Preface
Four years ago, I experienced a stroke that forever changed how I interact with the world. One of the most profound challenges that followed was not only the difficulty in speech, but the mysterious shifts in how I remembered, recalled, and processed information. It was as if the vaults of memory had new locks—some with missing keys, others jammed or slow to open.
This personal journey awakened in me a deep curiosity: What is memory, really? How does the brain remember, and why does it sometimes forget? Can memory be healed or rewired after damage? These questions led me to explore the world of neuroscience—not just as a subject of study, but as a living reality.
This book is written for those who want to understand memory not merely as a concept, but as a vital, living function of the brain. Whether you are a student of the mind, a health professional, a patient, or a curious reader, I invite you to walk with me through the intricate architecture of memory—neurons, synapses, neurotransmitters, and plasticity—all woven together into a grand and humbling story.
May this journey deepen your understanding of the brain’s wonders and the gift of memory itself.
“I will remember the deeds of the Lord; yes, I will remember your wonders of old.” – Psalm 77:11

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PDF template for crafting individualized meltdown prevention and response plans with caregivers.

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How to Use this Guidebook
Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) are the things we do every day to take care of our minds, bodies, homes,
and relationships (Mlinec and Feng, 2016). For simplicity, this guidebook does not distinguish between
ADLs and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs), but focuses on skills related to moving, dressing,
feeding, bathing/showering, personal hygiene, and toileting. Gaining independence in areas such asthese
is tremendously empowering because it increases autonomy and opens doors to new and positive
experiences in the future.
The contents of this guidebook are not meant to replace what you know about ADLs. Each section of this
guidebook explores and offers considerations for how to select an ADL with your client, break that ADL
down into steps, teach that ADL to a person in a way that works for them, and track their progress over
time. Whether someone wants to learn how to zip up a coat, or make bannock using traditional methods,
you will find within these pages information and materials to support them.
We encourage you to make your way through this guidebook by reading each section in order. Take the
things you like and leave the things that do not fit with your approach, but try to keep an open mind.
We hope this guidebook will be helpful in your and your client’s journey journ

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FOREWORD
The capacity to learn across the lifespan is growing in importance to become a fundamental
resource in the 21st century. As a result of the fast-paced changes brought about by the
digital economy, modern society requires new approaches to evidence-based, innovative
teaching and learning processes. Neuroscience research has taken long strides in
understanding how the brain learns. But to build the necessary bridge between Science
and Education, this knowledge needs systematizing and communication.
Bringing discoveries in neuroscience to the educational context is a fundamental step
for teachers to innovate in pedagogical strategies and for students to choose more
effective study practices. In addition, this step allows parents to offer more conducive
learning contexts and leaders to use scientific evidence to ground public policies that
effectively impact school performance.
This context enabled the Industrial Social Service (Serviço Social da Indústria - SESI) to
present this study – born out of a dialogue between a neuroscientist and an educator.
The document showcases 12 principles in neuroscience related to learning and 22
trends shaping the future of education. The study provides critical insights in accessible
language to build an educational trajectory more aligned with forming people that can
tackle enormous challenges - both present and future.
Enjoy your reading.
Robson Braga de Andrade
CNI President
SESI National Department Director

Prologue 11
PROLOGUE
Brazil has historical challenges to face in the educational arena. That is why the dialogue
between scientific research and the classroom has to be a national cornerstone. This
book brings fundamental reflections to advance the quality of education based on
scientific evidence. In accessible language and infographics, central paths to a more
effective pedagogical practice are mapped out.
Based on the review of 840 studies and research developed in Brazil and 50 other
countries, the authors present crucial discoveries in Neuroscience related to learning.
They also make clear how teachers can put this scientific evidence into action in the
classroom. Readers are invited to rethink the purposes of education in a world revamped
by artificial intelligence and loaded with challenges. In the last chapter, 22 trends lay
out the future of education around the world with innovations in all dimensions of the
teaching and learning process.
Education needs innovation. Despite the achievements observed in recent decades,
the current Brazilian educational framework is fraught with weaknesses showing that
the country is far from providing the desirable learning patterns for the population.
In 2019, 69% of students who started elementary school completed high school.
However, a third dropped out. Besides attendance, Brazil lacks effectiveness in learning
outcomes. Data from the National Basic Education Assessment System (T.N.) indicates
that, in the last 20 years, the country has kept low learning indexes, with 1 out of 10
students completing high school with adequate learning scores in mathematics.1
Brazil’s failures in the educational field have resulted in a waste of talent and resources.
This created a major social national problem with around 12 million young people,
between 15 and 29 years old, not in education, employment, or training.
Besides such challenges, the authors highlight a feature in need of change. Several of
the nation’s educational systems still favor passive-reproductive methodologies where
students merely repeat information. That goes against the principles of Educational
Neuroscience explained throughout the book.
Translator’s Note: It stands for Saeb, the Brazilian Portuguese acronym for Sistema de Avaliação da Educação Básica.
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NEUROSCIENCE AND EDUCATION: LOOKING OUT
FOR THE FUTURE OF LEARNING
For Brazil to find new paths for evidence-based education, we must foster a dialogue
between researchers, educators, and public education leaders. Further, teachers must
have the necessary knowledge to redesign pedagogical practice in the 21st century.
This need gets addressed in this book.
With the covid-19 pandemic, Brazil is experiencing an unprecedented crisis in education.
Such a scenario requires immediate action to mitigate and reverse the literacy delay
and learning losses. The country needs to invest in effective teaching strategies aligned
with cutting-edge scientific research for better results in education.
In essence, a country’s social and economic development involves a solid education
system with universal access attuned to the advances in society, science, and technology.
There is no time to waste. We need to make change happen.
Rafael Lucchesi
Education and Technology Director for CN,,,

