Being Bazan Spotlight Series: 'The Ally'

Dr. Nicolas Bazan during the planning of the film "Of Mind and Music" with Dr. Ken Atchity who guided the publication of Dr. Bazan's first two novels.

 

From Being Bazan Spotlight Series: 'The Ally'

Featuring 'Women of Excellence in Science'

https://awarenow.us/bazan/the-ally

Spotlight featuring "Women on Excellence in Science" a group of selected woman scientists  trained by Dr. Bazan.

Nicolas Bazan Meets Pope Francis!

DZNE Award Lecture: Nicolas Bazan Author of Una Vida

 Nicolas G. Bazan, M.D., was honoured at the DZNE in Bonn in the context of the "DZNE Award Lecture". The DZNE thus honours scientists who have made outstanding contributions in the field of neurodegnerative diseases. At the award ceremony, Bazan gave a lecture on the topic: Resiliency of brain homeostasis at the beginning of neurodegenerative diseases: significance of the newly discovered elovanoids.

Source: DZNE / Dirk Förger

Source: DZNE / Dirk Förger

Source: DZNE / Dirk Förger

Source: DZNE / Dirk Förger

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STORY MERCHANT CLIENT NICK BAZAN

The Arts of Neuroscientists: Nicolas Bazan
By Andrew Kahn


The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives, a nonprofit organization of more than 300 leading neuroscientists, works to advance public awareness about the progress and promise of brain research. As eminent neuroscientists, Alliance members harbor an intense passion for scientific research and progress, but many of our members also have passions outside neuroscience. This is the third in a series of conversations with Alliance members about their artistic pursuits.

 

Nicolas Bazan in his lab at LSU.

Nicolas Bazan has enough pursuits outside of the lab to warrant an entire series of “The Arts of Neuroscientists.” Bazan has his hand in music, literature, and culinary endeavors, turning hobbies into successful business ventures. Despite spending almost all of his time leading the neuroscience lab at LSU’s School of Medicine in New Orleans, Bazan somehow found time to write a book, create a wine, and deepen his connection to music.

Bazan’s passion for music started as a young boy in Argentina, when his aunt would walk him to his piano lessons. On the way to one of these lessons, his aunt suffered a grand mal seizure in the middle of the street. It was a traumatic experience for Bazan. “The seizure turned her brain against her body, which turned my aunt into a different person in her last moments. It was like watching a movie in a language I didn’t understand. I saw things that made no sense to my six-year-old self, and I was just frozen in place while they happened. After that I refused to take piano lessons. I completely switched off that part of me, because I couldn’t bear to think about what happened to my aunt.”

In a way, though, Bazan constantly thought about what had happened. Even if he didn’t make the connection at the time, Bazan enrolled in medical school in Argentina partly to untangle mysteries about the brain. After his training in his first laboratory in Toronto at the age of 26, he discovered unique neurochemical changes in the brain at the onset of experimental seizures and stroke. “It’s almost like I was doing the work for my aunt or people like her,” Bazan now says of his research. “I found that I could turn that switch back on to music, literature, and art.”

For some people, that might mean listening to old records or taking up an instrument. For Bazan, it meant writing a novel that connects music and neuroscience: Una Vida: a Fable of Music and the Mind (published in 2009). “It’s about a New Orleans street singer with Alzheimer’s who crosses paths with a neuroscientist on a personal quest of discovery. I tried to write about the sad but beautiful way that a person with so much music and talent in her soul would see the world once affected by Alzheimer’s.”

Bazan moved to New Orleans in 1981 and was immediately captivated by the culture, particularly jazz, a form of music he had always treasured. “Music is everywhere in this city, and so it’s also a part of me,” Bazan says. It is clear that the main character in his book, Dr. Alvaro Cruz, shares Bazan’s passion to conquer Alzheimer’s through research. The novel, which reflects Bazan’s deep knowledge of the history of jazz, has received much critical acclaim, and a film adaptation is in the works. “As suggested by Yadi Dudai at the Weizmann Institute, I feel that movies, more than other art forms, activate specific brain circuits linked to mental and emotional time travel as well as memory systems, all of which enhance the human experience,” said Bazan, who co-wrote the screenplay.

Bazan, who sits on the board of the New Orleans Opera, is collaborating with legendary opera singer Maestro Placido Domingo for a fundraiser during the Society for Neuroscience annual meeting, held this year in New Orleans. To benefit Bazan’s lab, Domingo will lead the fundraiser at noon Saturday, Oct. 13, the 50th anniversary of Domingo’s first New Orleans performance.

