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<p>SCRANTON &#8212; Your brain functions on the power it takes to run one LED light bulb, has 10,000 different types of neurons, and generally never runs out of things it yearns to understand. Of course, that makes sense. It is &#8212; as the book &#8220;Brain Facts&#8221; puts it &#8212; &#8220;the source of curiosity.&#8221;</p><p>If you&#8217;re curious about the source of <em>your</em> curiosity, these and other tidbits are available in the annual publication, which in turn is a launching point for high school students (grades 9-12) planning to compete in the regional Brain Bee, hosted by the University of Scranton at the Loyola Science Center. It begins at 1 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 2.</p><p>The contest is sponsored by the university&#8217;s Neuroscience Program and the Scranton Neuroscience Society, a bunch of people who, by the nature of their studies, really are &#8220;braniacs&#8221; of a sort. Not the green-skinned DC Comics supervillian, of course. We&#8217;re talking about people who use their brains to study how people use their brains.</p><p>Entering the competition requires nothing but a brain &#8212; that is, there&#8217;s no fee. You do, however, need to register by Jan. 31, and you probably should brush up on all that info in &#8220;Brain Facts,&#8221; since that&#8217;s the source for the bee questions.</p><p>So, yeah, maybe you should learn roughly how many neurons the typical brain has (86 billion), which part of the brain coordinates blinking and eye focus (the midbrain), which influences breathing and posture (the pons), and the most common type of excitatory neuron (the pyramidal cell). Bonus round: What&#8217;s the other kind of neuron (inhibitory,of course).</p><p>And if you are planning to compete, you definitely need to either go online to register at <a href="https://sites.google.com/site/nepabrainbee/" target="_blank">https://sites.google.com/site/nepabrainbee/</a>, or contact Neuroscience program director and associate professor of biology Robert Waldeck: 570-941-4324 or robert.waldeck@scranton.edu.</p><p>The winner gets to go to the national bee, along with $400 to offset costs and a $1,000 scholarship to the university if they choose to enroll there.</p><style>
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<div class="metaInfo"><bylineMeta><p>By Mark Guydish</p><p>mguydish@www.timesleader.com</p></bylineMeta></div><div class="metaInfo"><shirttailMeta><p>Reach Mark Guydish at 570-991-6112 or on Twitter @TLMarkGuydish</p></shirttailMeta></div>

Curious about being curious? Upcoming Brain Bee may hold answers