This study group is designed to be a journey through what neuroscientists have learned so far as to the “how” of human brain function, i.e., how neural pathways guide us to be functional living beings and how such pathways develop. The study group is based on the book “Brainscapes” by Rebecca Schwarzlose (HarperCollins, 2021). Schwarzlose uses the term “Brainscapes” to describe the various maps in the brain (made of neurons), how they develop and how they allow us to respond to our environment and to “remember, imagine, learn, and think the way we do”. We will work our way through the book with recommended reading assignments. We (the SGLs) will use our meeting times to try to embellish upon and/or add to the themes of each reading, to hear your comments, and do our best to respond to your questions. Extensive science background is not necessary. Any expertise you wish to contribute will be a welcome addition. For full benefit from this study group, we recommend each SG member purchase Schwarzlose’s book, which at this writing appears to be available for about $20. Quoting Schwarzlose’s last few sentences of her introduction: “Yes, your brain is complex. But it is not out of reach, far off in the heavens. It is down in the mud with you. And that is a truly wonderful thing!”.

Marilyn Halonen is currently Professor Emerita of Pharmacology, University of Arizona, and is continuing to carry out research at the University as a volunteer faculty member in the Asthma and Airways Diseases Research Center and the Bio5 Institute. Before retiring in 2010, she taught classes at UA in Immunology and Inflammation, performed research and trained students in research related to immunity, allergy and asthma. She spent one year on sabbatical at NIH. For OLLI, she has led groups discussing “How Your Immune System Works”, “The Meaning of Life” and “Dealing with the Aging Brain” and a co-group leader for “Evolution” and “Molecular Biology”. Gerald M. Fleischner, MD, is a retired physician who spent 40 years teaching, caring for patients, and doing science at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in the Bronx, NY. Early research training at Einstein was with the immunologist-vaccinologist Dr. John B. Robbins and the hepatologist Dr. Irwin Arias. An unquenchable curiosity about the life process has him spending much time and effort in studying genomics and evolutionary science and how they intersect the medical literature. An OLLI member for over 12 years, he has served as SGL or co-SGL in courses involving the biological sciences and medicine. Patricia Sohler, Ph.D. is a retired clinical psychologist whose career involved conducting psychotherapy, psychological assessment, and the coordination of mental health programs, psychological services and research in Department of Veterans Affairs Medical Centers in WV, FL and MN. She has been an OLLI member since 2022 and has served as a tech host for several online OLLI classes.