Brain

Davide Dulcis, Ph.D.
2019-11-07 11:00 - 12:00 (America/Los_Angeles) | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Dr. Dulcis is an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at UCSD. He is a faculty member of the Neurosciences graduate program and the Center for Circadian Biology at UCSD. He received his B.S. from University of Cagliari (Italy) double majoring in Physiology and Biology. While earning his Ph.D. from University of Arizona in Neuroscience, he illustrated the role of neurotransmitters in cardiac function of neurogenic invertebrate hearts. During his post-doctoral training in Neurobiology at UCSD, he discovered that neurotransmitters can be respecified by sensory stimuli, with matching respecification of postsynaptic receptor expression and associated changes in behavior (Nature, 2008; Science, 2013; Neuron, 2017).

Robert Hunt, Ph.D.
2019-11-12 11:00 - 12:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Interneurons and the control of memory precision
Inhibitory interneurons govern the sparse activation of principal cells that permits appropriate behaviors, and they are activated during specific memory processes. Our recent work has demonstrated important roles for interneurons in disorders of brain development and injury. These studies have motivated our ongoing efforts to understand how these cells operate at the synaptic, circuit and behavioral levels and in designing new technologies targeting specific populations of interneurons for therapy. I will discuss our recent efforts examining the role of interneurons in memory disorders and in designing cell-based therapies that enable precise manipulation of inhibitory circuits in the brain.

Francesco Battaglia, Ph.D.
2019-11-14 11:00 - 12:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Cortico-hippocampal interactions for memory
Francesco Battaglia, PhD, Donders Institute for Brain, Cognition and Behaviour, Radboud University Nijmegen
Memory representations are evolving objects through the lifetime of a memory. The recording of large groups of neurons from behaving animals has been instrumental for investigating brain network dynamics supporting memory encoding consolidation and retrieval. Classically, upon memory encoding during active behavior, hippocampal activity is dominated by theta oscillations. During inactivity, hippocampal neurons burst synchronously, constituting sharp waves, which can propagate to other structures, theoretically supporting memory consolidation. The PFC is one prominent target. This ‘two-stage’ model has been updated by new data from high-density electrophysiological recordings in animals that shed light on how information is encoded and exchanged between hippocampus and PFC. I will present an overview of this field focusing on results from my lab on cortico-hippocampal dynamics, including new theoretical and experimental developments. I will show how functional connectivity reconstruction based on Maximum Entropy methods can uncover changes in the prefrontal neural network that are linked to learning, and how these cortical functional network responds to hippocampal sharp waves. The link between cortical functional networks and hippocampal sharp waves correlates with animal’s performance in the behavioral task. In order to better delineate this link, we designed a novel behavioral task, the “object-space” task, which allows to compare episodic-like memory acquisition, with memory acquired by accumulation across multiple episodes, while the basic behavioral sequence is very similar and comparable across conditions.

Richard G. Ellenbogen, MD, FACS
2019-11-15 17:00 - 19:30 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
The 3rd Annual John A. Kusske Lecture Series
Richard G. Ellenbogen, MD, FACS
The Myth of Equipoise
Theodore S. Roberts Professor
Chair and Residency Program Director Department of Neurological Surgery University of Washington
RSVP to Cindy Wang at ucineurosurgery@hs.uci.edu or 714-456-3402. Seating is limited.

The 9th Annual Arnold Starr Lecture and Exhibition
2019-11-20 17:00 - 20:30 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Mechanisms of Auditory Neuropathy
Guest Lecture by Maoli Duan, MD, PhD, Karolinska Institute, Sweden
Lecture (6:00 – 7:00 p.m.) will be live-streamed and has been approved for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit
Artists & Friends Dinner (7:00 – 8:30 p.m.) $100 single; $150 couple

UCI Brain Initiative Launch Event
2019-11-21 08:00 - 20:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
UCI faculty, staff, and students are invited to join UCI Brain for a day of discussions about team science, presentations by groups of UCI faculty and students, along with a special keynote presentation by Dr. Ralph Greenspan, associate director of the Kavli Institute for the Brain and Mind.
During this event, UCI Brain will be sharing two new opportunities for UCI faculty:

Pilot Grants of up to $25,000
Dimensions Team Science Development Tool

In the evening, the community will be invited to a fireside chat with UCI’s most distinguished neuroscience faculty.
Invite your friends on Facebook!