Nicolas Bazan (right) and Placido Domingo in March 1992 in Adelaide, Australia

Bazan is currently a Senate Member of  the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases; he understands the toll Alzheimer’s can take not just on those with the disease but also on caretakers and the economy. He is particularly interested in NPD1, a protective mediator made in the brain on demand after injury or at the onset of seizures or neurodegenerations. He and his colleagues discovered NPD1 in 2004 and coined the term neuroprotectin D1. In 2005, Bazan discovered that this mediator is diminished by a factor of 25 in the brains of people with early Alzheimer’s.

Bazan made a connection between this protective chemical and the anti-oxidants in wine. Dissatisfied with the amount of antioxidants in most wines, Bazan joined forces with a winemaker in Oregon, Dr. Mark Wahle, to create several pinot noirs (one is named Haydee, after Bazan’s wife, others are Una Vida, Mis Hijos and Mis Nietos) with increased levels of  antioxidants. “It’s a wonderful mix of science and culture,” Bazan says of his creation, though he may as well have been talking about his entire life.

AEI Client Nicolas Dr. Bazan’s Una Vida named a 2010 Glyph Finalist in the "Literary Fiction" category

RENOWNED SCIENTIST'S MESMERIZING DEBUT NOVEL
FINALIST IN PRESTIGIOUS LITERARY CONTEST

CHANDLER, AZ (May 6, 2010) – Dr. Nicolas Bazan’s first novel, Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind, was recently named a 2010 Glyph Finalist in the "Literary Fiction" category by the Arizona Book Publishing Association (ABPA). The Glyph Finalist designation recognizes excellence in publishing and is ABPA's equivalent to being nominated for an Oscar by the Academy of Motion Pictures.

Any book produced by an Arizona publisher, written by an Arizona author, written about Arizona or set in Arizona was eligible to enter, making competition stiff for the prestigious honor.

Una Vida takes readers on a tantalizing journey to the secret recesses of the brain via a spellbinding story about a hauntingly poignant jazz musician whose memory is slipping into the abyss of Alzheimer’s, and a driven neuroscientist, Alvaro Cruz, who’s desperately trying to reconstruct her fragmented memory, believing it to be key to his own life’s mysteries. Una Vida is filled with delightful twists and unexpected turns, all centering around one of the greatest gifts New Orleans has given the world – jazz.

“This mystical, deeply provocative novel portrays the anguish of Alzheimer’s by contrast with the brilliance of the human brain in creating reality from dreams,” – Leeza Gibbons, founder of Leeza’s Place (for the families of Alzheimer victims).

A world-renowned neuroscientist, Bazan’s neurological know-how and adept storytelling elevate Una Vida with a compassion that drives his story straight to the heart. Currently, Bazan lives in New Orleans, Louisiana, where he "satisfies his hunger for great food and fine music."

Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind, (ISBN: 978-1-58985-112-2, hardcover) a Five Star Publications product, retails for $25.95 and can be purchased through BarnesandNoble.com, Borders.com, Amazon.com, Walmart.com, Target.com, indiebound.org and www.FiveStarPublications.com. Visit www.UnaVidaNovel.com for more information.

Five Star Publications is approaching its 25th year of doing business in Chandler, Ariz. For more information about Five Star, Radke or her award-winning books, visit www.FiveStarPublications.com, email info@FiveStarPublications.com, or call 480-940-8182.

ANOTHER GOOD REVIEW OF DR NICOLAS BAZAN’S NOVEL UNA VIDA: A FABLE OF MUSIC & THE MIND

This book was interesting from beginning to end- and brought New Orleans, mystery, alzheimer's and history to life. I highly recommend it. I plan on buying copies for friends who have relatives suffering from this disease.

Product Description
In Dr. Nicolas Bazan s brilliant first novel, neuroscientist Alvaro Cruz finds himself haunted by a recurring dream of a banjo player in an elusive cornfield that leads him on a personal quest to uncover the mysterious past of a New Orleans street singer known as Una Vida. Stricken with Alzheimer s, Una Vida can only offer tantalizing clues about her past through her mesmerizing vocals, incredible recollection of jazz lyrics, and the occasional verbal revisiting of a fascinating life that s fading quickly and forever into the recess of her mind. As Cruz searches for Una Vida s true identity, he learns profound lessons about the human psyche, the nature of memory and himself.

