Imaging and modulation of neural activity in vivo: from the eye to the brain

33rd Biennial Symposium
August 15-17, 2024
Memorial Art Gallery

Thursday, August 15, 2024

8:30am – 9:20am: Opening Keynote: Jose Alain Sahel, University of Pittsburgh
From photoreceptor neuroprotection to vision restoration : translational challenges

9:20am – 12:30pm: Calcium imaging in the living eye and brain

  • Adriana Di Polo, University of Montreal Hospital Research Center
  • Phil Williams, Washington University in St. Louis
  • Contributed Talk I
  • Coffee break
  • Ben Scholl, University of Colorado Denver
    Synaptic architecture and functional connectivity of ferret visual cortex
  • Juliette McGregor, University of Rochester
  • Contributed Talk II
  • Panel Discussion

12:30pm - 2:30pm: Lunch Break (offsite) & Meet the Experts Lunch (for participating trainees)

2:30pm – 5:40pm: Optogenetic modulation of activity in the eye and brain in vivo

  • Michele Basso, University of Washington
  • Arash Afraz, National Institute of Mental Health
    Navigating the perceptual space with neural perturbations
  • Contributed Talk I
  • Coffee break
  • Greg Horwitz, University of Washington
    Optogenetic perturbation of saccades
  • Farran Briggs, University of Rochester
    Optogenetic manipulations of corticothalamic circuits
  • Contributed Talk II
  • Panel Discussion

6:00pm – 9:00pm: Welcome reception at the Eastman Museum

Friday, August 16, 2024

8:30am – 12:10pm: Label-free methods to study neural function in the eye and brain

  • Omar Mahroo, Moorfields Eye Hospital/University College London
  • Dierck Hillman, Vrije University, Amsterdam
  • Zhoulin Xu, U.S. Food and Drug Administration
  • Coffee break
  • Stefan Everling, Western University
    Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Awake Marmosets
  • Theresa Desrochers, Brown University
    Cognitive Sequences: Parallel Cross-Species Dynamics in Frontal Neocortex
  • Contributed Talk I
  • Contributed Talk II
  • Panel Discussion

12:10pm - 2:00pm: Lunch Break (offsite) & Meet the Experts Lunch (in Parlor for participating trainees)

2:00pm - 2:45pm: Workshop 1: One-on-one mentoring

2:45pm - 5:00pm: Poster session and trade show for exhibitors

6:00pm – 8:30pm: Conference dinner

Saturday, August 17, 2024

8:30am – 12:10pm: New developments: hardware and data analysis

  • Na Ji, University of California Berkeley
  • Jacob Robinson, Baylor College of Medicine
  • Contributed Talk I
  • Coffee break
  • Azadeh Yazdan-Shahmorad, University of Washington
    Engineering plasticity in primate cortex using optogenetics
  • Anne Draelos, University of Michigan
    Real-time machine learning for optimizing neural stimulation
  • Contributed Talk II
  • Panel Discussion
  • Coffee break

12:00pm – 12:45pm: Workshop 2: Diversifying your team

12:45am – 1:50pm: Lunch break (provided) & Meet the Experts Lunch (for participating trainees)

1:50pm – 5:00pm: New developments: viral vectors, promoters, sensors and actuators

  • Boris Zemmelman, University of Texas Austin
  • Ute Hochgeschwender, Central Michigan University
    Sensing, Controlling and Integrating Brain Processes with Biological Light
  • Contributed Talk I
  • Coffee break
  • Contributed Talk II
  • Shannon Boye, University of Florida
    Development of AAV vectors for selective targeting of retinal cells in non-human primate
  • Panel Discussion

Note: Trade show and posters remain accessible for every coffee and lunch break.