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INTRODUCTION
Foundations of Neuroscience is aimed at undergraduate students new to the field of neuroscience. The
first edition specifically targets students enrolled in Neurobiology at Michigan State University and
primarily contains topics covered in that course. For example, only three sensory systems are discussed
in this version of the text. Future editions will continue to expand the number of topics and concepts
presented (see below for a list of planned topics).
Following the principles of Universal Design for Learning, multiple means of representation will be
provided for students to engage with the content. Clear, accessible text will be divided into short,
easily digestible chapters that focus on one concept. Numerous images and animations will be paired
with the text, and a captioned video version of the text is shared for each chapter. The text is written
with the undergraduate student that is new to neuroscience in mind. Neuroscience terminology will
be introduced in an easy-to-understand manner, and supporting content will be clear and concise to
minimize cognitive load not associated with understanding new material.
Each chapter will end with an interactive quiz for student self-evaluation of the content. All quiz
answers (i.e. both correct and incorrect) will provide feedback, so students can self-check their
understanding at the end of each concept and receive immediate feedback about their learning.
Find errors or have suggestions? Email FoundationsNeuroscienceOER at gmail dot com.
Future topics include:
Pain (Fall 2023)
Auditory (Fall 2023)
Vestibular (Fall 2023)
Olfaction (Fall 2023)
Learning and Memory (Fall 2023)
Autonomic nervous system (Fall 2023)
Diseases and disorders for the different systems (2024)
Cerebellum (2024)
INTRODUCTION | 1
Sleep (2024)
Circadian rhythms (2024)

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Preface
One can say that the field of computational neuroscience started with the 1952
paper of Hodgkin and Huxley in which they describe, through nonlinear partial differential equations, the genesis of the action potential in the axon of the giant squid.
These equations and the methods that arose from this combination of modeling and
experiments have since formed the basis for every subsequent model for active cells.
The Hodgkin-Huxley model and a host of simplified equations that are derived from
them have inspired the development of new and beautiful mathematics. Dynamical
systems and computational methods are now being used to study activity patterns
in a variety of neuronal systems. It is becoming increasingly recognized, by both
experimentalists and theoreticians, that issues raised in neuroscience and the mathematical analysis of neuronal models provides unique interdisciplinary collaborative
research and educational opportunities.
This book is motivated by a perceived need for an overview of how dynamical
systems and computational analysis have been used in understanding the types of
models that come out of neuroscience. Our hope is that this will help to stimulate
an increasing number of collaborations between mathematicians, looking for classes
of interesting and relevant problems in applied mathematics and dynamical systems,
and neuroscientists, looking for new ways to think about the biological mechanisms
underlying experimentally observed firing patterns.
The book arose out of several courses that the authors have taught. One of
these is a graduate course in computational neuroscience that has students from
psychology, mathematics, computer science, physics and neuroscience. Of course,
teaching a course to students with such diverse backgrounds presents many challenges. However, the course provides many opportunities to encourage students,
who may not normally interact with each other, to collaborate on exercises and
projects. Throughout the book are many exercises that involve both computation
and analysis. All of the exercises are motivated by issues that arise from the biology.
We have attempted to provide a comprehensive introduction to the vocabulary
of neuroscience for mathematicians who are just getting interested in the field but
who have struggled with the biological details. Anyone who wants to work in
computational neuroscience should learn these details as this is the only way one
can be sure that the analysis and modeling is actually saying something useful to
the biologists. We have also tried to provide background material on dynamical
systems theory, including phase plane methods, oscillations, singular perturbations
and bifurcation analysis. An excellent way to learn this material is by using it,
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together with computer simulations, to analyze interesting, concrete examples. The
only prerequisite is a basic calculus course; however, it is very useful if students are
comfortable with the basic theory of ordinary differential equations as well as linear
algebra. Much of the mathematics is at the level of the book by Strogatz.
The book is organized from the bottom up. That is, we start with the biophysics of the cell membrane and from this introduce compartmental models, continuum limits and cable theory. We then add active ion channels. Prior to the
work on active channels, all equations are linear and in theory completely solvable in closed form. Here we introduce a number of interesting approaches toward
quantifying the responses of passive membranes to inputs. ...
There are several recent books that cover some of the same material in the
present volume. Theoretical Neuroscience by Dayan and Abbott has a broader range
of topics than our book. However, it does not go very deeply into the mathematical
analysis of neurons and networks, nor does it emphasize the dynamical systems
approach. A much closer book is Dynamical Systems in Neuroscience by Eugene
Izhikevich. This book emphasizes the same approach as we take here. However,
the main emphasis of DSN is in single neuron behavior. We cover a good deal of
single neuron biophysics, but include a much larger proportion of theory on systems
neuroscience and applications to networks.

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