair of the Congressional 
Multiple Sclerosis caucus, I understand firsthand how this devastating 
and chronic disease can rob people of their ability to walk, talk, or 
even tie their shoes. Today, MS is the most common central nervous 
system disease among young adults after epilepsy and is a lifetime 
ailment of unknown origin that affects more than 400,000 Americans. MS 
is diagnosed mainly in individuals between the ages of 20 and 50, with 
2 of 3 cases occurring in women. Although a cause has yet to be found, 
MS is thought to be an autoimmune disease in which the body's natural 
defenses react against the myelin and nerve fibers in the central 
nervous system as though they were foreign tissue.
  Mr. Speaker, both genetic and environmental factors are probably 
involved in the cause. Previous studies had suggested that MS 
susceptibility peaked before the age of 15; more recent, larger studies 
suggest that there is no exact age cutoff. Thanks to research conducted 
through the National Institutes of Health, NIH, and the National 
Science Foundation--our premier scientific enterprises--which continue 
to provide hope to the 50 million Americans who suffer from 
neurological disorders annually. For example, the NIH is leading the 
way to promising new treatments for MS. One NIH-funded study showed 
that so-called ``progenitor'' cells in the brain might be used to help 
regenerate areas of the brain that have lost myelin.
  I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing Brain Awareness Week 
and the contributions that scientists who study the brain and nervous 
system are making to understanding more about the onset of MS and the 
innovation of potential treatments that can more effectively ease the 
pain and suffering of individuals who grapple with this crippling 
illness during the prime of their lives.

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