Minisymposia
Functional connectivity of organoid-derived retinal tissue and restoration of useful vision
Chair: Magdalene Seiler, PhDCo-Chair: Igor Nasonkin, PhD
Institution: Biotime, Inc.
The translational research on retinal organoids is attempting to restore visual perception and useful vision. Grafting organoid-derived retinal tissue, carrying mutation-free photoreceptors, into the subretinal space of animal models demonstrates the survival of photoreceptors, also the rudimentary retinal layers in grafts, and axonal/synaptic connectivity with the neural retinal circuitry of the recipient retina. Organoid-derived retinal tissue grafts may work similar to neuroprosthetic devices by bringing new sets of functional photosensitive pixels (photoreceptors). However, what is not clear if this approach may rebuild retinal circuitry sufficiently enough to restore useful vision.
How to Get Out of Harm's Way: New Insight Across Multiple Species Into the Neural Mechanisms of Visually Guided Collision Avoidance - Fabrizio Gabbiani
Chair: Fabrizio Gabbiani, PhDInstitution: Baylor College of Medicine
Co-Chair: Florian Engert, PhD
Institution: Harvard University
Date & Time: Saturday, November 3, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 6E
Theme: Theme D: Sensory Systems
Visually guided collision avoidance is critical to survival for many animals. Recently, common neural rules governing such behaviors have unexpectedly been identified across a wide range of species, as different as fruit flies and mice. This minisymposium will summarize shared themes and species-specific advances in understanding the biophysics, neural circuitry, brain areas, and sensorimotor programs that implement collision avoidance behaviors across species from insects to primates.
Latent Factors and Dynamics in Motor Cortex and Their Application to Brain-Machine Interfaces - Chethan Pandarinath
Chair: Chethan Pandarinath, PhDInstitution: Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology
Date & Time: Saturday, November 3, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 28A
Theme: Theme E: Motor Systems
Increasing evidence suggests that the activity of large populations of neurons in motor cortical areas exhibits low-dimensional structure that obeys dynamic rules. A better understanding of this structure and its dynamics is shedding new light on how motor cortex commands muscles and how different cortical areas interact. Further, these features have critical implications for designing robust, versatile brain-machine interfaces that restore function to people with paralysis.
Neurocognitive Development of Motivated Behavior - Catherine A. Hartley
Chair: Catherine Hartley, PhDInstitution: New York University
Co-Chair: Dylan Gee, PhD
Institution: Yale University
Date & Time: Saturday, November 3, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 29D
Theme: Theme G: Motivation and Emotion
Over the course of development, the neurocognitive processes that support the ability to anticipate and respond to rewards or threats in the environment change markedly. This minisymposium will bring together recent cross-species research characterizing the typical development of the neural circuits and cognitive processes involved in the control of threat- and reward-motivated behavior and the alteration of these trajectories by experiential factors such as early-life stress.
Neuronal Mechanisms for Prepulse Inhibition: Comparative Approaches From Sensory to Cognition - Thomas Preuss
Chair: Thomas Preuss, PhDInstitution: City University of New York, Hunter College
Co-Chair: Susanne Schmid, PhD
Institution: University of Western Ontario
Date & Time: Saturday, November 3, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 6C
Theme: Theme F: Integrative Physiology and Behavior
Prepulse inhibition (PPI) is a measure for sensorimotor gating that has been studied across species, and PPI deficits are found in several psychiatric and neurological disorders. This minisymposium will provide a rare comparative perspective on neural mechanisms underlying PPI. Covering work from invertebrates to humans using cutting-edge approaches, the minisymposium will emphasize how comparative studies have advanced our understanding of PPI mechanisms and regulatory pathways.
New Observations in Neuroscience Using Superresolution Microscopy - Michihiro Igarashi
Chair: Michihiro Igarashi, MD, PhDInstitution: Niigata University
Date & Time: Saturday, November 3, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 6B
Theme: Theme I: Techniques
Superresolution microscopy (SM) techniques overcome optical limitations, and several new observations using SM have had revolutionary impact on neuroscience. Several types of SM have been developed (e.g., STED, SIM, PALM, STORM), each with special features. This minisymposium will discuss the new structural and functional information about specific important molecules in neuroscience obtained with SM.
