Past Seminars
All neuroscience seminars are held on Mondays, at 12:00 PM, via Zoom, unless otherwise noted. Check the calendar for the most updated information.
Fall 2023 Schedule
Dr. Matthew Kayser
Associate Professor
University of Pennsylvania
Monday, September 11, 2023
“Using fruit flies to study sleep regulation and function during development””
Dr. Ute Hochgeschwender
Professor
Central Michigan University
Monday, October 2, 2023
“Sensing, Controlling and Integrating Brain Processes with Biological Light”
Dr. Earl Miller
Professor
The Picower Institute for Learning and Memory and Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Monday, October 16, 2023 *This seminar will be Zoom only*
“Cognition is an emergent property”
Dr. Zhe Chen
Assistant Professor
University of Minnesota Twin Cities
Thursday, October 19, 2023
“Molecular diversity during developmental control of axon guidance and neural circuit formation””
Dr. Brian Dekleva
Research Scientist
University of Pittsburgh
Monday, October 23, 2023
"Using physiological insight to drive brain-computer interface design"
Dr. Kyle Ketchesin
Assistant Professor
University of Pittsburgh
Monday, October 30, 2023
“Diurnal Alterations in Gene Expression Across the Striatum in Psychosis””
Dr. Candice Contet
Associate Professor
The Scripps Research Institute
Monday, November 6, 2023
“Molecular and circuit mechanisms of excessive alcohol drinking”
Dr. Catharine Winstanley
Professor
University of British Columbia
Monday, December 4, 2023 *This seminar will be on Zoom only*
Dr. Adema Ribic
Assistant Professor
University of Virginia
Monday, December 11, 2023
“The Kids are not alright: Long-term neurocognitive effects of premature birth”
Spring 2023 Schedule
Dr. Celeste Greer
Research Instructor
Vanderbilt University
Monday, January 9, 2023
“Regulation of neuronal gene expression in memory formation and cognitive disease by epigenetic mechanisms”
Dr. Ethan Anderson
Research Assistant Professor
Medical University of South Carolina
Tuesday, January 17, 2023
“Targeting epigenetic mechanisms of drug and alcohol addiction”
Dr. Lauren DePoy
Research Instructor
University of Pittsburgh
Monday, January 23, 2023
“Developmental circadian rhythm disruption persistently alters substance use”
Dr. Samuel Crish
Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Science
Northeast Ohio Medical University
Monday, January 30, 2023
“Visual Deficits in Alzheimer’s Disease”
Dr. Denise Inman
Vice Chair & Associate Professor of Pharmaceutical Sciences
The University of North Texas Health Science Center at Fort Worth
Monday, February 20, 2023
Dr. Thomas Nickl-Jockschat
Associate Professor, Psychiatry, Neuroscience and Pharmacology
University of Iowa
Monday, February 27, 2023
“Of mice and men - bridging the translational gap in psychiatry and neuroscience”
Dr. Keith Hengen
Assistant Professor, Biology
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Monday, March 20, 2023
Dr. Yao Chen
Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis
Monday, March 27, 2023 (Virtual)
“Space, Time, and beyond: Understanding the Molecular Ballet of Neuromodulator Signaling”
Dr. Nicola Grissom
Assistant Professor, Psychology
University of Minnesota
Monday, April 3, 2023
Dr. Lucia Peixoto
Assistant Professor, Translational Medicine and Physiology
Elson S. Floyd College of Medicine, Washington State University
Thursday, April 13, 2023 (4:00PM)
Dr. Joshua Gross
Postdoctoral Researcher
Duke University
Thursday, April 13, 2023 (12:00PM, Location TBD)
Dr. Michael Seminerio
Global Therapeutic Lead
Abbvie
Monday, April 17, 2023
Dr. Debra Bangasser
Professor, Neuroscience; Distinguished Investigator, Georgia Research Alliance; Associate Director, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience
Georgia State University
Monday, April 20, 2023
Dr. Sara Aton
Assistant Professor, Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology
University of Michigan
Monday, April 24, 2023
Fall 2022 Schedule
Dr. Alex Poulopoulos
