Üsküdar University is hosting the 2nd Neuroscience Congress organized by the Interdisciplinary Brain Research Association. Speaking at the opening of the congress, Üsküdar University Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan stated that the 21st century skill is cooperation and listed the tripods of success as "emotional positivity, mental flexibility and behavioral embrace". Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "If our first step is emotional positivity, the world will be more livable."
The 2nd Neuroscience Congress held at Üsküdar University Altunizade Campus Nermin Tarhan Conference Hall brought together many academicians and scientists working in different fields. Organized by the Interdisciplinary Brain Research Association and co-chaired by Üsküdar University Faculty Member, NPISTANBUL Hospital Neurology Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Metin and Prof. Dr. Erdem Tüzün, this year's theme of the congress was determined as "Prospective View of Neuroscience and Sports Genetics".
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan: I am excited that young people embrace neuroscience
Üsküdar University Rector Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan expressed his pleasure to host the 2nd Neuroscience Congress as a university in the opening conference titled "Changing Psychology and the Blue Brain" and said the following:
"Two things excited me when I came to the congress. First, it is important that young people embrace neuroscience. This is a matter of vision. The second is that the Brain Research Association is interdisciplinary. This is important in this respect: As a university, we have an R&D focus. As a university, we were invited to the G20 for the first time, and we attended. Before the G20, there are N20 Neuroscience meetings. This is an interdisciplinary meeting on neuroscience. Engineers, social scientists and neurosurgeons, neurologists, psychiatrists come together. It is a multidisciplinary meeting. A multidisciplinary meeting is very important in accessing new information, and the establishment of this interdisciplinary Brain Research Association is an important vision, a good work. It is a study with a future, this excited me.
Neuroscience is a field that policy makers are interested in
Stating that neuroscience has gained importance all over the world, Tarhan noted that it is an area of interest for policy makers. Stating that Üsküdar University has chosen neuroscience as its R&D focus, Tarhan said that they closely follow the studies in this field in the world and do their best to contribute.
Blue Brain studies opened a new horizon for psychology
Stating that psychology experienced a revolution in the 90s, Prof. Dr. Tarhan said, "It was understood that emotions are now a scientific category. Descartes' saying 'I think therefore I am' turned into 'I think, I feel therefore I am'. With the studies on spirituality, the phrase 'I believe, therefore I exist' has found a scientific basis. In this context, Europe's "Human Brain Project" started in Switzerland in the 2000s. These studies were called Blue Brain studies. In blue brain studies, autonomous robots started to be built using digital systems, genetic algorithms and neural networks. This result raised the question of whether artificial intelligence would replace humans. It has become imperative to revisit psychopathological strategies in the treatment of diseases and changing behaviors. Now, neurotechnology has emerged in the treatment of diseases such as depression, Alzheimer's, schizophrenia and autism."
Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan said, "What we call mental disorders are disorders that have a cerebral equivalent" and pointed out that the era of wise medicine is now behind us and measurable methods have gained importance thanks to developing technologies, especially brain imaging.
He drew attention to the social media generation
Stating that the generation called Generation Z is the social media generation, Tarhan said, "The vast majority of young people are like this. There is a study conducted by the University of Manchester in England on 55 thousand people about the current social media generation. In the study, it is stated that young people between the ages of 16-24 have social loneliness problems and 2 things are mentioned. First, young people between the ages of 16-24 do not brush their teeth. They have poor self-care. Secondly, they do not eat hot food. Such a generation is coming," he warned.
21st century skill; moving forward with people
Stating that the 21st century skill is collaboration, Prof. Dr. Tarhan listed the three pillars of success as "emotional positivity, mental flexibility and behavioral embrace". Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan gave the following advice to young people: "The tripod of success: Emotional positivity, mental flexibility, behavioral embrace. Our brain does this. But people cannot do this. If our first step is emotional positivity, the world will be more livable. Moving forward with people, not managing them, is a 21st century skill. We need to do this in a multidisciplinary way."
Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Metin made the opening speech
Delivering the opening speech of the congress, Üsküdar University Faculty Member, NPISTANBUL Hospital Neurology Specialist Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Metin said that the basic philosophy of Üsküdar University, which was established in 2011, is neuroscience. Stating that there was a great effort in organizing the congress, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Barış Metin said that many academicians, scientists and experts from various fields participated in the congress and that many disciplines related to neuroscience met at the congress. Referring to the Brain Initiative Initiative launched in the USA in 2015, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Metin said that China has also initiated similar studies.
Neuroscience expert and academician Prof. Dr. Erdem Tüzün noted that they aim to increase the interest of young talents in science and the brain by including many disciplines covering the content of neuroscience in order to ensure cooperation between fields as well as the strong scientific aspect of the congress, and to provide them with an environment where they can express their knowledge.
We need healthy thinking brains
Emrehan Halıcı, President of the Intelligence Foundation of Turkey, stated that he found the increasing number of such meetings in Turkey extremely important and that healthy thinking brains and individuals are needed for a healthy society and that this is the only way to solve the problems that exist in our world.
Prof. Dr. Sinan Canan: "We invented boredom"
Üsküdar University Faculty Member Prof. Dr. Sinan Canan said in his presentation titled "Neuroscience and Chaos Theory" that chaotic systems, which concern various fields of science, are used in many fields from medicine, biology, engineering to mathematics. Prof. Dr. Sinan Canan stated that the system of nature contains chaos, and that human beings resist this and create order, and said, "Nature has its own processing system, and we can think of it as the main breeding ground in which our brain and biology are shaped. Therefore, our system is actually a system suitable for chaos order, but later on, when we did science, technology and analysis, we got a little bit disconnected from it and now we have a difficulty in understanding it. We have to constantly expend energy to create and maintain order. We left the unpredictable, unaccountable chaos of nature and built our own order and we live everything within it. Most of the problems and pathologies we experience are perhaps due to this disharmony. In chaos there is slackness, in our order there is a clock, there is overtime. At the same time, there is joy in chaos and boredom in order. We invented boredom, we think our ancestors who lived in nature never experienced such a thing. Therefore, chaos is actually a subject that we can understand very easily when we get into it and we can feel very close to it."
After the opening conference, Prof. Dr. Nevzat Tarhan was presented a plaque of appreciation by Selin Yiğit, President of the Interdisciplinary Brain Research Association.
Deep learning and neuropsychopharmacology were discussed
In the program, Üsküdar University Faculty Member Assoc. Prof. Dr. Türker Tekin Ergüzel made a presentation titled "Deep Learning in Medical Data Analysis" and a panel titled "The Media's Scientific View of Sports" was moderated by Üsküdar University Molecular Biology and Genetics Department Lecturer Assoc. Prof. Dr. Korkut Ulucan. At the congress, Prof. Dr. Tayfun Uzbay, Dean of Üsküdar University Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, said, "What is neuropsychopharmacology? Animal Models in Neuropsychiatric Diseases".
The congress will last for two days
In another session attended by Üsküdar University NPISTANBUL Hospital Neurology Specialist Prof. Dr. Sultan Tarlacı, "How can we make inferences about the future of neuroscience by looking at today's knowledge and its adventure in the past? What does past evolution say about our future brain evolution? Will the immortality of consciousness and mind be possible? Can we see from today where artificial intelligence will end up?" questions were answered.
Prof. Dr. Oğuz Tanrıdağ, Head of the Department of Neuroscience at Üsküdar University, Neurology Specialist at NPISTANBUL Hospital, presented "The data of the neuroscience era and the brain-based education model", Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Üsküdar University, and Prof. Dr. Deniz Ülke Arıboğan, Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences at Üsküdar University. Prof. Dr. Öget Öktem Tanör, Prof. Dr. Öget Öktem Tanör, Dr. Rüştü Murat Demirerer from Üsküdar University, NPISTANBUL Hospital Occupational Therapy Specialist Shahram Mohseni participated in the congress with their presentations.
Many courses, panels and conferences are held at the 2nd Neuroscience Congress held on December 15-16, 2018. The congress, which was held with intense participation, was broadcast live on ÜÜ TV.