Advances in Enteric Neurobiology: The "Brain" in the Gut in Health and Disease - Meenakshi Rao
Chair: Meenakshi Rao, MD, PhDInstitution: Columbia University Medical Center
Co-Chair: Subhash Kulkarni, PhD
Institution: Johns Hopkins University
Date & Time: Sunday, November 4, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 28A
Theme: Theme B: Neural Excitability, Synapses, and Glia
The enteric nervous system (ENS) is a large, complex division of the peripheral nervous system that regulates many digestive, immune, hormonal, and metabolic functions. This minisymposium will highlight the latest advances in enteric neurobiology and focus on new model systems for investigating ENS development, mechanisms of adult neurogenesis, enteric glial biology, and the impact of aging on the ENS, as well as the dynamic interactions among microbiota, immune cells, neurons, and glia in the gut.
Computational Affective Neuroscience: Algorithms for Survival - Dominik R. Bach
Chair: Dominik Bach, MD,PhDInstitution: University Zurich
Date & Time: Sunday, November 4, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 6C
Theme: Theme G: Motivation and Emotion
Emotions play a central role in adaptive behavior across the animal kingdom but are conceptualized in divergent and often imprecise ways. Researchers have recently adopted computational approaches to study a range of emotional phenomena from behavior to feelings, and to use computational models to interrogate the underlying neural circuits. This minisymposium will focus on how computational models can explain the role of emotions in adaptive behavior, both in humans and nonhuman animals.
Molecular Mechanisms Underpinning Dopamine Neuron Development, Diversity, and Vulnerability - Raj Awatramani
Chair: Raj Awatramani, PhDInstitution: Northwestern University
Co-Chair: Sandra Blaess, PhD
Institution: University of Bonn
Date & Time: Sunday, November 4, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 29D
Theme: Theme A: Development
This minisymposium will cover topics including embryonic fate specification events, migration, and axon guidance that ultimately result in a multifunctional, heterogeneous, midbrain dopaminergic system.
The Dynamic Interaction of Vision and Eye Movements - J. P Mayo
Chair: J. Mayo, PhDInstitution: Duke University
Date & Time: Sunday, November 4, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 6E
Theme: Theme E: Motor Systems
A resurgence in the study of eye movements and visual perception has been driven by new experimental approaches (data modeling, the use of clinical populations, and simultaneous recordings of neuronal populations) and comparisons between primate models of vision (humans, macaques, and marmosets). This minisymposium will use these innovations to reveal insight into the effects of exploratory (saccades) and tracking (smooth pursuit) eye movements on vision, cognition, and motor control.
Cell Adhesion Molecules at the Intersection of Cell Type Identity and Neural Circuit Connectivity - Csaba Foldy
Chair: Csaba Foldy, PhDInstitution: University of Zurich
Co-Chair: Joris de Wit, PhD
Institution: VIB-KU Leuven Center for Brain & Disease Research
Date & Time: Sunday, November 4, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 29D
Theme: Theme B: Neural Excitability, Synapses, and Glia
Cell adhesion molecules (CAMs) play critical roles in neural circuit assembly and are frequently associated with neurodevelopmental and psychiatric disorders. Because hundreds of CAMs exist in the brain, their functional analysis has been challenging. Single-cell RNAseq, gene isoform-specific, and synapse-specific analyses are breaking barriers. This minisymposium will present the most recent insight into the role of CAMs in defining cell type identity, circuit connectivity, and function.
High-Level Cognition in Low-Level Brain Regions - Rosemary A. Cowell
Chair: Rosemary Cowell, PhDInstitution: University of Massachusetts
Date & Time: Sunday, November 4, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 6C
Theme: Theme H: Cognition
Mounting evidence now contests the idea that high-level brain regions such as the medial temporal lobe engage only in high-level functions like declarative memory. This challenges the broader assumption that the brain comprises discrete anatomical units specialized for distinct cognitive functions. This minisymposium extends that challenge by asking the question: Can high-level cognitive functions such as recognition memory, recall, and spatial cognition be mediated by low-level cortical regions?
More Than Just a "Motor": Recent Surprises From the Frontal Cortex - Christian L. Ebbesen
Chair: Christian Ebbesen, PhDInstitution: New York University School of Medicine
Date & Time: Sunday, November 4, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 28A
Theme: Theme E: Motor Systems
Motor and premotor cortices are crucial for motor control. While classic primate studies have emphasized a role for motor cortices in movement generation, recent rodent studies implicate motor cortical neurons in sensory integration, behavioral strategizing, working memory, and decision making — underrated higher-order functions of the motor cortex that deserve better attention and study. This minisymposium will review recent findings, which highlight that the motor cortex is much more than just a “motor.”
