Humanitarian Heart: Hamon Endowment for Veteran Support
We have been at war for more than a decade. Since 9/11, more than 2.5 million have worn a uniform to protect America’s freedom. Now they are coming home and facing the dynamic challenges of reintegration to civilian life. For many warriors, shedding the uniform signifies the surrender of purpose, mission and the camaraderie of their military service. Finding a new way to channel their intelligence, resilience, and drive to succeed is imperative to ensuring the next greatest generation’s ultimate victory, being able to enjoy the life they have so courageously defended.
In a move to support our nation’s most patriotic citizens, the Hamon Charitable Foundation donated $1 million to the Center for BrainHealth’s Brain Performance Institute to establish the Hamon Endowment for Veteran Support. The permanent endowment will help fund treatment and training that helps bridge the transition from the battlefield to life as a civilian for returning veterans of the U.S. Armed Forces.
“We recognize the need to help the veterans who have encountered traumatic situations in fighting our foreign wars. Our goal is to endorse programs that provide a real-time and direct benefit to the veterans,” explained Kelly Roach, President of the Hamon Charitable Foundation.
“The Center’s leading scientific research and humanitarian benefits are consistent with the mission of the Foundation,” said Mr. Roach. “We knew when we had the opportunity to meet with veterans at the Center, that our foundation’s founders, Jake and Nancy Hamon, would have recognized and appreciated the work being done.”
Foundation board members met with retired U.S. Marine Corps Cpl. Jake Schick and retired U.S. Navy SEAL Lt. Morgan Luttrell who shared their stories of survival from the Iraq and Afghanistan wars and their gratitude for the Institute’s high performance
brain training programs that positively and significantly changed the course of their lives. While Cpl. Schick’s prosthetic leg and extensively rebuilt hand serve as reminders of the extreme physical injury he endured, both warriors described their unseen scars and reported that their invisible wounds were far more painful and difficult to overcome than any visible ones.
“The strategies I learned assisted me as a leader in the SEAL teams while at home training or deployed on combat missions around the world,” said Lt. Luttrell. “Today, I continue to apply the strategies and benefit as a husband, father, student and an active member in society.”
Cpl. Schick confirmed, “Out of all of the drugs I was prescribed and therapy I was forced to attend, the training I received at the Center for BrainHealth helped tenfold.”
Debbie Francis, Center for BrainHealth Board Chair, explained the spark that led to the generous gift from the highly regarded Dallas-based foundation. “The Hamon Foundation is known and respected for making meaningful gifts in the community. When I approached the Foundation, I knew that they would only be interested in a partnership that would create a lasting and meaningful impact for warriors. We were most grateful they chose to include us as one of their beneficiaries.”
BRAIN CENTRAL
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Understanding the Brain: A Biomarker for Threat
Brain Change in Chronic Marijuana Use: Volume and Connectivity Abnormalities
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Leadership Spotlight: BvB (Blondes vs. Brunettes)
BRAIN
Jake L. and Nancy B. Hamon | Photo courtesy of the Jake and Nancy Hamon Papers, Jerry Bywaters Special Collections, Jake and Nancy Hamon Arts Library, SMU
4th QUARTER 2014 | C enter for B rain H ealt H at t H e U niversity of t exas at D allas
from the chief director
As you may know, my motto is ‘no status quo’. Forcing the mind to ratchet up from one idea to the next, charging upwards and onwards keeps life exciting, engaging and, as our research continually reinforces, enhances brain performance.
We have had a prolific year challenging status quo.
Our Brain Performance Institute grew from a staff of three to 25 in less than a year. Using the Center for BrainHealth as its base of operation and through mobile units, the Institute served the brain health needs of teens, corporate executives, individuals with autism, and, thanks to private philanthropy, provided free brain training to more than 500 warriors. Groundbreaking on a new, state-of-the-art facility is scheduled for 2015.