Michael Halassa, M.D., Ph.D.
2019-11-21 16:00 - 17:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Networks Underlying Cognitive Control & Flexibility
Michael Halassa is a MIT neuroscientist who aims to understand the basic circuit mechanisms of how information is routed in the brain and how disruptions in these circuits can lead to neurological and psychiatric disorders. As a practicing psychiatrist he aims to develop novel approaches to diagnosing and treating these illnesses guided by insights both from the lab and clinic.

How Will Brain Science Shape Your Future?
2019-11-21 18:00 - 20:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
How Will Brain Science Shape Your Future?
Fireside chat with UCI’s leading brain scientists
6-8 p.m. with a reception beginning at 5 p.m.
The Beckman Center of the National Academies of Sciences and Engineering (directions)
Please note that registering online does not guarantee a seat. Early arrival is strongly encouraged.

2019 Parkinson’s Symposium
2019-11-23 08:00 - 13:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Treatment Options in Parkinson’s Disease: From Behavior to Movement
Join UCI Health for a special symposium about Parkinson’s disease, including a discussion
on behavioral symptoms, current and recent developments in medical and surgical therapies for Parkinson’s Disease. Visit ucihealth.org/parkinsonsevent to register.

Elena Blanco-Suárez, PhD
2019-11-25 09:00 - 10:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States

Javier Diaz Alonso, PhD
2019-11-25 10:00 - 11:30 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States

Gucan Dai, PhD
2019-11-25 11:30 - 12:30 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States

Distinguished Language Scientist Colloquium
2019-12-02 11:00 - 12:30 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
The Neurobiology of reading in deaf and hearing adults
The UCI Program in Language Science will host Karen Emmorey from the School of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences at San Diego State University.
Recent neuroimaging and neurophysiological evidence reveals how the reading system successfully adapts when phonological codes are relatively coarse-grained due to reduced or distorted auditory input. Our research focuses on deaf adults who have achieved reading success and how use sign language in their everyday lives.

ASK THE DOC: Ira Lott, MD
2019-12-06 09:00 - 09:30 | CA
ASK THE DOC: Alzheimer’s Research Today is an informative Facebook Live video series focused on the most pressing questions and latest research in the fight against Alzheimer’s disease. Presented by a panel of experts from UCI MIND, this series is scheduled for the first Friday of each month from 9:00-9:30AM PST at @UCIrvineMIND on Facebook.
What Is the Link Between Down Syndrome and Alzheimer’s?
with Ira Lott, MD

Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Symposium
2019-12-09 09:00 - 16:30 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States

Stephan Feske, MD.
2019-12-12 16:00 - 17:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
UCI Medical Scientist Training Program Distinguished Lecture Series
Ion Channels as Critical Regulators of Immunity
Dr. Stephan Feske’s research focuses on signaling pathways in cells of the immune system, particularly store-operated calcium entry (SOCE), mediated by the calcium release–activated calcium (CRAC) channel, and other ion channels.
The Feske lab investigates how CRAC channels are activated, how they affect cell physiology, and how calcium signals control immune function in the contexts of infection, autoimmunity, and cancer.

Why do Alzheimer's disease clinical trials fail?
2020-01-10 11:00 - 11:30 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Live online Q&A with Joshua Grill, PhD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry & Human Behavior and Neurobiology & Behavior. Attend the video live on our Facebook page or view archived episodes on our YouTube channel.

MSTP 35th Annual Distinguished Lecture Series
2020-01-13 16:00 - 17:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
A critical role for lysomes in neurodegenerative disease.
The 35th MSTP Annual Distinguished Lecture will feature Aimee Kao, MD, PhD, a professor of neurobiology at the University of California, San Francisco.

Joan L. Luby, M.D.
2020-01-21 16:00 - 17:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Early childhood depression: clinical and neural characteristics.

The Conte Center @ UCI will host Dr. Joan L. Luby, a professor of child psychiatry at Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. For more information, contact Dina Jankowski at djankows@uci.edu.