Telling Stories of Science - Wendy A. Suzuki
Chair: Wendy Suzuki, PhDInstitution: New York University
Date & Time: Sunday, November 4, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 6E
Theme: Theme J: History and Education
Now more than ever, it is essential that scientists actively engage with the public. Through storytelling, or the use of a personal narrative, we can bring science to life and improve communication not only with the public but also within the community. In this minisymposium, presentations about the science of storytelling and why and how to tell stories, as well as three powerful personal stories, will demonstrate how storytelling can transform science communication and promote scientific progress.
Following this session, please leave your feedback by participating a brief online survey.
Algorithms for Olfactory Search Across Species - Matt Smear
Chair: Matt Smear, PhDInstitution: University of Oregon
Co-Chair: Katherine Nagel, PhD
Institution: New York University Medical Center
Date & Time: Monday, November 5, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 28A
Theme: Theme D: Sensory Systems
Olfactory navigation provides a unique model for understanding how neural computations shape a behavior critical for survival. This minisymposium will present recent advances in the understanding of olfactory search in flies and rodents. While many cross-species commonalities have emerged, important questions about the neural circuits that implement search behavior remain. This minisymposium will take a multidisciplinary approach to provide an update on progress on these questions.
Defining Dysbiosis in Disorders of Movement and Motivation - Christopher T. Fields
Chair: Christopher FieldsInstitution: Georgia State University
Co-Chair: Helen Vuong, PhD
Institution: University of California, Los Angeles
Date & Time: Monday, November 5, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 6C
Theme: Theme F: Integrative Physiology and Behavior
The gut microbiota can affect multiple aspects of brain function and behavior in health and disease. Interestingly, movement and motivation outputs driven by thalamo-cortico-basal ganglia circuits are modulated by changes in this gut-brain axis. In this minisymposium, speakers will discuss recent advances in understanding the effects of the gut microbiota on action selection, somatosensation, and motor behavior in health and disease models, including Parkinson’s, obesity, and opioid addiction.
Exposing Neural Dynamics Using Real-Time Control: From Neurons to Human Behavior and Psychopathology - Hanna Keren
Chair: Hanna Keren, PhDInstitution: National Institute of Mental Health, NIH
Co-Chair: Christoph Zrenner, MD
Institution: University Hospital Tübingen
Date & Time: Monday, November 5, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 29D
Theme: Theme I: Techniques
The brain requires interaction with the environment to function. Current experimental and clinical paradigms, however, do not reflect this bidirectional coupling to a reactive environment. This minisymposium will present new experimental approaches to “close the loop” around neural systems, using a real-time system control approach. These methodological advancements will be addressed as they constitute a range of aspects, from computational modeling and engineering to clinical treatments.
Insular Cortex Neurocircuits: Relationships Among Function, Connectivity, and Drug and Alcohol Abuse - Brady K. Atwood
Chair: Brady Atwood, PhDInstitution: Indiana University School of Medicine
Date & Time: Monday, November 5, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 6E
Theme: Theme G: Motivation and Emotion
The insular cortex plays a major role in processing the interoceptive effects of drugs of abuse, including alcohol. This minisymposium will highlight preclinical studies that dissect the local neurocircuitry of the insular cortex and its projections to specific brain regions in the context of alcohol, opioid, and psychostimulant abuse. Novel functional roles of these networks in drug-related behaviors and the impact of drugs of abuse on insular cortex-originating synapses will be discussed.
Innovative Approaches for Monitoring Neuromodulation With Light - Yulong Li
Chair: Yulong Li, PhDInstitution: Peking University
Co-Chair: Matthew Banghart, PhD
Institution: University of California, San Diego
Date & Time: Monday, November 5, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 28A
Theme: Theme I: Techniques
Neuromodulators are essential signaling molecules that regulate many neural processes through their influence on brain circuits. Monitoring neuromodulator dynamics and untangling their underlying circuits is critical for understanding the function of the brain. This minisymposium will present state-of-the-art optical techniques that enable rapid, sensitive, cell-specific monitoring of important neuromodulators and cutting-edge tools for labeling neural circuits involved in neuromodulation.
