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Electroconvulsive therapy is used to treat what brain disorder?  Alcohol interacts with what receptor to calm anxiety, impair muscle control and delay reaction time?

This is the calibre of the questions to be put to 90 of the brightest Year 10 students from city and country WA next week as they take part in Australia's only high school neuroscience competition.

They will take part in the WA final of the third national Australian Brain Bee Challenge held at The University of Western Australia on Tuesday June 28.

The challenge is a quiz about important facts concerning intelligence, memory, emotions, sensations, movement, stress, ageing, sleep, Alzheimer's disease and stroke.

The competition will be opened by eminent neuroscientist, UWA's Winthrop Professor Alan Harvey.  Vice-Dean of UWA's Faculty of Natural and Agricultural Sciences, Winthrop Professor Lyn Abbott, will award the prizes.

Brain Bee State coordinator Associate Professor Jennifer Rodger said the Brain Bee gave students a great introduction to the fascinating field of neuroscience.

"It also encourages them to explore science in general.  We hope to motivate young people to learn about the brain, maybe capture their imagination and inspire them to pursue careers in biomedical research," she said.

The finalists will be in the running to win a Zeiss microscope for their schools and individual prizes.  Students will take part in a tour of UWA's neuroscience labs as well as have the opportunity to meet researchers and undergraduates.

Coordinated by the Queensland Brain Institute, part of the University of Queensland, the preliminary round attracted more than 10,000 of Australia's and New Zealand's cleverest high school students.

Those who make it through the WA final will take part in national finals at the Gold Coast in January 2012, with the national winner travelling to an International Neuroscience conference to compete at the international level in 2012.

WA finalists come from the following schools:

Carmel School, Carmel

Georgiana Molloy Anglican School, Busselton

Goldfields Baptist College, Kalgoorlie

Iona Presentation College, Mosman Park

John Paul College, Kalgoorlie

John Wollaston Anglican Community School, Kelmscott

Methodist Ladies College, Claremont

Newton Moore Senior High School, Bunbury

Perth Modern School, Subiaco

St Brigid's College, Lesmurdie

St Mary's College, Broome

St Mary's Anglican Girls' School, Karrinyup

Santa Maria College, Attadale

Shenton College, Shenton Park

Somerville Baptist College, Murdoch

Thornlie Senior High School, Thornlie.

For more information visit: www.abbc.edu.au

Media references

Associate Professor Jennifer Rodger (UWA School of Animal Biology)  (+61 8)  6488 2245
Aleta Johnston (UWA Public Affairs)  (+61 8)  6488 7797  /  (+61 4) 31 514 677