[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 157 (2011), Part 3]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page 4464]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




                       2011 BRAIN AWARENESS WEEK

                                 ______
                                 

                            HON. JON RUNYAN

                             of new jersey

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, March 17, 2011

  Mr. RUNYAN. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to commemorate Brain Awareness 
Week (BAW) and the benefits of this informative week in educating 
students on brain science in my congressional district and across the 
country. Brain Awareness Week, launched in 1996, brings together the 
Society for Neuroscience, the Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives and 
2400 other organizations in 76 countries which share a common goal of 
improving public awareness of brain and nervous system research.
  During Brain Awareness Week, which is being held March 14-20, 
neuroscientists around the world 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 elements of the human brain. 
In my congressional district, Shawnee High School in Medford Township 
will recognize Brain Awareness Week during their 6th annual Brain Day 
on March 24. High school students enrolled in the psychology course 
will be displaying interactive exhibits and explaining functions of the 
brain to their community. Today, in recognition of Brain Awareness 
Week, I would like to highlight a devastating neurological condition 
that affects millions of Americans: Alzheimer's disease.
  As a former board member of the Delaware Valley Alzheimer's 
Association, I know firsthand the burden Alzheimer's disease places on 
families in my congressional district, our healthcare system and our 
local and national economies. Alzheimer's disease is not only an 
emerging problem in the United States, but around the globe. As the 
world population grows and life expectancies rise, the number of people 
suffering from age-related neurological diseases like Alzheimer's may 
skyrocket. According to the National Institutes of Health, experts 
suggest that between 2.6 million and 5.1 million Americans 65 years and 
older may suffer from the disease, with annual treatment costs 
estimated to exceed $100 billion. However, research is paving the way 
to promising new treatments, providing hope for millions.
  With age as the biggest risk factor for Alzheimer's disease, health 
officials estimate that due to the aging of the population, its 
prevalence could triple by 2050 if progress is not made. These 
forecasts make unraveling the mystery of Alzheimer's disease all the 
more important. While scientific research has brought us a long way, we 
still have a long way to go. Every day, neuroscientists are working to 
better understand and to treat this debilitating and terrible disease.
  Mr. Speaker, is Alzheimer's disease preventable? Neuroscientists are 
not sure. But because it typically strikes later in life, they 
recognize that even delaying disease onset by several years would 
greatly limit the harmful effects of its reach. Achieving this goal 
will require the efforts of a global community of scientists and 
clinicians, sensitive to both similarities and unique needs of patients 
around the world. For this reason, I ask my colleagues to join me in 
recognizing Brain Awareness Week and the outstanding contributions the 
field of neuroscience is making to uncover the mysteries of brain-based 
diseases such as Alzheimer's disease.

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