All times listed in U.S. Eastern Standard Time. All press conferences will be held in Press Conference Room 202B in the Walter E. Washington Convention Center.
Saturday, November 11
Early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease would mean better outcomes for individuals, caregivers, and communities. New blood tests are simplifying early detection measures, with some predicting a person’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease with up to 98% accuracy. Other insights are upending previously held beliefs that women with Alzheimer’s disease experience a faster rate of cognitive decline than men. Researchers will describe how these new developments advance our understanding of this disease and move us closer to preventive therapeutics.
Moderator(s):
Virginia Lee, University of Pennsylvania
Presenter(s):
Yuanbing “Jason” Jiang, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Keenan Walker, National Institute on Aging
Li “Joyce” Ouyang, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Research which considers the diversity of normal and diseased human populations is contributing to more resilient hypotheses regarding complex neuroscience processes. This briefing will feature speakers studying the full spectrum of human variability including sex, race, and neurodiversity (e.g., autism), and how inclusion of these populations leads to stronger and more resilient conclusions. Speakers will also explore how high-profile journals are working to ensure manuscripts include data from diverse, representative samples.
Moderator(s):
Damien Fair, University of Minnesota
Presenter(s):
Nora Volkow, National Institute on Drug Abuse
Roberta Diaz Brinton, University of Arizona
Mary Elizabeth Sutherland, Nature
Flora Vaccarino, Yale University
Janine Austin Clayton, National Institutes of Health
Sunday, November 12
Depression is one of the most common mental disorders in the world, but symptoms vary as widely as genes do. Researchers will share new insights into the individual signatures of depression in blood and brain topology, which may usher in a new era of personalized tools for prediction, prevention, and treatment. Speakers will also reveal new connections between depression and cognitive decline.
Moderator(s):
Diego A. Pizzagalli, Harvard Medical School
Presenter(s):
Yu Chen, Yale University
Sanju Koirala, University of Minnesota
Denise Park, University of Texas at Dallas
Cecilia Flores, McGill University
The COVID-19 pandemic exacerbated the rising rate of depression among teenagers. Neuroscientists will discuss the latest research into structural abnormalities and neural wiring of the depressed adolescent brain. Experts will also explain how the COVID-19 pandemic transformed the brains of millions of teenagers and which factors exacerbated or mitigated this transformation.
Moderator(s):
Elizabeth Powell, National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism
Presenter(s):
Patricia Kuhl, University of Washington
Caterina Stamoulis, Harvard University
Margot Wagner, University of California, San Diego
Memory is the foundation of fear and anxiety, and understanding its mechanisms may help counteract their effects. Neuroscientists will discuss ways virtual reality can unravel persistent phobias and share new research into the long-lasting protective effect of social companionship against anxiety. Researchers will also explain the role of infantile amnesia — the process, observed across species, in which events experienced in early life are not consolidated into persistent memories — in our development of fear and anxiety.
Moderator(s):
Luiz Pessoa, University of Maryland
Presenter(s):
Ai Koizumi, Sony Computer Science Laboratories
Ron Stoop, University of Lausanne
Masahiko Haruno, NICT & Osaka University
Kate Wassum, University of California, Los Angeles
Laura DeNardo, University of California, Los Angeles
Artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning are revolutionizing neuroscience. Researchers decoding the underlying mechanisms of sight will share how AI has accelerated progress toward a cure for blindness. Speakers will also discuss the use of these tools to identify a person’s risk for Alzheimer’s disease, enhance deep brain stimulation techniques for movement disorders, and improve treatments for depression.
Moderator(s):
Terry Sejnowski, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Presenter(s):
Ayumu Yamashita, Advanced Telecommunications Research Institute International
Nikita Goel, University of Southern California
Dan Butts, University of Maryland
Maral Kasiri, University of California, Irvine
Monday, November 13
Chronic insufficient sleep is a hallmark of modern society with some estimates suggesting 70% of U.S. teenagers are not getting enough sleep. Neuroscientists will discuss research revealing how sleep disruption, while more prevalent in women, may be more deleterious for men. Researchers will also share how sleep-deprived mice and the social communication techniques of cuttlefish led to valuable new understandings of memory integration during sleep.
Moderator(s):
Robert Greene, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Presenter(s):
Lisa Lyons, Florida State University
Jessica Mong, University of Maryland
Nirinjini Naidoo, University of Pennsylvania
Horst Obenhaus, Kavli Institute for Systems Neuroscience
This year, as wildfires raged across North America and spread smoke across communities, millions of people were forced to shelter inside to avoid inhaling particulate-filled air. While the respiratory risks of inhaling wildfire smoke are known, neuroscientists seek to understand how inhalable particulate matter could affect the brain. Researchers will discuss the neurological impact of wildfire smoke and other pollutants such as pesticides and industrial chemicals. Speakers will also describe how other environmental factors, including life adversity and chronic stress, may harm the brain and accelerate aging.
Moderator(s):
Catherine Jensen Peña
Presenter(s):
Christian Habeck, Columbia University
Andrew Ottens, Virginia Commonwealth University
Leland Fleming, Mclean Hospital/Harvard Medical School
Sonata Suk-yu Yau, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
There has been much research into the use of psilocybin, the psychoactive compound in psychedelic mushrooms, and dimethyltryptamine to address psychiatric disorders. But as the research deepens, further questions emerge: Are the therapeutic effects long-lasting? Who benefits the most? Neuroscientists will discuss research sex-specific responses to these compounds and their potential in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), depression, substance abuse disorders, and more.
Moderator(s):
Frederick Barrett, Johns Hopkins University
Presenter(s):
Phillip Zoladz, Ohio Northern University
John Razidlo, University of Wisconsin-Madison
Belle Buzzi, Virginia Commonwealth University