THE questions were enough to make the audience’s brains hurt.

But if you know your forebrain from your mesocortical pathway, and astrocytes from norepinephrine, you may have stood a chance.

Nine secondary school students tested their book smarts, squeamishness and brain power in the Australian and New Zealand Brain Bee Challenge in Brisbane yesterday.

Silas Hansch-Maher, from Saint Ignatius College in Adelaide, was the first winner from South Australia in the event’s 12-year history.

The 16-year-old trumped the four-part challenge, held at the Australasian Neuroscience Society’s annual scientific meeting.

Students needed to diagnose a patient with a neurological illness, analyse human and animal brains to identify the anatomical structures and survive a live question-and-answer round.

Jennifer Mai, from Brisbane State High School, was the runner-up.

Renowned stem cell scientist Emeritus Professor Alan Mackay-Sim said he became fascinated with the brain as a teenager and he praised the event for encouraging more young people to become passionate about science.