We published several internationally recognized research papers on various subjects including healthy aging, traumatic brain injury, fear, autism and addiction; collaborated with elite military forces to cognitively enhance the minds of our treasured service members; cumulatively reached more than 38,000 middle school students through our adolescent reasoning program; and launched many new research initiatives for a total number of fully funded projects exceeding 60.
None of this would have been possible without the tremendous backing of our steadfast donors, philanthropic partners, and scientific collaborators.
Our supporters are vast and diverse. In addition to the generosity of private philanthropy, corporate citizenship and government funding, our dedicated circle of donors, the Friends of BrainHealth, raised more than $302,000 this year to fund innovative research initiatives of young scientists. Our young professionals organization, the Think Ahead Group, contributed $50,000 to research that aims to help individuals on the autism spectrum achieve social and economic independence.
Our hearts overflow with gratitude for this unique opportunity to push the boundaries of brain science while embracing the chance to improve the human condition. In 2015 we will continue to search for biomarkers of brain health and ways to strengthen brain function, structure and performance at all levels in health, injury and disease. We proudly do this in the interest of empowering our brains to contribute to the best possible quality of life, fueling our ever-expanding lifespans.
Wishing you a happy, safe, and brain healthy holiday season,
Change Marijuana
Brain Change in Chronic Marijuana Use: Volume and Connectivity Abnormalities
On November 15, the first study to comprehensively identify existing abnormalities in brain function and structure of long-term marijuana users published on the cover of one of the world’s most-cited and comprehensive multidisciplinary scientific journals, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences ( PNAS ). Led by BrainHealth’s Director of the Cognitive Neuroscience Research in Addictive Disorders, Francesca Filbey, Ph.D., the research suggests that the effects of chronic marijuana use on the brain may depend on age of first use and duration of use. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) techniques reveal smaller brain volume and increased brain connectivity in the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC), a part of the brain commonly associated with addiction, decision making, inhibition and motivation. The earlier and longer someone uses marijuana, the more pronounced the brain differences.
“The results suggest increases in connectivity, both structural and functional, that may be compensating for gray matter losses,” said Dr. Sina Aslan, founder and president of Advance MRI, LLC and adjunct assistant professor at The University of Texas at Dallas. “Eventually, however, the structural connectivity or ‘wiring’ of the brain starts degrading with prolonged marijuana use.”
“We have seen a steady increase in the incidence of marijuana use since 2007,“ said Dr. Filbey. “However, research on its long-term effects remains scarce despite the changes in legislation surrounding marijuana and the continuing conversation surrounding this relevant public health topic.”
The research team studied 48 adult marijuana users and 62 gender- and agematched non-users, accounting for potential biases such as gender, age and ethnicity. The authors also controlled for tobacco and alcohol use. On average, the marijuana users who participated in the study consumed the drug three times per day.
Cognitive tests show that chronic marijuana users had lower IQ compared to ageand gender-matched controls but the differences do not seem to be related to the brain abnormalities since no direct correlation can be drawn between IQ deficits and OFC volume decrease.
Tests reveal that the most dramatic connectivity increases appear when an individual first starts using marijuana, and the younger the person when he or she first begins using marijuana regularly, the greater the structural and functional connectivity increases. Findings also show a direct correlation between connectivity increases and severity of use.
Although increased structural wiring declines after six to eight years of continued chronic use, marijuana users continue to display more intense connectivity than healthy non-users, which may explain why chronic, long-term users “seem to be doing just fine” despite smaller OFC brain volumes, Filbey explained. Further studies are needed to determine the permanence and causality of these changes.
CENTER GOINGS-ON
A n estimated 8% of Americans will suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) at some point during their lifetime. Brought on by an overwhelming or stressful event or events, PTSD is the result of altered chemistry and physiology of the brain. Understanding how threat is processed in a normal brain versus one altered by PTSD is essential to developing effective interventions.