Multidimensional Neuronal Cell Type Classification in the Cerebral Cortex - Jochen F. Staiger
Chair: Jochen Staiger, MDInstitution: Georg-August-University Göttingen
Co-Chair: Staci Sorensen, PhD
Institution: Allen Institute for Brain Science
Date & Time: Monday, November 5, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 29D
Theme: Theme D: Sensory Systems
There is general agreement in the field that meaningful cell type classification requires multimodal descriptors. These descriptors come from data modalities including morphology, physiology, molecular biology, and connectivity and are ideally linked to a circuit function. This minisymposium will present six recent studies using different multimodal approaches, ranging from molecular to functional, to objectively and systematically describe neuronal cell types in the rodent and human neocortex.
Sex Differences in Risk and Resilience: Stress Effects on the Neural Substrates of Emotion and Motivation - Cara L. Wellman
Chair: Cara Wellman, PhDInstitution: Indiana University
Date & Time: Monday, November 5, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 6C
Theme: Theme F: Integrative Physiology and Behavior
Corticolimbic dysfunction is a hallmark of stress-linked psychological disorders, risk for which differs markedly in men and women. Understanding how the effects of stress differ in males and females is critical for determining the etiologies of stress-linked disorders. This minisymposium will describe sex-specific effects of stress on neural structure and function of brain regions involved in emotion, motivation, and cognition, highlighting possible neural mechanisms underlying sex-biased disorders.
Social Motivation Across the Lifespan - Brian C. Trainor
Chair: Brian Trainor, PhDInstitution: University of California, Davis
Co-Chair: Alexa Veenema, PhD
Institution: Michigan State University
Date & Time: Monday, November 5, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 6E
Theme: Theme G: Motivation and Emotion
Social behavior and motivation have historically been considered different behavioral processes modulated by different neural circuits. Multiple lines of evidence, however, indicate significant overlap and communication among these circuits. This minisymposium will highlight recent discoveries in the neural mechanisms modulating normal and abnormal social behavior using a variety of genetic, cellular, neuroanatomical, electrophysiological, and pharmacological approaches.
Mechanisms of Tau Oligomer-Induced Synaptic Impairment and Potential Treatment Strategies - Ottavio Arancio
Chair: Ottavio Arancio, MD, PhDInstitution: Columbia University
Co-Chair: Frank Longo, MD, PhD
Institution: Stanford University
Date & Time: Tuesday, November 6, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 6E
Theme: Theme C: Neurodegenerative Disorders and Injury
Soluble oligomeric forms of the Alzheimer’s disease protein tau are gaining a lot of attention because they likely promote cell-to-cell propagation of pathology and are more toxic than large insoluble aggregates. This minisymposium will discuss evidence supporting a role for tau oligomers in disease initiation and progression and explore therapeutic strategies for inhibiting formation of tau oligomers and/or counteracting synaptic impairment and degeneration caused by tau oligomers.
Neuromodulation of Brain States in Health and Disease: Bridging Experiments and Computational Models - Srikanth Ramaswamy
Chair: Srikanth Ramaswamy, PhDInstitution: École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
Co-Chair: Antoine Adamantidis, PhD
Institution: University of Bern
Date & Time: Tuesday, November 6, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 28A
Theme: Theme B: Neural Excitability, Synapses, and Glia
Subcortical neuromodulatory systems dynamically reconfigure the activity of neural microcircuits and regulate shifts between brain states in health and disease. Despite their crucial role in physiology and pathology, the cellular and synaptic mechanisms by which neuromodulators control neural activity remain unclear. This minisymposium will highlight cutting-edge techniques developed in global brain initiatives for a quantitative assessment of neuromodulation in brain function and dysfunction.
The Neurobiology of Forgetting - Maria Wimber
Chair: Maria Wimber, PhDInstitution: University of Birmingham
Co-Chair: Paul Frankland, PhD
Institution: Hospital for Sick Children
Date & Time: Tuesday, November 6, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 6C
Theme: Theme H: Cognition
We automatically encode virtually all experiences, yet the vast majority of our experiences are not remembered later. This minisymposium will address the questions of how and why the brain forgets. It brings together researchers that study forgetting in flies, rodents, and humans. The minisymposium will focus on molecular-, cellular-, and systems-level mechanisms underlying forgetting and consider the active and adaptive roles that forgetting plays in keeping our memory system flexible.