Assistant Professor, Pharmacology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Monday, October 3, 2022
“Neural Somatic Genome Editing: One-Shot Genome Models and a Future of Broadly Accessible Personalized Medicine”
Dr. Steffen Wolff
Assistant Professor, Pharmacology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Monday, October 17, 2022
"Motor skill learning and execution in a distributed brain network"
Dr. Matthew Nassar
Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
Brown University
Monday, October 24, 2022
"Dynamic representations for behavioral flexibility"
Dr. Kim Dore
Assistant Researcher
University of California, San Diego
Monday, October 31, 2022
“Increasing PSD-95 palmitoylation, a way to prevent synaptic loss”
Dr. Yoshiyuki Kubota
Associate Professor, Division of Cerebral Circuitry; Section of Electron Microscopy
National Institute for Physiological Sciences - Okazaki, Japan
Friday, November 4, 2022
“Cortical spine dynamics during a single seed grasp motor learning”
Dr. Kevin Beier
Assistant Professor, Physiology & Biophysics
University of California, Irvine
Monday, November 7, 2022
“Parallel pathways selectively regulating psychostimulant reward and withdrawal anxiety”
Dr. Mathieu Wimmer
Assistant Professor, Psychology and Neuroscience
Temple University
Monday, November 14, 2022
“Using rodent multigenerational models of opioid exposure to delineate mechanisms underlying addiction susceptibility”
Dr. Friedl De Groote
Assistant Professor, Movement Sciences
The University of British Columbia
Monday, November 28, 2022
“Physics-based optimal control simulations to assess the neuromechanics of human movement”
Spring 2022
Dr. Katrina Adams
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Center for Neuroscience Research
Children's National Hospital
Monday, January 3, 2022
"Elucidating the molecular mechanisms of neural stem cell-derived gliogenesis"
Dr. Victor Luna
Assistant Professor of Clinical Neurobiology, Department of Psychiatry
Columbia University
Thursday, January 6, 2022
“Harnessing neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity to reverse cognitive decline due to aging”
Dr. Aminata Coulibaly
Research Associate, Center for Brain Immunology and Glia, Department of Neurology
University of Virginia
Monday, January 10, 2022
"Elucidating the role of neutrophils in the CNS”
Dr. Irene Lorenzo Llorente
Assistant Researcher, Department of Neurology
University of California, Los Angeles
Thursday, January 13, 2022
“Understanding brain repair through stem cell biology and cellular transplantation”
Dr. Jennifer Wong
Instructor, Department of Human Genetics
Emory University
Thursday, January 20, 2022
“Voltage-gated sodium channels (VGSCs) and epilepsy”
Dr. Maged Mohamed Harraz
Instructor, The Solomon H. Snyder Department of Neuroscience
Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine
Monday, January 24, 2022
"Molecular mechanisms of autophagy in drug abuse: Uncovering a novel cocaine receptor"
Dr. Ruifeng Cao
Assistant Professor, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Department of Neuroscience
The University of Minnesota Medical School
Thursday, January 27, 2022
"The brain clock, translational control, and neurodevelopmental disorders"
Dr. Morgan Bridi
Postdoctoral Research Fellow, Department of Pharmacology
University of Maryland School of Medicine
Monday, February 14, 2022
"Deficits in inhibitory circuitry and visual processing in Cntnap2-/- autism-model mice"
Dr. Michelle Bridi
Assistant Research Scientist, Zanvyl Krieger Mind/Brain Institute
Johns Hopkins University
Monday, February 14, 2022
"Synaptic weights and balances: How experience and sleep control cortical plasticity"
Dr. Lena Ting
Professor, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Department of Rehabilitation Medicine
Emory University and Georgia Institute of Technology
Monday, February 28, 2022
"Cortical activity during reactive balance reflect balance function in health, aging, and disease."