Click Here to see more reviews about: Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind (Hardcover)


Henckels Steak Knives - http://henckels-steak-knives.blogspot.com/

A Night At The Opera

Scroll down to page two

A Night at the Opera in This Week Chancellor Notes

AEI CLIENT DR. NICOLAS BAZAN WINS 2ND PLACE IN ARIZONA AUTHORS ASSOCIATION ANNUAL AWARDS FOR HIS NOVEL UNA VIDA: A FABLE OF MUSIC & THE MIND

With Fred Griffin and Nick Bazan at opera.

With Nick and Haydee Bazan, Bob Rooth, and Kayoko At New Orleans Opera Event

Opera Program

IN HONOR OF LAUNCHING DR. NICK'S BAZAN'S UNA VIDA AS A FILM AND IN KITCHEN AT EMERIL'S

In honor of Dr. Nicolas Bazan’s novel and film project, Una Vida AEI co-sponsors New Orleans Opera's Francois Gounod's "Romeo and Juliet."

At Houston Country Club with Fred and Betsy Griffin, Kayoko, sushi chef Jon




















With Kayoko and Nic & Haydee Bazan at New Orleans Opera to announce development of UNA VIDA as film.

New Orleans Opera’s ROMEO AND JULIET to be presented IN HONOR OF DR. NICOLAS BAZAN

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE—NEW ORLEANS AND LOS ANGELES

In honor of Dr. Nicolas Bazan’s novel and film project, Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind, the literary management and motion picture production company, Atchity Entertainment International, Inc., is co-sponsoring New Orleans Opera’s upcoming production of Charles-Francois Gounod’s “Romeo and Juliet,” with performances on November 20 (8 p.m.) and 22 (2:30 p.m.) at the Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts in New Orleans.The opera will be conducted by New Orleans Opera General and Artistic Director Robert Lyall, with tenor Paul Groves as Roméo and soprano Nicole Cabell as Juliette.Bazan, the head of LSU School of Medicine’s Neuroscience Center for Excellence, has written a novel that explores the emotional and spiritual aspects of Alzheimer’s utilizing the lush setting of the New Orleans underground music world, to “show his love for his adopted city and State which is so vividly depicted in its pages,” according to Dr. Kenneth Atchity, Louisiana native and chairman of AEI. “We’re delighted to be able to bring Dr. Bazan’s first novel to the attention of the community he serves and to announce that a film based on it is in development as well.” The screenplay for Una Vida has been completed and offered by AEI to directors, cast, and financers.In the novel, neuroscientist Alvaro Cruz finds himself haunted by the recurring, yet elusive, dream of a banjo player in a cornfield, an image that leads him on a personal quest to uncover the mysterious past of a New Orleans street blues singer known as Una Vida. Stricken with Alzheimer’s, Una Vida can offer only tantalizing clues about her past, expressed through her mesmerizing vocals, incredible recollection of jazz lyrics, and the occasional verbal revisiting of a fascinating life that’s fading quickly and forever into the recesses of her mind. As Cruz searches for Una Vida’s true identity, he confronts the darkness within himself and learns profound lessons about the human psyche, the nature of memory—and about the human soul. In the end, Una Vida represents a triumph of the spirit and sends an intensely personal message of hope to the world even as scientists like Dr. Bazan continue their search for answers to one of life’s most devastating diseases.”Leeza Gibbons, founder of Leeza’s Place for the families of Alzheimer’s victims, calls Una Vida “a hero’s journey that leads a haunted neuroscientist through the mystery of jazz, the alleys of New Orleans . . . and the labyrinth of the mind.”Seating for this celebratory event is limited. Click here to order tickets or call the box office (504) 529-3000. For additional information please visit www.neworleansopera.org.

