Weekly Seminars
The Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology conducts a weekly seminar series during the spring and fall semesters, wherein we enjoy presentations from national and international experts in their respective fields. The seminar series covers wide-ranging topics including central nervous system (CNS) circuit function, CNS injury and repair, glial cell biology and molecular mechanisms of neuropsychiatric disorders.
All seminars are open to interested faculty, postdocs, staff and students, and we welcome your attendance.
We are returning to in-person seminars (except as marked), which will be held in MMRB, Room 1009-1011.
Fall 2023
Weekly Seminars: Fridays at 12 p.m.
September 8, 2023
The role of cortical perineuronal nets in alcohol drinking
Speaker: Amy Lasek, PhD, Professor
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Virginia Commonwealth University
Host: Andrew Ottens
September 15, 2023
VCU library resources for teaching and research
Speaker: John Cyrus, PhD, Associate Professor
Research and Education Department, Health Sciences Library, Virginia Commonwealth University
Host: Andrew Ottens
September 22, 2023
Synaptic regulation by neuropeptides in health and disease
Speaker: Zhiping P. Pang, PhD, Professor
Neuroscience and Cell Biology, Rutgers University Robert Wood Johnson Medical School
Host: Dong Sun
September 29, 2023
Synaptic regulation by neuropeptides in health and disease
Speaker: Wenhui Hu, MD, PhD, Professor
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, School of Medicine, Virginia Commonwealth University
Host: Pamela Knapp
October 6, 2023
Intrinsic and extrinsic regulation of myelin regeneration
Speaker: Tobias Merson, PhD, Head, Oligodendroglial Interactions Group
Oligodendroglial Interactions Group, National Institute of Mental Health
Host: Babette Fuss
October 20, 2023
ZFP189 transcription factor in Nucleus Accumbens facilitates cocaine induced plasticity
Speaker: Joseph Picone, PhD Candidate
Neuroscience PhD Program, Virginia Commonwealth University
Host: Peter Hamilton
October 27, 2023
Multimodal assessment of sustained attention, behavioral flexibility, and goal-directed behavior after experimental brain trauma
Speaker: Corina O. Bondi, PhD, Associate Professor
Physical Medicine & Rehabilitation, Center for Neuroscience, University of Pittsburgh
Host: Audrey Lafrenaye
November 3, 2023
Glial cells of the motor system: Attractive targets to preserve mobility during aging and in ALS
Speaker: Gregorio Valdez, PhD, GLF Translational Associate Professor
Molecular Biology, Cell Biology and Biochemistry, Center for Translational Neuroscience, Brown University
Host: Andrew Ottens
December 1, 2023
Neuron-glial and glial-glial interactions in development, health, and disease
Speaker: Jaeda Coutinho-Budd, PhD, Assistant Professor
Neuroscience, Brain Immunology and Glia Center, University of Virginia
Host: Jeffrey Dupree
For more information, please contact:

Andrew K. Ottens, Ph.D.
Associate Professor

Andrew K. Ottens, Ph.D.
Associate Professor
Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology
Phone: 804-628-2972
Fax: 804-828-9477
Email: andrew.ottens@vcuhealth.org