Dr. Jed Barash
Medical Director
Chelsea Soldiers' Home
Monday, March 21, 2022
"In Pursuit of the Memory Thief: An Association Between Opioids and Acute Hippocampal Injury"
Dr. Anna Konova
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry & UBHC; Co-Director, Rutgers-Princeton Center for Computation Neuro-Psychiatry (CCNP)
Rutgers University - New Brunswick
Monday, March 28, 2022
"Addiction states as dynamic changes in valuation"
Dr. Staci Bilbo
Professor, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, Neurobiology, and Cell Biology
Duke University
Monday, April 11, 2022
"Microglia, microglia, and development of the social brain"
Dr. Hiroyuki Kato
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Neuroscience
University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Monday, April 18, 2022
Fall 2021 Schedule
Dr. James Mahoney III
Assistant Professor, Behavioral Medicine & Psychiatry; Neuroscience
West Virginia University
Monday, September 27, 2021
“Neuromodulation as an adjunctive treatment for substance use disorder”
Dr. Michael Krashes
Section Chief, Motivational Processes Underlying Appetite, Diabetes, Endocrinology, & Obesity Branch
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, National Institutes of Health
Monday, October 8, 2021
“Conflict feeding: foraging in the face of danger”
Dr. Tonisha Kearney-Ramos
Assistant Professor, Psychiatry
Columbia University Irving Medical Center
Monday, October 18, 2021
“Multimodal approaches to investigating the neural mechanisms and clinical efficacy of therapeutic neuromodulation for addiction”
Dr. Le Ma
Associate Professor, Neuroscience
Thomas Jefferson University
Monday, October 25, 2021
“Molecular and cellular mechanisms of axonal branch development”
Dr. Ketema Paul
Professor,Integrative Biology & Physiology
University of California, Los Angeles
Monday, November 8, 2021
“Bmal1 expression in skeletal muscle provides protection against behavioral deficits associated with sleep loss”
Spring 2021
Dr. Marie-Christine Miquel
Associate Professor, Center for Integrative Biology
Université Toulouse III Paul Sabatie
Monday, January 25, 2021
“InCogMito: mitochondria, cognition and adult-born neurons”
Dr. Robert C. Froemke
Professor, Otolaryngology-Head & Neck Surgery; Neuroscience & Physiology
New York University Langone Health
Monday, February 8, 2021
“Social transmission of maternal behavior via oxytocin and synaptic plasticity”
Dr. Huda Akil
Co-Director and Research Professor, MBNI
Gardner C. Quarton Distinguished University Professor of Neurosciences, Department of Psychiatry
University of Michigan
Monday, February 15, 2021
“The neurobiology of stress vulnerability and resilience: animal models and human studies of depression”
Dr. Leslie Sombers
*Seminar co-hosted with the C. Eugene Bennett Department of Chemistry
Professor, Chemistry, Comparative Medicine Institute
North Carolina State University
Monday, February 22, 2021
“Neurochemical characterization of striatal function: from new electroanalytical tools to new insight”
Dr. Carol A. Colton
Professor, Neurology
Duke University School of Medicine
Monday, March 8, 2021
“Immunity and re-programming of the brain’s metabolism in neurodegenerative diseases”
Dr. Ruifeng “Ray” Cao
Assistant Professor, Biomedical Sciences
University of Minnesota Medical School
Monday, March 15, 2021
“Translational control of circadian physiology and dysfunction in neurodevelopmental disorders”
Dr. Hal S. Greenwald
Program Ofcer, Cognitive & Computational Neuroscience
Air Force Ofce of Scientic Research (AFOSR/RTA)
Monday, March 22, 2021
“Cognitive & computational neuroscience at the Air Force Office of Scientific Research (AFOSR)”
