KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 April 6, 2021 \u2013 We may not know it by name, but executive functioning is something we use every day. It helps us to remember information, gives us the flexibility to multitask, and helps us control our attention, behavior and thoughts.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s responsible for all of our decisions and is the basis for all of our behavior,\u201d said Sydney Bartman. \u201cWithout it, our behavior would be random and without context. It allows us to properly interact with our world, and make decisions based on past and current interactions.\u201d<\/p>\n
For Bartman, team leader Jennifer Mattar and Lauren Thompson, doctoral students in the 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s Interdisciplinary Neuroscience Program<\/a>, executive functioning is their way of connecting with K-12 students and teaching them about the brain as part of the recent Brain Week RI<\/a>.<\/p>\n Canceled last year because of the pandemic, Brain Week RI was fully virtual this March, attracting more than 100 people to each of the public online events. In-person events \u2013 such as 溏心vlog免费B站\u2019s annual Brain Fair \u2013 were replaced with lunchtime discussions and nightly plays over Zoom. The event\u2019s annual in-person school outreach was replaced by Brainy Adventures<\/a>, seven virtual lesson plans that school teachers can access online throughout April and present to their students.<\/p>\n The 溏心vlog免费B站 students joined teams from Brown University, Providence College, Roger Williams University, and Bryant University, in developing the Brainy Adventures. Each lesson plan provides full packets of materials and instructional videos, making it easy for teachers to present the lessons with no experience in the subject. Through April, teachers can request the materials at Brain Week RI<\/a> and also sign up for a virtual visit from one of the scientists who designed the lessons.<\/p>\n Mattar, Thompson and Bartman focused on executive functioning because they felt it would be interesting to students of all ages, while providing a number of assessments that would be fun and easily adaptable for online learning.<\/p>\n \u201cBrain Week helps to raise awareness of neuroscience in general as well as neuroscience research happening in Rhode Island,\u201d said Thompson. \u201cExecutive functioning and cognition are becoming increasingly popular areas of research,\u00a0and it’s helpful for people to understand how executive functioning and cognition relate to other aspects of daily life.\u201d<\/p>\n For the trio, their work in the neuroscience program intersects with executive functioning. Thompson, of Narragansett<\/strong>, has worked on executive functioning studies and reviews under Professor Lisa Weyandt. Thompson\u2019s research focuses on the relationship between executive functioning impairments and mental health disorders. Bartman, of Newport<\/strong>, studies aging and its relationship to mitochondrial dysfunction and epigenetics in the lab of Professor Jamie Ross. And Mattar, of Coventry<\/strong>, studies lifestyle factors and genetic contributions to neuro-degenerative diseases in the lab of Professors John Robinson and William Van Nostrand.<\/p>\n