Logo for the 9th annual neuroscience symposium: The Changing Brain

The 9th Annual Neuroscience Symposium at Kent State University: The Changing Brain

Virtual Symposium: October 20-22, 2021
8:30am - 1:00pm

(Detailed Schedule Below)

 

SYMPOSIUM ABSTRACT BOOK

Poster Awards

Undergraduate Students

Two-way tie for 1st place

Alena Miskinis

Teressa Wesley

 

Graduate Students

1st Place

Zackery Knauss 

 

Three-way tie for 2nd place

Gabrielle Frame

Mandalynn Slupek

Keaton Somerville

 

Postdocs

Mahtab Tehrani

 

Featured Speakers

Wednesday, October 20th

"Sex Differences in the Brain: Not What You Think"

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Pic of Catherine Woolley
Catherine S. Woolley, PhD is the William Deering Chair in Biological Sciences and Professor of Neurobiology at Northwestern University. She received her PhD from Rockefeller University in 1993 where she worked with Bruce McEwen and completed postdoctoral training with Philip Schwartzkroin in the Department of Neurological Surgery at the University of Washington. In 1998, she moved to Northwestern as an Assistant Professor. Dr. Woolley’s research focuses on steroid modulation of synaptic structure and function in the adult brain, particularly in the hippocampus, with the aim of understanding how steroids influence hippocampus-dependent behaviors and neurological disorders that involve the hippocampus. Current projects focus on neurosteroid estrogens (estrogens produced in the brain) and the surprising discovery of latent sex differences in molecular and circuit-level mechanisms operating in the brain. In addition to her research, Dr. Woolley is a Senior Editor at The Journal of Neuroscience and she founded Northwestern’s undergraduate Neuroscience program. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Medicine and the American Academy of Arts & Sciences.

 

Thursday, October 21st

"Structural and Functional Roles for Adult Neurogenesis: Beyond Learning and Memory"

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Pic of Heather Cameron
Heather A. Cameron, PhD is a Senior Investigator at the National Institute of Mental Health. She received her PhD from Rockefeller University, where she worked with Bruce McEwen and Elizabeth Gould, and completed a postdoctoral fellowship with Ron McKay in the Laboratory of Molecular Biology at the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke. She joined the Mood and Anxiety Disorders Program at National Institute of Mental Health as the Chief of the Section on Neuroplasticity in 2001. Dr. Cameron’s research focuses on understanding the regulation and function of the ongoing production of new neurons that occurs in the hippocampus throughout life. Current work in her lab focuses on the impact of chronic inhibition of neurogenesis on downstream hippocampal circuits and behavior and has led to identification of unexpected roles for new neurons in cognitive and behavioral functions outside of learning and memory. 

 

 

Friday, October 22nd

"Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Forgetting: From Infantile Amnesia to Memory Generalization"

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Pic of Paul Frankland
Paul Frankland, Ph.D. is a Senior Scientist in the program in Neurosciences & Mental Health at the Hospital for Sick Children, and a fellow of the Royal Society of Canada (Life Sciences division). He holds a Canada Research Chair in Cognitive Neurobiology, and is appointed as a Full Professor in the Department of Psychology, Department of Physiology and Institute of Medical Science at the University of Toronto. He is also a fellow of the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR) in the program for Child and Brain Development. His research program combines behavior, imaging and molecular approaches to study cognitive function and dysfunction. In particular, he has focused on two questions. First, while memories for events initially depend on the hippocampus, over time they are thought to be reorganized in the cortex for long-term storage. His group has identified mechanisms involved in cortical memory consolidation and how changes in organization affect memory quality. Second, new neurons are generated in the hippocampus throughout life. His group showed that these neurons integrate into hippocampal memory traces where they promote the encoding of new memories. However, they also recently found that increasing neurogenesis induces forgetting of memories already stored in the hippocampus. This finding has transformed how we about the function of hippocampal neurogenesis, suggesting that it regulates a balance between encoding new, and clearing out old, memories.

 

 

Detailed Schedule

Wednesday, Oct 20

8:30-9:00am  Welcome Social

9:00-10:00am Catherine S. Woolley, Ph.D. "Sex Differences in the Brain: Not What You Think. Evidence for Latent Sex Differences in Mechanisms of Synaptic Modulation."

10:00-11:00am Virtual Poster Session

11:00-11:45am Workshop: How to Apply to Post Docs

12:00-1:00pm Meet the Experts Lunch

Thursday, Oct. 21

9:00-10:00am Heather Cameron, Ph.D. "Structural and Functional Roles for Adult Neurogenesis: Beyond Learning and Memory"

10:00-11:00am Virtual Poster Session

11:00-11:45am Workshop: Funding Opportunities for Trainees and Junior Faculty

12:00-1:00pm Meet the Experts Lunch

Friday, Oct. 22

9:00-10:00am Paul Frankland, PhD. "Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Forgetting: From Infantile Amnesia to Memory Generalization"

10:00-11:00am Virtual Poster Session

11:00-11:45am Workshop: Navigating Publishing (Rigor and Reproducibility)

12:00-1:00pm Meet the Experts Lunch

1:00-1:30pm Meeting Poster Awards, Wrap up, and Social

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Information/Questions

Phone: 330-672-1855    Email: brainhealth@kent.edu     Twitter: @KSUBrainHealth

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