Dr. Ulrich Ettinger
Professor, Psychology
University of Bonn, Germany
Monday, March 29, 2021
“Effects of ketamine on oculomotor and neuroimaging biomarkers of schizophrenia”
Dr. Alfonso Apicella
Associate Professor, Biology
The University of Texas at San Antonio
Monday, April 12, 2021
“Cortical circuits organization of GABAergic neurons: local vs. long-range”
Dr. Martin Hruska
Assistant Professor, Neuroscience
West Virginia University
Monday, April 19, 2021
“Nanoscale rules of synaptic organization and spine structural plasticity: insights from super-resolution imaging”
Dr. Corey Harwell
Assistant Professor, Neurobiology
Harvard University Medical School
Monday, April 26, 2021
"Development and Diversity of Neural Cell Types in the Septum”
Fall 2020
Dr. Nabil Alkayed
Oregon Health & Science University, School of Medicine
Monday, September 28, 2020
“GPR39: receptor discovery, drug development, and clinical translation”
Dr. Luc Maroteaux
Sorbonne Université, Paris, France
*Monday, October 12, 2020
“Serotonin receptor 5-HT2B in the brain: contribution to inflammation, depression, and impulsivity”
Dr. Susan Fagan
University of Georgia, School of Pharmacy
Monday, October 19, 2020
“Reducing disability after stroke: new avenues”
Dr. Kathleen E. Morrison
West Virginia University
Monday, October 26, 2020
“Lifelong consequences of adversity during dynamic periods of brain development: a role for chromatin accessibility”
Dr. Shuo Wang
West Virginia University
Monday, November 9, 2020
“Feature-based encoding of face identity by single neurons in the human medial temporal lobe”
Dr. Gordon Shepherd
Northwestern University, Feinberg School of Medicine
Monday, November 16, 2020
“Circuit organization of forelimb cortex in the mouse”
Dr. John Howland
University of Saskatchewan, College of Medicine, Saskatoon, Canada
Monday, November 23, 2020
“Cortical involvement in working memory: sub-regions, sensory modalities, and tasks in rats”
Dr. John Ngai
Director, BRAIN Initiative
National Institutes of Health
Monday, November 30, 2020
“BRAIN Initiative 2020: progress and promise”
Spring 2020
Dr. Muna Aryal
Stanford University
Thursday, January 16, 2020
“Noninvasive and targeted drug delivery using focused ultrasound for neurological disorders”
Dr. Mark S. Moehle
Vanderbilt University
Thursday, January 23, 2020
“M4 muscarinic acetylcholine receptor regulation of the basal ganglia”
Dr. Rebekah Evans
National Institutes of Health
Monday, January 27, 2020
“Inhibitory control of dopamine neurons”
Dr. Antonio Fernandez-Ruiz
New York University
Monday, February 3, 2020
“Role of hippocampal circuit dynamics in memory guided behavior”
Dr. Martin Hruska
Thomas Jefferson University
Monday, February 10, 2020
“Building a synapse: Cell-contact mediated assembly of excitatory synapses”
Dr. Ashley Ingiosi
Washington State University
Monday, February 17, 2020
“Defining a role for glial astrocytes in mammalian sleep”
Dr. Patrick L. Sheets
Indiana University School of Medicine
Monday, February 24, 2020
“Reverse engineering supraspinal circuit pathways involved in pain modulation”
Dr. He “Helen” Huang
North Carolina State University
Monday, March 9, 2020
“Neural control of robotic limb prostheses”
Fall 2019
Dr. Barbara Sorg
Washington State University, Vancouver
Host: Deidre O’Dell
Monday, October 29, 2019
“Plasticity, parvalbumin, and perineuronal nets in addiction memories”
Dr. Michael Fox
Virginia Tech University
Host: Dr. Eric Tucker
Monday, November 11, 2019
“Novel mechanisms underlying interneuron recruitment and incorporation into neural circuits”
Dr. Reza Shadmehr
Johns Hopkins University
Host: Dr. Valeriya Gritsenko
Monday, November 18, 2019