Whole-Brain Analysis of Cells and Circuits by Tissue Clearing and Light-Sheet Microscopy - Hiroki R. Ueda
Chair: Hiroki Ueda, MD, PhDInstitution: The University of Tokyo
Co-Chair: Kwanghun Chung, PhD
Institution: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Date & Time: Tuesday, November 6, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 29D
Theme: Theme I: Techniques
Recent advances in tissue clearing, biomolecular labeling, rapid imaging, and image informatics have allowed neuroscientists to observe the entire brain at a subcellular resolution. Whole brain clearing and imaging is particularly powerful for physiology and pathology of cellular components and their connections in the CNS. This minisymposium will discuss challenges and opportunities in whole-brain analysis of cells and circuits to elucidate brain functions by tissue clearing and light-sheet microscopy.
Molecular and Nano-Organization of Synapses - Thomas Biederer
Chair: Thomas Biederer, PhDInstitution: Tufts University School of Medicine
Date & Time: Tuesday, November 6, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 28A
Theme: Theme B: Neural Excitability, Synapses, and Glia
Recent progress has revealed that the nerve terminal, synaptic cleft, and postsynaptic site form a trans-cellular unit that is precisely aligned on a nanoscale to transmit information. This minisymposium will investigate the machinery of each compartment and how compartments are integrated by synaptic adhesion molecules and by glial- and neuron-secreted factors. Going beyond a static picture, the minisymposium will also address dynamic properties of synaptic compartments that contribute to remodeling.
Neuropeptide Signaling: From Physiology to Behavior - Jennifer Garrison
Chair: Jennifer Garrison, PhDInstitution: Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Date & Time: Tuesday, November 6, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 6E
Theme: Theme F: Integrative Physiology and Behavior
Neuropeptides comprise the largest and most diverse class of neuromodulators, and they mediate integral processes ranging from energy homeostasis to behavior. This minisymposium will highlight recent experimental and technical advances in understanding mechanisms by which neuropeptide signaling can influence physiology and behavior at both the cellular and circuit level in a range of organisms.
Sex Differences and Hormone Action in the Limbic System - John Meitzen
Chair: John Meitzen, PhDInstitution: North Carolina State University
Date & Time: Tuesday, November 6, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 29D
Theme: Theme G: Motivation and Emotion
Limbic system function is critical for the control of emotion, motivation, and memory. Sex differences and hormone effects have been demonstrated in the limbic system, including in the nucleus accumbens, amygdala, and hippocampus. This minisymposium will highlight recent work on the electrophysiological and molecular mechanisms underlying these differences, how they interact with environmental stimuli such as stress, and their relevance to mental illness and other disorders.
Cortical Control of Locomotion and Posture - Irina N. Beloozerova
Chair: Irina Beloozerova, PhDInstitution: Barrow Neurological Inst
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 7, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 31C
Theme: Theme E: Motor Systems
Understanding mechanisms of complex natural movements is the ultimate goal of motor systems neuroscience. This minisymposium will discuss recent advances in locomotion and posture research gained in the freely behaving cat. Focusing on parietal, pre-motor, and motor cortical mechanisms of full body movements, it will include a new analytical description of corticospinal processing that allows steering, and a description of powered limb prosthesis integrated with nerves and muscles.
Human Stem Cell Models to Validate Rare and Common Variants Contributing to Neurodevelopmental Disorders - Kristen Brennand
Chair: Kristen Brennand, PhDInstitution: Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 7, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 6C
Theme: Theme I: Techniques
As genetic studies identify a growing list of variants underlying neuropsychiatric disease and addiction, unraveling how these risk factors interact within and between the diverse cell types of the brain becomes critical. This minisymposium will discuss recent molecular and phenotypic insight uncovered using hiPSC-derived neurons and glia, with a focus on integrating these findings with datasets generated from consortia-led genomic and post-mortem studies of large patient cohorts.
Neural Proteomics in Synapse Development and Function - Brock Grill
Chair: Brock Grill, PhDInstitution: Scripps Research Institute
Co-Chair: Kirill Martemyanov, PhD
Institution: Scripps Research Institute
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 7, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 29D
Theme: Theme A: Development
An explosion of proteomic approaches is increasingly playing a greater role in understanding synapse biology, via identification of novel protein interactions and signaling networks that regulate synapses. This minisymposium will explore synapse biology across model systems, with insight stemming from proteomics. Cutting-edge experimental strategies for quantitative profiling and interactome mapping reveal biology underlying synapse formation, function, and its role in physiology and disease.
