Host: National Institute on Drug Abuse

March 28th - 12:30-1:30 PM

Mitochondrial deficits in HAP1 TPCN1 knockout cells are unlikely due to Alzheimer's disease-linked TPCN1 gene ablation

Ryan is a PhD candidate studying mitochondrial dysfunction linked to neurodegenerative disease and injury, especially bioenergetic deficits caused by chronic microglial activation or Alzheimer's Disease-associated genetic risk factors. 

Host: University of Maryland, Baltimore

April 22nd - 12:00-1:00 PM

Precocious LINE1 regulates animal behavior after maternal immune activation

Bailey is a Ph.D. candidate studying the placenta brain axis and neurodevelopmental disorders. Specifically, she is interested in the environment in which pregnant people exist and how that affects the fetal neurodevelopment.

Host: Johns Hopkins University

April 16th - 1:00-2:00 PM

A unique peri-hippocampal mast cell population involved in neurodevelopment

Anna is an MD/PhD student investigating the role of a novel population of mast cells in early postnatal hippocampal development and the complexities of neuroimmune communication in driving neurodevelopment.

Host: National Institute on Drug Abuse

March 28th - 12:30-1:30 PM

Spatially clustered neurons encode vocalization categories in the bat midbrain

Jennifer is a postdoctoral researcher studying how sounds acquire meaning and influence decision-making using techniques like electrophysiology, two-photon imaging, and behavioral experiments. By investigating how the brain processes auditory information, Jennifer's work aims to uncover how experience and expectations shape perception and guide behavior. 

Host: University of Maryland, Baltimore

April 22nd - 12:00-1:00 PM

Structure-activity relationship (SAR)-guided development of cariprazine analogs

with distinct G-protein versus beta-arrestin activities at dopamine D3 receptors

Bradley is a postdoctoral researcher working toward the design and evaluation of new compounds that target the dopaminergic system for the treatment of substance use disorders. 

Host: Johns Hopkins University

April 16th - 1:00-2:00 PM

Neural and behavioural analyses of higher-order fear conditioning

Dilara is a postdoctoral fellow studying whether the orbitofrontal cortex enforces its model of a task space onto a downstream sensory area, the piriform cortex, while learning several odor-outcome relations.

Host: National Institute on Drug Abuse

April 18th - 12:30-1:30 PM

Evaluating impacts of early life stress on empathy and cortical activity utilizing socially-induced placebos

Lakota is a PhD candidate focusing on prosocial behaviors - namely empathy - and the impacts of early life adversity on social-information processing in older adults. Lakota's dissertation utilizes fMRI imaging and EEG recordings to explore how altered cognitive expectations may impact endogenous neuromodulation of pain (placebo effects) and empathy in affected individuals.

Host: University of Maryland, Baltimore

May 13th - 12:00-1:00 PM

Role of claustrum in incubation of opioid seeking after electric barrier induced

voluntary abstinence in male and female rats

Ken is a postdoctoral researcher who studies the incubation of craving phenomenon using rat models of voluntary abstinence from drugs.  Ken aims to improve our understanding of mechanisms and neural circuits of relapse to drug seeking.

Host: Johns Hopkins University

May 21st - 1:00-2:00 PM

Lysosomal Myelin Accumulation in Mononuclear Phagocytes contributes to Inflammation and Autophagy Impairment after Traumatic Brain Injury

Amir is a PhD candidate studying inflammation and autophagy impairment after traumatic brain injury. 

Host: National Institute on Drug Abuse

April 18th - 12:30-1:30 PM

Central Amygdala Neural Activity During Ethanol Self-Administration Dynamically Tracks Motivation State

Matilde is a Johns Hopkins Neuroscience Training Program PhD student in Patricia Janak's lab. Her research focuses on the role of the central nucleus of the amygdala on alcohol drinking behaviors by using in vivo electrophysiology in freely moving animals.

Host: University of Maryland, Baltimore

May 13th - 12:00-1:00 PM

Mechanisms of sex differences in acute and post-acute sequelae of COVID-19 in mice

Jennifer is a postdoctoral researcher characterizing sex differences in SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis for acute COVID-19 and long COVID using mouse models. She seeks to understand the biological and immunologic mechanisms underlying neurological and cognitive impairments in long COVID, that notably affects more females compared to males. 

Host: Johns Hopkins University

May 21st - 1:00-2:00 PM

Accumbal acetylcholine signals associative salience

Zhewei is a postdoctoral researcher studying the neural mechanisms and computational principles of representation and value learning through integrated approaches combining in vivo electrophysiology, fiber photometry, and advanced computational modeling.