“Movement and postural control of the arm”
Dr. Julie Andersen
Buck Institute for Research on Aging
Host: Dr. Werner Geldenhuys
Monday, November 25, 2019
“The essence of senescence and its potential role in age-related neurodegenerative disorders”
Dr. Chris Olsen
Medical College of Wisconsin
Host: Dr. Cole Vonder Haar
Monday, December 9, 2019
“Neuroimaging outcomes in a rat model of comorbid mild traumatic brain injury and opioid abuse”
Dr. Eric Prager
Journal of Neuroscience Research; Neuroscience Next
Host: Tiffany Petrisko
Monday, December 16, 2019
“Designing and conducting transparent and rigorous scientific studies: An editor’s perspective”
Spring 2019
Dr. Zachary Weil
Ohio State University
Monday, January 7, 2019
“Lifelong consequences of traumatic brain injury”
Dr. Brooke Schmeichel
National Institute on Drug Abuse, National Institutes of Health
Tuesday, January 15, 2019
“A multifunctional role for hypocretin in addiction”
Dr. Constanza Cortes
Duke University
**Tuesday, January 22, 2019
“Enhanced skeletal muscle proteostasis as a determinant of CNS protein quality control and neural function in the aging brain”
Dr. Rafiq Huda
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
*Thursday, January 31, 2019
“Cortical and subcortical circuits for decisions and choices”
Dr. Samie Haj-Dahmane
University of Buffalo
Monday, February 4, 2019
"Fatty acid binding protein and synaptic transport of endocannabinoid in the brain"
Virginia "Ginny" Thrasher
West Virginia University
Rockefeller Neuroscience Institute Feature Seminar
Wednesday, February 6th @ 1 PM
WVU Eye Institute Auditorium
"Gold standards for a gold medalist"
Dr. Meifan "Amy" Chen
UT Southwestern Medical Center
*Thursday, February 14, 2019
“Regulation of injury response in neurons and glia”
Dr. Florence Varodayan
The Scripps Research Institute
Monday, February 18, 2019
“Corticotrophin-releasing factor (CRF) at the intersection of alcohol dependence and stress”
Dr. Rudolph Castellani
West Virginia University
Monday, March 4, 2019
"Long-term consequences of neurotrauma"
Dr. HanTing "Hunter" Zhang
West Virginia University
Monday, March 18, 2019
"Cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterases (PDEs), novel targets for treatment of alcoholism"
Dr. Steven Kinsey
West Virginia University
Monday, April 8, 2019
“Analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and dependence-inducing effects of cannabinoids”
Dr. Ravi Allada
Northwestern University
Host: Dr. HanTing "Hunter" Zhang
Monday, April 15, 2019
"Circadian clocks and sleep in Drosophila"
Fall 2018
Dr. Aryn Gittis
Carnegie Mellon University
Host: Dr. Aric Agmon
Wednesday, September 5, 2018
“Cell-specific pallidal interventions produce long-lasting motor recovery in a mouse model of Parkinson's Disease”
Dr. Kenneth Witwer
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Host: Ashley Russell and Dr. Jim Simpkins
Wednesday, September 19, 2018
“Extracellular vesicles in HIV and neurodegenerative disease: Whose team are they playing for?”
Dr. Gregory Bix
University of Kentucky
Host: Dr. Sophie Ren
Wednesday, September 26, 2018
“Therapeutic inflammation and other surprises in ischemic stroke and vascular dementia”
Dr. Colleen McClung
University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
Host: Dr. Randy Nelson
Wednesday, October 17, 2018
“Circadian genes, rhythms, and the biology of psychiatric disorders”
Dr. Ron Waclaw
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Host: Dr. Eric Tucker
Wednesday, October 24, 2018
“Development of basal ganglia circuits – the long and short of it?”
Dr. William Walker
The Ohio State University
Wednesday, November 28, 2018
“Breast Cancer and the Brain: What’s the Link?”
