Neurogeeks is a (now monthly!) meetup for people interested in neuroscience, cognitive psychology, technology and the mind. Our meetups address a range of related topics at a "TEDTalk" or Nova level of complexity. Our goal is to build a community of people interested in the brain in Portland.

This month, we'll be discussing various ways scientists and "life-hackers" are trying to enhance brain function and essentially make people "smarter." Lots of interesting avenues of discussion!

For more information, join the meetup and RSVP.

For our April meetup, speaker Lily Pacheko, the coordinator of SPARK at OHSU, a landmark autism research project across 21 clinical sites, will present a brief history of autism, autism research, and talk about the SPARK study.

SPARK stands for 'Simons Foundation Powering Autism Research for Knowledge,' and the mission is simple: to speed up research and advance our understanding of autism to help improve lives.

Autism, or autism spectrum disorder, refers to a range of conditions characterized by challenges with social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication, as well as by unique strengths and differences. (read more).

Understanding autism gives us a greater understanding of the brain and how epigenetic factors like hormones in the womb affect our brains' development.

Lily Pacheco, MA. is the SPARK study coordinator at OHSU. For the past few years Lily has worked in diverse communities to recruit and collect data for numerous research studies. If you are interested in volunteering with SPARK through OHSU, contact Lily at (503) 949-6478 or email her at [email protected] to ask about volunteer opportunities.

Join and RSVP here: https://www.meetup.com/NeuroGeeks-Neuroscience-Meetup-Group/events/238447403/

Wonder why we do what we do (or why OTHER people do what they do)? Andy from the Brain Science Seminar will be presenting about how motivation works in the brain.

Beginning before birth, human development takes place deeply embedded within a biobehavioral system with other conspecifics. The attachment bond that forms between the highly altricial infant and its caregiver not only ensures the infant's survival but is the critical context for the brain development that underpins executive function and self-regulation. Emerging research identifies how infant-caregiver neurobiological synchrony between helps shape this development and how early experiences marked by deprivation, adversity, and trauma influence mental and physical health across the lifespan. In this talk, Dr. Waters will discuss the neurobiology of attachment, the ways in which early experience gets under the skin, and what we can do about it.