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.

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