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.

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, we will conduct our fall 2021 seminars virtually. We look forward to engaging with even more participants now that you can Zoom in from the comfort of your own home or office. 

You must have a registered Zoom account in order to access these seminars.  For the Zoom meeting link for these virtual seminars, please contact Dr. Andrew Ottens (andrew.ottens@vcuhealth.org).

September 17, 2021

Identification of Novel Microglial Pathways in the Pathogenesis of Neurological Disorders

Speaker: Bin Liu, PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Pharmacodynamics, College of Pharmacy, University of Florida

Host: Andrew Ottens

September 24, 2021

Understanding the Role of Sulfatide in Myelin Maintenance

Speaker: Jeffrey Dupree, PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, Virginia Commonwealth University School of Medicine

Host: Andrew Ottens

October 1, 2021

Long-lasting Effects of Cocaine Self-Administration on Accumbens Astrocytes Contribute to the Incubation of Cocaine Craving

Speaker: Kate Reissner, PhD, Assistant Professor

Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Host: Gretchen Neigh

October 8, 2021

Atypical Astrocytes and Neurons in Post-traumatic Epilepsy

Speaker: Stefanie Robel, PhD, Assistant Professor

Fralin Biomedical Research Institute at Virginia Tech Carilion

Host: Kimberle Jacobs

October 15, 2021

Accelerating Remyelination with Lanthionine Ketamine Derivatives

Speaker: Douglas Feinstein, PhD, Professor

Department of Anesthesiology, The University of Illinois at Chicago

Host: Jeffrey Dupree 

October 22, 2021

Polypharmacologic Mechanisms in Rapidly-acting Antidepressant Drugs: Ketamine and Psilocybin

Speaker: Cody Wenthur, PharmD, PhD, Assistant Professor

School of Pharmacy, University of Wisconsin-Madison

Host: Peter Hamilton

October 29, 2021

Title To Be Announced

Speaker: Paul Koch, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor

Department of Neurosugery, Virginia Commonwealth University

Host: Babette Fuss

November 5, 2021

Open-field “Missouri Blast”: Physical and Physiological Impact of the Low-intensity Blast Exposure in Mice

Speaker: Zezong Gu, MD, PhD, Professor

Department of Pathology and Anatomical Sciences, University of Missouri

Host: Dong Sun

December 3, 2021

Cortical Spreading Depolarizations in Traumatic Brain Injury: A Translational Approach

Speaker: Laura Ngwenya, MD, PhD, Assistant Professor

Neurotrauma Center, Department of Neurosurgery, University of Cincinnati

Hosts: Martina Hernandez and Audrey Lafrenaye

December 10, 2021

Contribution of Hormonal Contraceptives to Sex Differences in Conditioned Fear and Extinction

Speaker: Ebony Glover, PhD, Associate Professor of Neuroscience

Department of Psychological Sciences, Kennesaw State University

Host: Gretchen Neigh