Are you Attending Neuroscience 2024?

[Sam Staples]

With the Annual Meeting only 5 months away, what popular topics in Neuroscience are you hoping SfN will highlight at the 2024 Annual Meeting? Share your thoughts and why you would like SfN to focus on these topics.

[valeria muoio]

I chose three of my favorite topics:

I would like to see panels or symposia with alternatives to experimental in vivo models. Such as organoids, cell cultures, computer and artificial intelligence programs. Although it is still necessary, I hope that in the future we will use fewer and fewer animals in experimental models.

I'd love to see translational science panels, of how current research is translating into real-world applications. I find it very interesting to witness the outline of a research project, the mistakes and successes, the corrections and finally the possibilities of application in real patients.

And finally, there's I'd like to see research into new technologies on brain-machine interface, not just because it's in vogue. There is a very great need for the development of such technologies to improve the quality of human life, and many ambitious projects like Neuralink are still very elusive. I believe that we should democratize more and discuss more about the knowledge that involves this field of research.

[Sai Lavanya Patnala]

As someone with a more clinical background, I am excited to learn the latest research developments concerning the microenvironment of neurological disorders.

One topic that I have recently been reading more about is Alzheimer's disease and other Tauopathies. I also recently learned about the racial differences in biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease. I believe that research in this field is ever-evolving and can change the trajectory of how the disease is detected and treated. I want to know more about the latest scientific research on Alzheimer's disease and other dementias. 

Another topic that interests me is Monoclonal antibodies In my last few months of clinical experience in the US, I have noticed the use of MABs in managing several conditions, especially in autoimmune conditions like Myasthenia Gravis and how the use of such newer modalities changed the disease course and improved outcomes for several patients. I would like to see the latest advancements in autoimmune research and learn how they can be clinically relevant. 

[Daisy Gallardo]

There is always a surplus of interesting topics at SfN, and it never feels like I have enough time to learn about them all. One of the popular topics I'm looking forward to hearing about is the work being done on the mTOR pathway in the context of aging and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD). The mTOR pathway has been studied extensively in relation to AD and aging, with most studies focusing on mTOR inhibition as a neuroprotective method since it promotes autophagy. I'm particularly curious to learn about the research being done on the opposite –mTOR activation– in the context of AD and aging.

I'm also excited to learn about the ongoing clinical research on Alzheimer's disease and the development of Late-onset AD mouse models.  

[Hugo Sanchez-Castillo]

Hello my dear neurotravellers!!! SO EXCITED!!! For me, the SFN meeting is like christmas!!! Full of joy and gifts, science and friends... My lab works with stress right now, for this reason I'm hoping for stress related topics, as the interleukins activates under certain stress conditions, the affectation of the Prefrontal Cortex in the astrocytic population, the new advances in trauma with humans... I think that stress and trauma is one of the most challenging diseases due the great affectation that produces in the brain. There is changes at cellular, molecular, structural, behavioral. Other huge reason is the stress and trauma is also present in children's, elder people, adults... everybody. Sad but true... 

But don't be sad, because whereas there is science, always it will be a chance of getting better.

I see there neurotravellers

[Jayalakshmi Viswanathan]

Yes! I have an Art of Neuroscience booth again this year which I'm very much looking forward to, and will also be presenting a poster! The annual neuroscience conference is usually very nostalgic and even emotional for me. It is an opportunity to meet with friends, old and new, learn about new research, catch up with mentors and students, friends from neuroscience summer schools and grad school etc. 

One topic that I'm fascinated by is the neuroscience of studying consciousness. Last year, I very much enjoyed the panel, and I'm curious to see if the explosion of AL and ML techniques would have added new avenues to investigate theories of consciousness and big data. This is of course, just a long standing academic curiosity of mine. I am also very much looking forward to seeing topics related to my own research - sensory neuroscience as well as drug discovery and development for AD/ADRD. I love attending the exhibits and learning about new technologies, equipment, and software available to measure, image, and analyze neuronal data from different species. 

If I could make one suggestion, it would be to emphasize presentations that are rigorous but also those which are espousing values of transparency. I do wish to see more work where scientists are able to openly speak about experiments that disproved the null hypothesis or resulted in pivots in experimental methodologies or goals because the underlying assumptions were incorrect. This would require a change in the research ecosystem as a whole as we shift away from "flashy findings" to "rigorous methodologies" regardless of outcomes. #rigorchampion 

Edited July 1 by Jayalakshmi Viswanathan