Concussions and the research to help better understand, diagnose and treat them will be the focus of the fall Nebraska Lecture Oct. 23 at UNL.
Dennis Molfese, director of UNL’s Center for Brain, Biology and Behavior, will explore concussion’s sometimes lifelong effects on cognitive, emotional and behavioral functions. He will outline what’s known about concussion and what’s being done to learn more.
This free public lecture, “The New Normal: A Brain After Concussion,” will be at 12:15 p.m. in Memorial Stadium, West Stadium Club. Beginning at 11:45 a.m., complimentary pizza will be available while supplies last.
Molfese, UNL’s Mildred Francis Thompson Professor of Psychology, will talk about the center’s research to understand how the brain processes information before and after concussion. He also will outline how a unique collaboration between the center and the Nebraska Athletic Performance Laboratory enables UNL researchers to gather and share data on student-athletes’ behavior and performance. This work could benefit athletes and broader society.
Molfese is scientific director for the joint Big Ten/Committee on Institutional Cooperation-Ivy League Traumatic Brain Injury Research Collaboration focused on sports-related head injuries. He served on the National Academy of Sciences committee on sports-related concussions in youth that reported its findings in late 2013.
An internationally recognized expert on the use of brain recording techniques to study the emerging relationships between brain development, language and cognitive processes, Molfese is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and the American Psychological Society and editor of the scientific journal, Developmental Neuropsychology.
His lecture is part of The Nebraska Lectures: Chancellor’s Distinguished Lecture Series, sponsored by the UNL Research Council, Office of the Chancellor and Office of Research and Economic Development in partnership with the Osher Lifelong Learning Institute.
