A student at the Bronx High School of Science, Linle Hou, wrote furiously on a bright pink note card: He had only 30 seconds to name the genetic syndrome characterized by repetitive motor tics and involuntary movement. Answer: Tourette syndrome.

Mr. Hou wasn’t taking an exam, or a standardized test; he was a contestant at a neuroscience brain bee hosted by the New York Academy of Sciences yesterday. Forty-five students from 29 regional high schools attended the gathering and were quizzed on how the brain relates to intelligence, memory, emotions, aging, and stress.

The contest moderator, Joseph LeDoux, the Henry and Lucy Moses professor of science at New York University’s Center for Neural Science, started the competition with relatively easy AP Biology staples. A teacher called out answers in a loud whisper: “Stem cell.” “Ions.” “Rapid Eye Motion.”

Judging from his silence by round five, the questions became more difficult.

After significant attrition in round six, Dr. LeDoux had his three finalists: Kristyn Esteves of the Marymount School of New York, Joseph Lin of Townsend Harris High School, and Allison Pilatsky of Staten Island Technical High School.

After Ms. Esteves missed a question relating to Alzheimer’s disease, it was down to Mr. Lin and Ms. Pilatsky, who battled it out for a few rounds. “What do you call cell death due to external factors that disrupt the normal biochemical processes in the cell?” Mr. Lin, the audience favorite, was stumped, but Ms. Pilatsky knew the answer: necrosis.

The finalists all received cash prizes, neuroscience books, and other awards. Ms. Pilatsky, who spent the past four summers taking science courses with the Johns Hopkins Center for Talented Youth, will receive an all-expenses paid trip to compete against other regional finalists in the International Brain Bee, which will take place in Baltimore March 16-17.