Dr. Rudolph Castellani
West Virginia University
Wednesday, December 5, 2018
“Long-term consequences of neurotrauma”
Dr. Walter Koroshetz
Director, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke
National Institutes of Health
Wednesday, December 12, 2018
“NINDS and the taxpayers investment in neuroscience research”
Fall 2017
Dr. Holly Brown-Borg
University of North Dakota School of Medicine & Health Sciences
Host: Dr. Liz Engler-Chiurazzi
Wednesday, September 10, 2017
"Somatotropic signaling is linked to health and aging via metabolism and the epigenome"
Dr. Thomas Kash
University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, School of Medicine
Host: Dr. David Siderovski and Josh Gross
Wednesday, September 27, 2017
"The ups and downs of the extended amygdala"
Dr. Nelson Spruston
Janelia Research Campus at Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Host: Dr. George Spirou
Wednesday, October 4, 2017
Dr. Roger Clem
Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai
Host: Dr. Albert Berrebi
Wednesday, October 11, 2017
Dr. Theresa Jones
University of Texas at Austin
Host: Dr. Cole Vonder Haar
Wednesday, October 18, 2017
Dr. Teng-Leong Chew
Janelia Research Campus at Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Host: Dr. George Spirou
Wednesday, November 1, 2017
Dr. Chengzin Gong
New York State Institute for Basic Research in Developmental Disabilities
Host: Dr. Hunter Zhang
Wednesday, November 8, 2018
"Multifactorial hypothesis for Alzheimer’s Disease"
Spring 2017
Dr. Marco Gallio
Northwestern University
Host: Dr. Andrew Dacks
Wednesday, April 5, 2017
"Coding and representation of temperature in the Drosophila brain"
Dr. Thomas Eissenberg
Virginia Commonwealth University
Host: Dr. Melissa Blank
Wednesday, April 12, 2017
"Electronic cigarettes: What are they and what do they do?"
Dr. Parag Chitnis
George Mason University
Host: Dr. Valeriya Gritsenko
Wednesday, April 19, 2017
"Noninvasive and bi-directional neural interfaces using ultrasound"
Dr. Richard De La Garza
Baylor College of Medicine
Host: Dr. James Mahoney
Wednesday, April 26, 2017
"Medications testing for cocaine use disorder: Neurobiological substrates, experimental methods, and FDA requirements"
Dr. Bob Datta
Harvard Medical School
Host: Dr. Kevin Daly
Wednesday, May 3, 2017
"Transforming smells into action"
Fall 2016
Dr. Robert Gaunt
University of Pittsburgh
Host: Dr. Sergiy Yakovenko
Wednesday, September 28, 2016
"Invasive cortical neuroprosthetics for sensorimotor science and rehabilitation"
Dr. Michael Higley
Yale School of Medicine
Host: Dr. Aric Agmon
Wednesday, October 5, 2016
"GABAergic inhibition in neucortical dendrites"
Dr. Eva Anton
University of North Carolina School of Medicine
Host: Dr. Eric Tucker
Wednesday, October 19, 2016
"Development of interneuronal connectivity: Role of primary cilia"
Dr. Lynne Gauthier
The Ohio State University, College of Medicine
Host: Dr. Valeriya Gritsenko
Wednesday, November 30, 2016
"Mechanisms of neuroplasticity following Constraint Induced Movement therapy: Implications for rehabilitation planning"
Fall 2015
Dr. Paul Barnes
Oregon Health & Science University
Host: Dr. Eric Tucker
Wednesday, August 26, 2015
"Function of non-functional kinases in the developing brain"
Dr. Tzumin Lee
Howard Hughes Medical Institute - Janelia Farm
Host: Dr. George Spirou
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
"Lineage- and age-dependent neural stem-cell fate"
Dr. Robert Friedlander
University of Pittsburgh
Hosts: Kelly Smith and Dr. Charles Rosen
Wednesday, September 16, 2015
"Role of caspase pathways in neurological disease"
Dr. Justus Verhagen
Yale University
Host: Dr. Kevin Daly
Wednesday, October 7, 2015
"Time in olfactory coding and perception: Optogenetic, behavioral and electrophysiological studies"
Dr. Barry Stein
Wake Forest School of Medicine
Hosts: Paula Webster and Dr. Richard Dey
Wednesday, October 28, 2015
"How does the brain develop its ability to integrate information from different senses?"