5-STAR REVIEW OF DR. NICOLAS BAZAN’S UNA VIDA ON AMAZON.COM

A tour of New Oleans and the people who made and make it special, October 13, 2009 By David S. Papermaster (Farmington, CT USA) - See all my reviews Una Vida is a masterpiece of plot development and the name of the lead character in this remarkable novel. Dr. Bazan introduces us to the interstices of the troubled mind of Una Vida (One Life) a wonderful early jazz singer from New Orleans who now has Alzheimer's disease. While she cannot always recognize those who care for her or love her, her recall of the early Jazz music and those who created it Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind leads her to sing openly along the frequently walked byways of her home. As we meet the companions on her journey we are taken on a tour of that magnificent city, its early history, the remarkable story of the free blacks who lost their rights in the post-Civil War Jim Crow era and the impact of segregation of the development of Jazz. Occasional introductions of seemingly unrelated works of art drive you to search the Web for more background. And then, as we watch the impact of Una Vida on those who grow to love her or who have loved her for decades we are humanized to gain more understanding and a sense of participation in her journey and the journeys of those, similarly troubled, who surround us. I could not put it down and read it in one thrilling day. David S. Papermaster, MD. Solomon Professor of Vision Research and Eye Diseases, Emeritus University of Connecticut Health Center Farmington CT 06030-3401

DR. BAZAN'S UNA VIDA ON DISPLAY AT FIVE STAR BOOTH AT BEA 2009

DR. BAZAN SIGNS UNA VIDA AT NEW ORLEANS BARNES & NOBLE

Bayoubuzz.com:

Jan. 22 Book signing of book by Dr.. Nicolas Bazan - Una Vida : A Fable Music and the Mind.

Barnes & Noble –3721 Veterans Boulevard, Metairie
504-455-4929

Presentation and signing of the book will take place at 7 p.m.
Dr. Bazan's motivation for writing this novel is stated in his own words as follows: " Our work at the LSU Neuroscience Center is going very well. As you know the battle to conquer diseases - such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, macular degeneration ,depression, epilepsy, and so many others - is not a story of continual everyday successes. It is a slow journey through a complicated maze that is often fraught with setbacks and unexpected twists and turns. Experiments do not always yield the results anticipated, and scientists like me and my colleagues often find that we do not have the means available to solve the riddles of the mind and sight we so desperately seek to unravel. But don't think for a moment that a neuroscientist's objectivity means he doesn't have personal thoughts and emotions about the lives that have been affected, and that have been lost by the diseases we study. After years of those thoughts and emotions building up inside of me, I searched for a way to express what our work is really like in a way anyone could relate to. I decided to write a novel that gave me the greater liberty of expressing my own worries, motivations, doubts, aspirations, joys and reflections about the work we do on the always-expanding frontiers of neuroscience. My first novel mirrors many facets of my own personal and professional life, including why I strive to understand and combat the ravaging diseases and disorders that afflict the eyes and the brain".


In Dr. Nicolas Bazan's brilliant first novel, neuroscientist Alvaro Cruz finds himself haunted by a recurring dream of a banjo player in an elusive cornfield that leads him on a personal quest to uncover the mysterious past of a New Orleans street singer known as Una Vida. Stricken with Alzheimer s, Una Vida can only offer tantalizing clues about her past through her mesmerizing vocals, incredible recollection of jazz lyrics, and the occasional verbal revisiting of a fascinating life that s fading quickly and forever into the recess of her mind. As Cruz searches for Una Vida s true identity, he learns profound lessons about the human psyche, the nature of memory and himself.

Buy Una Vida on Amazon

BAZAN’S BOOK FEATURED IN NEW ORLEANS MAGAZINE

Fiction l Nicolas Bazan, MD, is a name more often seen in the “Healthbeat” section of this magazine. Bazan, director of New Orleans’ LSU Neuroscience Center of Excellence, has already earned respect in the local medical community. ...

New Orleans Magazine: Latest News

NICK BAZAN’S UNA VIDA AD APPEARS IN NEW YORK TIMES BOOK REVIEW

FIRST REVIEW FOR DR. BAZAN’S UNA VIDA on ABOUT.COM: 3.5 STARS!

Una Vida - - An Alzheimer's Book About Memory, Hope and New Orleans
By Carrie Hill, PhD, About.com
Updated: November 20, 2008

About.com Health's Disease and Condition content is reviewed by the Medical Review Board

Una Vida is an interesting mix of neuroscience and New Orleans history.

The Bottom Line

Una Vida — A Fable of Music and the Mind is a unique book about Alzheimer's disease, memory, hope and the cultural history of New Orleans. Nicolas Bazan, MD, one of the world's premier neuroscientists, wrote this novel in such a way that combines his knowledge of the brain with his love of jazz music and the foods and culture of his home city.





Pros

Written by one of the world's premier neuroscientists
Endorsed by two Nobel Laureates in Medicine/Physiology
The author's sincerity shines through his writing.