New research from the Center for BrainHealth published in Brain and Cognition illustrates how fear arises in the brain when individuals are exposed to threatening images. This novel study is the first to separate emotion from threat by controlling for the dimension of
BR A I N H E A LTH
TIP
Our brain can become less fit with age when we accept mental slippage. Make a New Year’s resolution to put your brain up front and center. You are never too young or too old to adopt brain healthy habits that challenge and enhance your brain to think and act smarter.
TO DO: Schedule a BrainHealth Physical to establish a benchmark of brain health so that you will always be able to tell if your brain is going forward or backward.
To schedule, contact Jennifer Zientz: jennifer.zientz@utdallas.edu
972.883.3404
arousal, the emotional reaction provoked, whether positive or negative, in response to stimuli. Building on previous animal and human research, the study identifies an electrophysiological marker for threat in the brain.
brain’s memory center – the hippocampus – before traveling to the frontal lobe where thought processing areas are engaged. At the same time, beta wave activity indicates that the motor cortex is revving up in case the feet need to move to avoid the perceived threat.”
“We are trying to find where thought exists in the mind,” explained John Hart, Jr., M.D., BrainHealth’s Medical Science Director. “We know that groups of neurons firing on and off create a frequency and pattern that tell other areas of the brain what to do. By identifying these rhythms, we can correlate them with a cognitive unit such as fear.”
Utilizing electroencephalography (EEG), Dr. Hart’s research team identified theta and beta wave activity that signifies the brain’s reaction to visually threatening images.
“We have known for a long time that the brain prioritizes threatening information over other cognitive processes,” explained Bambi DeLaRosa, the study’s lead author. “These findings show us how this happens. Theta wave activity starts in the back of the brain in its fear center – the amygdala – and then interacts with the
For the study, 26 adults (19 female, 7 male), ages 19-30, were shown 224 randomized images that were either unidentifiably scrambled or real pictures. Real pictures were separated into two categories: threatening (weapons, combat, nature or animals) and nonthreatening (pleasant situations, food, nature or animals). While wearing an EEG cap, participants were asked to push a button with their right index finger for real items and another button with their right middle finger for nonreal/scrambled items. EEG results revealed that threatening images evoked an early increase in theta activity in the occipital lobe (the area in the brain where visual information is processed), followed by a later increase in theta power in the frontal lobe (where higher mental functions such as thinking, decisionmaking, and planning occur). A left lateralized desynchronization of the beta band, the wave pattern associated with motor behavior (like the impulse to run), also consistently appeared in the threatening condition.
This study will serve as a foundation for future work that will explore normal versus abnormal fear associated with an object in other atypical populations including individuals with PTSD.
February 3
The Emy Lou & Jerry Baldridge Lecture The Winner Effect: How Power Affects Your Brain
Dr. Ian Robertson
The most underestimated brain enhancing agent is empowerment, Dr. Robertson argues. Power’s effects on the dopamine system in particular can enhance cognitive and emotional function but in excess can disrupt them. How can we harness the effects of power and empowerment to get the most out of our brains at every age?
February 10
The Terry & MG (R) Lee Baxter Lecture | Heartbreak to Healing: How One Warrior’s Parents are Waging War Against Veteran Suicide
Dr. & Mrs. Howard Somers, moderated by Krys Boyd (KERA Think!)
“Too trapped in war to be at peace, too damaged to be at war” were the words Army Veteran Daniel Somers wrote in a note for his family before he took his own life on June 10, 2013. His parents, Jean and Howard Somers, are determined to use their son’s death to raise awareness of the struggles veterans face once home, expose gaps in healthcare for service members and repair a broken Veterans Affairs system. Learn how they are taking their fight from Washington, D.C. to the California coast and how you can join their efforts to affect positive change now.
February 17
The Bert Headden & Cindy Thomas Lecture | Utilize Your Brain’s Plasticity for Brain Health
Dr. Michael Merzenich
There’s a revolution in the understanding of the origins of our human abilities. We now know that the brain is continually “plastic,” subject to improvement at any age in life. How can we marshal this great human asset to optimize our well-being and health? Dr. Merzenich, who is often called “the father of brain plasticity,” will share the latest research and discuss how the things we do every day can change our brains for the good—or the bad.