Novel Molecular Targets for the Treatment of Pain - John M. Streicher
Chair: John Streicher, PhDInstitution: University of Arizona
Co-Chair: Tally Largent-Milnes, PhD
Institution: University of Arizona
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 7, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 6E
Theme: Theme D: Sensory Systems
The opioid crisis and the side effects of opioid therapy have illustrated the great medical and scientific need for new pain therapies that do not have the drawbacks of opioids. Covering topics ranging from downstream molecular signaling effectors of opioid receptors to new receptor targets, this minisymposium will highlight recent advances in finding new molecular targets for the treatment of pain and explore how these targets can be manipulated to improve pain and/or opioid therapy.
The Endolysosomal System and Proteostasis: From Development to Degeneration - Huaye Zhang
Chair: Huaye Zhang, PhDInstitution: Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Co-Chair: Bettina Winckler, PhD
Institution: University of Virginia
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 7, 8:30–11 a.m.
Location: SDCC 28A
Theme: Theme C: Neurodegenerative Disorders and Injury
Intracellular membrane trafficking represents a very unique challenge for neurons because of their highly elaborate cellular architecture. Genes regulating endocytosis and subsequent endosomal routing, in particular, are frequently linked to neurological diseases. This minisymposium will discuss novel insight into the mechanisms of endosomal trafficking in neurons, the effects on proteostasis, and the functional impact on neuronal development and degeneration.
From Recent to Remote Memory and Back - Yaniv Ziv
Chair: Yaniv Ziv, PhDInstitution: Weizmann Institute of Science
Co-Chair: Inbal Goshen, PhD
Institution: The Hebrew University
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 7, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 6C
Theme: Theme H: Cognition
What makes some memories fade rapidly and others persist for a lifetime? Studies have indicated that recent and remote memories of a similar experience have different qualities and may be supported by different brain circuits. Integrating knowledge from ongoing work, this minisymposium brings together experts studying the topic at different levels of organization, measuring how networks, neurons, and spines change over time, and manipulating neurons and glia to test their involvement in long-term memory.
Multitransmitter Neurons: The Function and Regulation of Neurotransmitter Cotransmission - Adam J. Granger
Chair: Adam Granger, PhDInstitution: Harvard Medical School
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 7, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 29D
Theme: Theme B: Neural Excitability, Synapses, and Glia
Many neurons signal through multiple small-molecule neurotransmitters, adding an additional layer of complexity to our understanding of synaptic transmission. This minisymposium will discuss recent examples of multitransmitter neurons, emphasizing the physiological and behavioral function of cotransmission and how the neurotransmitter(s) a neuron releases may be regulated by development or activity.
Sonic Hedgehog and Cell-Specific Programming: Circuits, Disease, and Repair - Corey C. Harwell
Chair: Corey Harwell, PhDInstitution: Harvard Medical School
Co-Chair: Rebecca Ihrie, PhD
Institution: Vanderbilt University
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 7, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 28A
Theme: Theme A: Development
An emerging body of research has uncovered diverse roles for Sonic Hedgehog signaling in a wide range of neurodevelopmental contexts affecting the function of brain circuits, including the production and maintenance of diverse cell types and the establishment of cell-specific wiring. This minisymposium will highlight recent developments describing the role of Sonic Hedgehog in conferring cell specific identity, circuit connectivity, and injury repair in the developing and mature nervous system.
The Basal Ganglia: Beyond Action Selection - Eric A. Yttri
Chair: Eric Yttri, PhDInstitution: Carnegie Mellon University
Date & Time: Wednesday, November 7, 1:30–4 p.m.
Location: SDCC 6E
Theme: Theme E: Motor Systems
New approaches — both behavioral and physiological — have enabled a new depth of interrogation of the neural correlates of behavior. Perhaps nowhere has this process been more powerful than in the basal ganglia, where recent insight is shifting the operational paradigm of function from a binary gating of action to a nuanced shaping of behavior. This minisymposium will cover the implications of animal model work and connect findings with human studies of healthy and clinical subjects.
