Brain Awareness Week 2021 at Ibn Sina Academy (India)

By the courtesy of the Asia Pacific Regional Committee of International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO-APRC), Brain Awareness Week (BAW) was celebrated with gaiety and enthusiasm to raise the awareness and understanding about the intricacies of brain and neuroscience at Ibn Sina Academy.

International Brain Research Organisation (IBRO) with partner members like Dana Foundation supports BAW projects across the region of Africa, Asia, Latin America and the Middle East. IBRO Asia/Pacific Regional Committee (IBRO-APRC) also offers additional BAW grants to projects in the Asia Pacific Region. In the year 2021, through the Global Engagement Initiative, established with founding partners Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS), Society for Neuroscience (SfN), the Japan Neuroscience Society, the Australasian Neuroscience Society and the Dana Foundation, another 20 public outreach, advocacy and engagement activities also took place around the world.

IBRO-APRC selected Ibn Sina Academy with a grant award of 1250 Euro to organize BAW. The theme of the Academy’s celebration was “Neuroscience through the Ages to Modern Times”. During the three-day celebration from 7 to 9 June 2021, the Academy held an impressive inaugural program of the exhibition followed by children’s presentations on the very first day. Earlier, children from various schools were invited to participate in a competition for painting, essay-writing and poetry on Brain and Neuroscience. Handsome cash awards were given to the winning students.

On the next day, i.e. on 8.6.2021, an exhibition of all publications on Neuroscience that are extant at Ibn Sina Academy was organised for the general public. This exhibition of publications and artifacts on neuroscience (Extant at Ibn Sina Academy) was inaugurated by the Chief Guest, Prof. M. Fakhrul Huda (Chairman, Department of Neurosurgery, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, A.M.U., Aligarh) in presence of Guests of Honour, Dr. Raman M. Sharma (Dept. of Neurosurgery, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, A.M.U., Aligarh) and Dr. Sanjeev Sharma (Consultant, SASMIT Neuro-Care & Trauma Centre, Vikram Colony, Aligarh). Dr. Ahmar Hasan (Resident, Department of Pharmacology, Jawaharlal Nehru Medical College, A.M.U., Aligarh), made the list of all publications and presented the same through power point.

To cite an example, the Academy displayed few copies of the journals and books on brain and neuroscience such as the Newsletters and Annals of Neuroscience (Indian Academy of Neuroscience), Cerebral Palsy (Indian Family of Cerebral Palsy), Neurochemistry News & Journal of Neurochemistry (International Society of Neurochemistry), European Journal of Neurosciences (ESN), Neuromodulation (International Neuromodulation Society), IBRO News, Nature Neuroscience, Epilepsia, Epilepsy Currents, Brain Behavior and Evolution, Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences, Headache, Journal of Head & Face Pain, Indian Journal of Pain, Pain Practice, Psychological Science, Journal of the American Psychological Society, Current Directions in Psychological Science (American Psychological Society), Neuropsychopharmacology, Neurotoxicology Updates, Current Neuropharmacology, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Psychophysiology (Society for Psychophysiological Research), Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology (American Clinical Neurophysiology Society), Neurodegenerative Diseases, Neurotransmissions (Newsletter for the Neuroscientists), The Mind Healer, Neuro-Signals, Developmental Neuroscience, etc. In addition, lots of abstract books of different symposiums, seminars and conferences on brain and neuroscience, WHO World Health Day Kit (2017 Theme: Ageing and Health) were also displayed.

Special reference needs to be mentioned here that Ibn Sina Academy displayed two of its own publications on neuroscience and ageing very significantly. Ain al-Hayat (An Arabic Manuscript on Geriatrics written in 1532) by Mohammad bin Yousuf Al- Harwi (1542 A.D). There are four copies of this old manuscript reported in various libraries of the world. It is stated that this is the first text on ageing in the world. After collation of these four copies of the manuscript, Hakim Syed Zillur Rahman (President, Ibn Sina Academy) edited and translated the manuscript in Urdu in 2007. In the edited book, one can find how the author 500 years back discussed all types of behavioral and lifestyle factors including diet, environment and housing conditions related to well-being of ageing. He also discussed what drugs could increase and decrease the ageing. This book in Urdu has now been translated into English and Bahasa and these translations were also displayed. Another book of Ibn Sina Academy which was displayed was “Self- rated memory of individuals associated with demographic profiles, lifestyle parameters, health status and medication use” by Syed Ziaur Rahman (2017).

Master Syed Faiz Rahman (Student of VI Standard, Our Lady of Fatima School, Aligarh) prepared a collage of original postcards and postal stamps on neuroscience extant at Ibn Sina Academy. It was well appreciated by all and played a significant role in popularising the concept of BAW.

On the third day i.e. on 9.6.2021, a webinar through google-meet was arranged on the subject “Brain Safety: Exploring Medicinal Plants in Morphine Addiction”. The resource persons and topics of presentation were as follows: Dr. Syed Ziaur Rahman (Aligarh, India): Exploring the aqueous and ethanolic extracts of Myristica fragrans & Delphinium denudatum in animal model of morphine addiction; Dr. Imran Zaheer (Shaqra, Saudi Arabia): Exploring the various extracts of Myristica fragrans & Delphinium denudatum in animal model of morphine addiction; Dr. Ankita Mishra (Mumbai, India): Exploring the various fractions of Myristica fragrans in animal model of morphine addiction and Dr. Ahmad Zee Fahem (Aligarh, India): Exploring phytochemicals of Myristica fragrans & Delphinium denudatum in animal model of morphine addiction.

The academy is thankful to the IBRO-APRC for selecting Ibn Sina Academy with a grant award of 1250 Euro to organize BAW. The grant was released to Prof. Syed Ziaur Rahman (Hony. Treasurer, Ibn Sina Academy) who is a member of IBRO and other neuroscience societies.