February 24
The Brain Science Behind Golf:
Why Some Experience the “Yips”
Dr. Debbie Crews
What happens when an athlete, who has undoubtedly dedicated their life to training for the perfect performance, suddenly loses all control when it counts the most? Dr. Crews will share the fascinating behavioral, cognitive, and psychophysiological science behind getting the “yips” in the game of golf and learning to play with the yips. The brain pattern of “yippers” and “golfers who help the ball into (out of) the hole” (also known as manipulators) look very similar, but for some golfers this can change with training. Yippers and manipulators can learn to get the ball in the hole!
ENRICH YOUR MIND:
Figure 3.
LETTER
Sandi Chapman, Ph.D.
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Founder and Chief Director
“...this novel study is the first to separate emotion from threat...”
“
...more intense connectivity...may explain why chronic, long-term users ‘seem to be doing just fine’...”
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us for sips, bites and an illuminating evening. Reception
at 6:15 p.m., and lecture starts at 7 p.m. Made possible by the generosity and vision of www.CenterForBrainHealth.org or 214.905.3007
The Brain: An Owner's Guide, the Center's annual sell-out public lecture series, delivers groundbreaking brain health research straight from renowned leaders in the field every Tuesday night in February. Join
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Leadership Spotlight
M ore than 150 of Dallas’ most beautiful and talented young-professional females took the field at the Cotton Bowl for the 7th Annual BvB Dallas Powder-Puff Football Game presented by Bud Light on August 16. Founded by sisters whose father was afflicted by Alzheimer’s, BvB exceeded its 2014 goal of $400,000 to raise more than $441,000 toward eradicating the grave disease. This year’s game benefited the Center for BrainHealth and UT Southwestern Medical Center.
running training drills and raising at least $1,000 each for the cause. More than 3,500 fans brave the triple-digit temperatures to cheer on their favorite team.
Discovery Group
A strength-based intervention for people recently diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease or other dementia.
Wednesday Mornings 10-11:30 am
the Center for BrainHealth accomplish.”
February 11 – April 1, 2015
Over the last seven years, BvB has raised more than $1.8 million. Each year Team Blonde, Team Brunette and coaches spend the months of May through August preparing for game day,
“Big D Powder Puff Tackling Alzheimer’s (BvB Dallas) was thrilled to announce the Center for BrainHealth as one of our Season 7 beneficiaries,” said BvB Dallas Board President, Jennifer Bergman. “The Center for BrainHealth has impressed us with their innovative research and programs dedicated to Alzheimer’s disease. Our partnership with the Center is important not only to our mission, but also to our participants, many who are personally affected by Alzheimer’s. We have greatly enjoyed working with the Center, their staff and volunteers. Their support during our 7th Season has been instrumental in our success, and we look forward to seeing what BvB Dallas can help
“Alzheimer’s disease is a formidable foe, listed as number 3 of America’s top killers behind heart disease and cancer. And while the brain disease is a frightening diagnosis, scientific discoveries are bringing new hope for those living with the disease and those at risk for developing it,” said Sandra Bond Chapman, Ph.D., Founder and Chief Director of the Center for BrainHealth. “Our research at the Center for BrainHealth is contributing to solutions that will one day reduce risk, and help to earlier diagnose and treat Alzheimer’s disease effectively. With the support of BvB, we can continue to make great strides in building brain resilience and maximizing cognitive performance across the lifespan in health, injury and disease.”
BRAINHEALTH RESEARCH
S ocial cognition is what allows us to relate to others; it informs our ability to read facial expressions and take turns during a conversation. People on the autism spectrum and individuals with schizophrenia score lower than healthy controls on social cognition tests, leading scientists to believe for years that the two populations may have comparable social skills. However, a new Center for BrainHealth study found that despite similar social cognitive abilities, individuals with autism are more adept at reasoning when it comes to understanding analogies.