The Secret Power of Music for Dementia
2020-01-27 19:00 - 20:30 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Joshua Grill, Ph.D., Director, UC Irvine Institute for Memory Impairments and Neurological Disorders (UCI MIND)
In the battle against Alzheimer’s disease, Joshua Grill invokes a deceased jazz singer, iPods and a 35,000-year-old vulture bone that cavemen fashioned into a flute. Grill is a neuroscientist whose research interests focus on clinical trials in neurodegenerative disease. He will explain how music is a powerful force and that can tap into the deepest recesses of the mind, stir emotions and conjure memories, and why music memory is one of the last things affected by Alzheimer’s disease.

The 26th Distinguished Lecture on Brain, Learning and Memory
2020-01-27 19:30 - 21:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Conscience: The Origins of Moral Intuition

Dr. Patricia Churchland, neurophilosopher and professor emerita of philosophy at UCSD, will present the 26th Annual Distinguished Lecture on Brain, Learning and Memory. This event is co-hosted by the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory and the School of Social Ecology.

Autumn S. Ivy, M.D., Ph.D.
2020-01-28 11:00 - 12:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Exercise during early life enables memory and synaptic plasticity: role of the epigenome.
The CNLM Colloquium Series brings learning and memory scientists from around the world to UC Irvine. This month, Autumn S. Ivy, M.D., Ph.D., from the UCI School of Medicine, will present the latest research from her lab.

Sally Temple, Ph.D.
2020-01-30 19:00 - 20:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
I Need a New Brain. Are Stem Cells the Answer?

Sally Temple, Ph.D. from the Neural Stem Cell Institute will be the featured speaker during the Stem Cell Science Symposium sponsored by the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center.

IMBS Colloquium Series with Michael Yassa, PhD
2020-01-31 13:00 - 14:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Episodic Memory Processes and Computations
Professor and Chancellor’s Fellow in Neurobiology and Behavior of Learning and Medicine at UC Irvine
Michael Yassa, Ph.D.

NBB Seminar with Kevin Beier, PhD
2020-02-04 11:00 - 12:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Elucidating the sources of experience-dependent plasticity directing behavioral adaptation
On February 4th, UCI scientist Kevin Beier, PhD, will be presenting his research at the NBB Seminar Series.

AJAY S. MATHURU, PH.D.
2020-02-04 11:00 - 12:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
The UCI Department of Physiology and Biophysics brings Dr. Ajay Mathuru to present his research on the neurogenetics of addiction.
“Addiction to substances of abuse is a complex phenomenon with a very large footprint on the global burden of diseases. One interventional strategy is to build an evidence base of the underlying biological and genetic causes. However, the neurogenetics of reinforcing behaviours is still poorly understood.”
Find out more

Optical Imaging of Cochlear Function and Dysfunction
2020-02-04 16:00 - 17:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Optical Imaging of Cochlear Function and Dysfunction

The UCI Irvine Center for Hearing Research brings, internationally recognized otolaryngologist, Dr. John Oghalai, this upcoming February 4th.

NeuroScholars Program Information Session
2020-02-05 16:00 - 17:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
The NeuroScholars Program was designed to enrich the upper-division undergraduate research experience at UCI
Find out more!

Are you getting enough sleep for your brain?
2020-02-07 11:00 - 11:30 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
Live online Q&A with Ruth Benca, MD, PhD, Professor and Chair of Psychiatry & Human Behavior. Attend the video live on the UCI MIND Facebook page or view archived episodes on their YouTube channel.

The 2020 Irvine Brain Bee
2020-02-08 09:00 - 16:00 | Irvine, CA, 92697, United States
The Irvine Brain Bee is hosted by the Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory at UC Irvine and is organized by a committee led by Manuella Yassa, Director of Outreach and Education. The goal of the Irvine Brain Bee is to inspire high school students in Orange County to learn about the brain and provide opportunities for engagement with university students and professors. Upon registration, Brain Bee participants will be matched with a mentor who will guide the student as he/she prepares for the competition. All Irvine Brain Bee competitors will have the opportunity to participate in workshops and review sessions at UC Irvine in preparation for the competition.
The 2020 Irvine Brain Bee Competition will take place on in February 2020 on the UC Irvine campus. In addition to the competition itself, the day will include neuroscience demonstrations and hands-on activities as well as panel discussions and a keynote lecture. The competition is 100% free for students.
Registration required
Click here!
