As it turns out, scientists like , a professor of molecular neuroscience at George Mason University, already describe neural networks with computers. Blackwell, speaking at a recent Suter Science Seminar at 草莓社区, showed how these computer models may provide researchers with the key to treating Parkinson鈥檚 disease.

Two computer programs for this modeling purpose, , which stands for GEneral NEural SImulation System, and , are available to any online user.

These programs cannot model the entire brain, but they can help neurologists examine small parts of it. Blackwell鈥檚 research focuses on a very small network in the basal ganglia, primarily including the substantia nigra, which is Latin for 鈥渂lack stuff,鈥� and the striatum, which is Latin for 鈥渟triped.鈥� These sections are very close to the center of the brain, and are responsible for movement of muscles.

The substantia nigra itself plays a role in learning habits of movement, such as walking and driving.

鈥淲hen you鈥檙e not paying attention and you鈥檙e listening to music, yet you arrive at your destination, it鈥檚 because your basal ganglia has, without you thinking about it, done all the correct right turns,鈥� said Blackwell, describing how habits work.

The substantia nigra helps this process by providing dopamine, a chemical vital to basic brain function, to the striatum, another part of the basal ganglia.

When the substantia nigra begins to die, however, less dopamine is released into the striatum. This causes Parkinson鈥檚 disease, a medical condition characterized by a hunched posture, a shuffling gait, and trembling. Several treatments exist, including use of L-DOPA or deep brain stimulation. The effects of the L-DOPA wear off over time, and deep brain stimulation is extremely invasive. Blackwell hopes to find another, more effective treatment.

In order to find treatments, scientists must understand Parkinson鈥檚 disease. One interesting effect of the disease, according to Blackwell, is that 鈥渁ll of the neurons [in the striatum] are firing at the same rhythm.鈥� In healthy neurons, such synchrony is only intermittent, instead of constant. If Blackwell could understand why this happens, she might be one step closer to treating the disease.

Using computer models that replicate a network of neurons, Blackwell and her team discovered that gap junctions, a kind of bridge between neurons, may be responsible for the synchrony in the striatum. She predicts that, if the gap junctions could be blocked, the nature of the disease might change. Chemicals that block gap junctions might even be a useful treatment.

Blackwell spoke as part of EMU鈥檚 Suter Science Seminar series. Lectures are presented by experts in their field and are free and open to the public. Nancy Johnston, a nursing professor from York University, will speak April 13 at 4 p.m. about how the practice of healing suffering has changed over time.

How can immune cells do this? Biologists only know part of the answer. Scientists like Joseph W. Brewer, who recently spoke at a at 草莓社区, work to answer questions about how exactly immune cells fight infection.

Brewer, an associate dean of research at the , currently focuses his immunology research on B cells. These cells recognize a specific pathogen and then produce antibodies, proteins that help fight invaders like viruses and bacteria. In becoming equipped to produce specific antibodies, B cells undergo a transformation. It is this transformation that Brewer hopes to understand.

B cells grow much larger as the begin to make large amounts of a specific kind of antibody, and Brewer studies the chemical chain reaction that controls how the endoplasmic reticulum, the part of the cell that makes antibodies, grows larger. In other words, he studies chemicals that allow B cells to change from a small insignificant cell into a much larger cell he calls 鈥渁n antibody factory,鈥� without growing out of control.

Brewer has created a successful career of melding research and education. After earning a PhD from Duke University, he spent eight years at Loyola University鈥檚 Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago, Illinois, and six years at the University of South Alabama College of Medicine.

Every scientist needs four 鈥減uzzle pieces鈥� for a successful career, he said. These contributing factors include mentors, colleagues, a drive for discovery, and direction.

Speaking of his mentors, Brewer discussed several professors and fellow students that encouraged him to learn and gave him the tools he uses today to conduct research. He also referenced the work of colleagues, students, and scientists with whom he worked in laboratory settings.

Passion to acquire new knowledge and fuel the hard work that leads to ground-breaking discoveries is also important, Brewer said. This passion is 鈥渨orth getting up early for, it鈥檚 worth working hard for, it鈥檚 worth staying up late for [to] see something or understand something for the first time perhaps in the history of the world.鈥�

Brewer truly enjoys discovering how B cells work. 鈥淔or me, it鈥檚 just a lot of fun to think about how things work,鈥� he said, 鈥渂ut to get funding you have to convince other people that your research has some biomedical relevance.鈥� Fortunately, B cells are very important in medicine. Not only do immune cells fight infection, but they also are responsible for a variety of autoimmune diseases and cancers. Perhaps future doctors can use what he discovers to heal such diseases.

In terms of the final puzzle piece, Brewer says that although he moved from one laboratory to another repeatedly over the course of his career, his direction never changed. 鈥淚 know God wants to show us the path of life. He tells us that all over scripture.鈥�

Brewer sought an appointment at Liberty鈥檚 new osteopathic medical school before it opened to its first class in the fall of 2014, and then moved his family from Mobile, Alabama to Lynchburg, Virginia. 鈥淭o be a part of helping build a Christian medical school, literally from the ground up, would be a once in a lifetime experience,鈥� he says in a Liberty University . 鈥淢y wife and I are so humbled that God opened the door for us to be a part of this incredible blessing.鈥�

Brewer spoke as part of EMU鈥檚 Suter Science Seminar series. Lectures are presented by experts in their field and are free and open to the public. Avrama Kim Blackwell, a professor in the department of molecular neuroscience at George Mason University, will speak March 30 at 4 p.m. in the Suter Science Center about how nerve cells in the striatum store memory, and how that relates to Parkinson鈥檚 Disease.