“The findings are actually quite surprising,” explained Dan Krawczyk, Ph.D., Debbie and Jim Francis Chair in BrainHealth. “Social cognition and reasoning go hand in hand; individuals with mild autism spectrum disorder seem to be immune to their social cognitive deficits when it comes to reasoning in similar situations.” The study, published in Frontiers of Neuroscience, is the first to examine analogical reasoning in schizophrenia. Forty-three participants were tested on 24 analogies of varying content.
Individuals with schizophrenia demonstrated lower reasoning ability than individuals on the autism spectrum and healthy controls. Interestingly, the autism spectrum group showed more success with scenes depicting living objects (people/animal) than non-living. “These findings are really counterintuitive. We expected the autism group to do better with problems that contained non-living objects,” said Dr. Krawczyk. “Apparently, when it comes to reasoning ability, problem content and social dynamics really matter.”
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• Engagement focusing on strengths
• Education on the diagnosis and strategies to optimize function
• Inspiration from learning from others living with a diagnosis
Family members are invited to attend a support group that will meet at the same time. This group will be facilitated by the Alzheimer’s Association.
For more information, contact Audette Rackley at 972-883-3405 or arackley@utdallas.edu.
Made possible by the Tims Family Initiative for Early Discovery
@BrainHealth
Thank you to the numerous donors whose support funded the initiatives appearing in this edition of Brain Matters
Emy Lou & Jerry Baldridge
Terry & MG (R) Lee Baxter
Berman Laboratory for Learning and Memory at UT Dallas
BvB
The Container Store
Crystal Charity Ball
Department of Defense
Hamon Charitable Foundation
Bert Headden & Cindy Thomas
Lyda Hill
Lattner Foundation
National Institute on Drug Abuse
Jane and Bud Smith
Tims Family Initiative Wacker Foundation
The Brain: An Owner’s Guide 2015 Lecture Series tickets on sale now. For speaker lineup and dates, look inside or visit www.CenterForBrainHealth.org.
@TrainingBrains
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Kimber Hartmann (Development Director, Center for BrainHealth), Greer Fulton (Event Chair, BvB), Jennifer Bergman (Board President, BvB)
Legacy Award Dinner Honoring Lyda Hill
November 11, 2014
O n November 11, Veterans Day, the Center for BrainHealth celebrated Lyda Hill and her commitment to America’s servicemen and women, presenting her with its highest honor, the Legacy Award, which recognizes the pioneering spirit of individuals whose vision and dedication to brain research enable the Center to explore the vast potential of the human mind.
Ms. Hill credited her nephew, Michael Wisenbaker, an Air Force F-16 pilot and Iraq war veteran, with inspiring her to make a gift to the Center’s Brain Performance Institute to address the often overwhelming and unseen injuries of war that make the transition from military to civilian life difficult. Her $2 million contribution activated the Warrior Training Team, mobile units of clinicians and veterans who deliver effective, evidencebased programs that build brain resilience, achieve brain regeneration and reverse losses in cognitive function.
“Lyda, having a warrior’s spirit herself, knew she had to do something…And that she has done”, said Sandra Chapman, Ph.D., BrainHealth Founder and Chief Director. “Lyda’s gift ignited the extension of our proven trainings to go well beyond our current Department of Defense funded research. Her gift...has been transformative — launching stressinoculating and brain health building programs to hundreds of military service members and their families — farther and faster than we ever imagined possible.”
The Warrior Training Team has reached more than 500 warriors, including active duty elite special forces, veterans, and military spouses and caregivers, in eight states and Washington, DC in the last year. Projections for next year are in the thousands.
Past Legacy Award recipients include Dianne Cash, Debbie Francis, T. Boone Pickens, James Huffines, Dee Wyly, Daryl Johnston & Lee Roy Jordan, and Jane & Bud Smith.
