Food for thought

University of Otago medical students twins Victoria (left) and Anastasia Ivashkova (right) took a deep dive into the science behind the brain at Otago Museum on Saturday as they were shown a model of the organ by Emerging Neuroscience Group president and neuroscience PhD student Courteney Westlake as part of Brain Day for international brain awareness month.

"We saw the giant brain, those blood vessels and thought ‘that’s awesome — let’s go’," Victoria said.

University of Otago Brain Health Research Centre director Steph Hughes said the organisation had partnered with Otago Museum to promote awareness of the proper care and health of the brain.

Children were able to make models of neurons out of pipe cleaners, touch a scale model of the organ and even take a trip through the giant inflatable brain that sits in the museum atrium.

"It’s so important to look after your brain, and there’s things you can do with the rest of your body to take care of your brain like healthy food and proper exercise," Ms Hughes said.