Cons

Neuroscientific explanations do not always blend well with the narrative.
Some lengthy passages may seem to serve the writer more than the reader.

Description

Published by Five Star Publications, Inc., in Chandler, Ariz.
218 pages, including a prologue and acknowledgements.
Una Vida — A Fable of Music and the Mind is Bazan's first novel.

Guide Review - Una Vida -- An Alzheimer's Book About Memory, Hope and New Orleans

Bazan dedicated his novel to "all the minds silenced by Alzheimer's." I'm convinced of his sincerity: Bazan is committed to discovering the mysteries of the brain, including what causes Alzheimer's and how we can cure or prevent it. Through his writing, it's obvious that he respects the dignity of every person and believes that those with Alzheimer's have much to teach us. I wholeheartedly agree.

Bazan also loves New Orleans, the setting of his book and the city he's called home for more than 25 years. His descriptions of New Orleans' food, history and jazz culture create a unique backdrop for the story.

The title refers to a homeless woman with Alzheimer's known only as Una Vida, meaning "one life" in Spanish. The book's main character, a neuroscientist named Alvaro Cruz, meets Una Vida and feels compelled to help her because of disturbing dreams and the guilt he feels over not being there for his mother, who died of the same disease. The story follows Cruz as he tries to unravel the mystery of Una Vida, while dealing with his own personal demons.

The premise is interesting, and Bazan's sincerity shines through his writing. Still, fiction lovers should note that this is Bazan's first novel, which creates some weaknesses in the writing. The beginning is mostly background and reads like part neuroscience lecture, part biography. Throughout the story, scientific interpretations are not woven seamlessly in to the narrative, making it a bit uneven. I felt as though Bazan was trying to bring the reader in to his world as a neuroscientist in New Orleans, but in the end, he was more excited about this scenario than the reader.

Still, Una Vida is a sweet story that reveals Bazan's message of hope for families dealing with Alzheimer's. We are fortunate to have such a gifted neuroscientist so dedicated to finding a cure.

BUY UNA VIDA ON AMAZON

Gift for the Holidays: Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind

Dr. Nick Bazan’s novel Una Vida: A Fable of Music and the Mind will be featured on the www.kittenlounge.com’s Holiday Gift Guide through January 15. Go to the site and scroll down.

"The battle to conquer diseases - such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, macular degeneration ,depression, epilepsy, and so many others - is not a story of continual everyday successes. It is a slow journey through a complicated maze that is often fraught with setbacks and unexpected twists and turns. Experiments do not always yield the results anticipated, and scientists like me and my colleagues often find that we do not have the means available to solve the riddles of the mind and sight we so desperately seek to unravel. But don't think for a moment that a neuroscientist's objectivity means he doesn't have personal thoughts and emotions about the lives that have been affected, and that have been lost by the diseases we study. After years of those thoughts and emotions building up inside of me, I searched for a way to express what our work is really like in a way anyone could relate to. I decided to write a novel that gave me the greater liberty of expressing my own worries, motivations, doubts, aspirations, joys and reflections about the work we do on the always-expanding frontiers of neuroscience. The novel "Una Vida," mirrors many facets of my own personal and professional life, including why I strive to understand and combat the ravaging diseases and disorders that afflict the eyes and the brain.

Using jazz and the fascinating chaos of the city I love most, pre-Katrina New Orleans, as metaphors for the workings of the brain and the human mind, the novel reveals the joys and frustrations that seem to go hand in hand with neuroscience research. Yet, despite the many trials we face, despite the many uncertainties we encounter, each day that passes brings us closer to understanding, preventing and curing these debilitating diseases.

I realize how extraordinarily important this research is, not only to scientists , but to each and every individual in the global community. Every new bit of information we uncover adds one more piece to the puzzle, bringing the bigger picture into focus a little more and providing us not only with new knowledge, but also with renewed hope.

It is this hope that I wish to share with others through "Una Vida." It has allowed me to express my thoughts and emotions surrounding brain research and the exploration of cellular elements and molecular switches that underlie the components of the mind and the eyes. To be able to impart these views to others and to provide them with the hope and optimism that the story of "Una Vida" ultimately presents, that task itself is equally as important and rewarding as the pursuit to understand, prevent and cure. Writing "Una Vida" created a channel, an outlet that, unlike technical journals, allows me to freely express my emotions and opinions to the people who have the greatest interest in our work." --Dr. Nick Bazan

Buy Una Vida on Amazon
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