Dinner Chair Lynn McBee commenced the program describing Ms. Hill as “an individual who truly epitomizes the meaning of giving through serving those who have served,” saying to Ms. Hill, “You approach everything with gusto! And tonight we hope to show you the same gusto as we celebrate you and the lives you touch.”
The Event
Held at The Joule Hotel, Legacy was attended by approximately 250 guests, including many of our nation’s treasured veterans.
Jake Schick (USMC, Retired), Sara Poquette (USA Veteran), Chris Talcott (USA, Retired), Maj. Gen. Lee Baxter (USA, Retired), Morgan Luttrell (US Navy SEAL, Retired), Lyda Hill, Dr. Sandi Chapman, Eric Bennett, Joshua Parker (USA Veteran), Mike Rials (USMC Veteran), Matthew Melton (US Navy SEAL Veteran), Corinne Stevens (USA Veteran), KeeShaun Coffey (US Navy Veteran), Matthew Neyland (USMC Veteran)
Jan & Trevor Rees-Jones Scottie Breault & Jim Dondero Del Frnka & Caroline Rose Hunt Nancy & Bob Wilbur Dianne Cash & Ward Hunt Jr.
Sandy Rouse, Mary Ann Cree & Tommy Rouse
Jerry Baldridge, Jane & Bud Smith Nancy Perot, Ross & Margot Perot, Carolyn & Karl Rathjen
Pam & John Borders, Suzanne & Lance Charriere Bill & Gail Plummer, Henry & Rita Hortenstine
Barbara & Steve Durham, Lucy Billingsley
Elizabeth Fronterhouse, Patty Huffines, Holly Huffines, Lynette Thweatt Morgan & Leslie Luttrell, Toni & Boone Pickens Jessica & Bill Jesse
Tina & Brendan Bass, Heather Conover & Ron Hoxworth Debbie & Jim Francis, Jenny & Gen. Buzz Moseley (USAF, Retired), Bobby Lyle Bess & Ted Enloe
Kathleen Parker, Lindsey Campbell, Margretta Wikert, Matthew Neyland Paul & Gayle Stoffel
Lynn McBee
Ruth
Altshuler; Diane & Hal Brierley; Barbara & Don Daseke; Peggy Dear, Barbara & Steve Durham; Bess & Ted Enloe; Debbie & Jim Francis; Al Hill Jr.; Sally & Forrest Hoglund; Caroline Rose Hunt; Gene & Jerry Jones; Bobby B. Lyle; Lydia & Dan Novakov; Alice & Erle Nye; Margot & Ross Perot; Nancy Perot & Rod Jones; Toni & Boone Pickens; Carolyn & Karl Rathjen; Betty & Gerald Regard; Deedie & Rusty Rose; Jane & Bud Smith; Elisa & Stephen Summers; Heather & Ray Washburne; Alinda & Jim Wikert; Cody Wikert; Margretta Wikert; Lindsey & Michael Wisenbaker; and Wesley Wisenbaker Gold: $25,000 Al Hill Jr. Gene & Jerry Jones Family Foundation Toni & Boone Pickens PlainsCapital Bank Silver: $15,000 Sally & Forrest Hoglund, Rita & Henry Hortenstine, & Sandy & Tommy Rouse The Alinda Hill Wikert Foundation Bronze: $10,000 Ruth & Ken Altshuler Lucy & Henry Billingsley Peggy Dear Barbara & Steven H. Durham Debbie & Jim Francis Carol & Jeff Heller Highland Capital Management Bobby B. Lyle Eugene McDermott Foundation Carolyn & Karl Rathjen/ Nancy Perot & Rod Jones Katherine & Eric Reeves Jane & Bud Smith Mr. & Mrs. Ray W. Washburne Wells Fargo Private Bank
The Legacy Award Dinner was sponsored by: Host Committee: Peggy & Richard Allison;
& Ken
