The Environment That Never Switches Off: How Are We Rewiring the Human Brain?
Faculty of Health
School of Clinical Sciences
Queensland University of Technology
The Environment That Never Switches Off: How Are We Rewiring the Human Brain?
The human brain is continually shaped by experience. What happens when the environment shaping the brain changes rapidly? Childhood and adolescence now unfold in a world of smartphones, social media, constant information and increasingly artificial intelligence. These technologies are becoming embedded in how we learn, connect, work, seek reassurance and understand ourselves.
Drawing on neuroscience, her research into early-life adversity and addiction, and emerging work on digital wellbeing, she will examine what we know about how experience shapes the developing brain, why some people are more vulnerable than others, and why simple measures such as screen time cannot capture the complexity of what is happening.
The seminar will also explore how to translate this science into practice. Her team's emerging work aims to help practitioners, educators and clinicians move beyond simply identifying screen use towards understanding what digital experiences are doing in a young person's life and having the difficult conversations that can follow. If experience changes the brain, what happens when the environment never switches off, and how can we use what we know about neuroplasticity to help us thrive?
About Neuroscience Seminars
Neuroscience seminars at the QBI play a major role in the advancement of neuroscience in the Asia-Pacific region. The primary goal of these seminars is to promote excellence in neuroscience through the exchange of ideas, establishing new collaborations and augmenting partnerships already in place.
Seminars in the QBI Auditorium on Level 7 are held on Wednesdays at 12-1pm, which are sometimes simulcast on Zoom (with approval from the speaker). We also occassionally hold seminars from international speakers via Zoom. The days and times of these seminars will vary depending on the time zone of the speaker. Please see each seminar listed below for details.
