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).

February 4, 2022

Microglial Hv1 Proton Channel as a mediator of Environmentally-Induced Neuroinflammation and Dopaminergic Neurodegeneration

Speaker: Jason Richardson, PhD, Professor and Associate Dean

Department of Environmental Health Sciences, Florida International University

Host: Andrew Ottens

February 11, 2022

A Molecular Logic for Cortical Projection Neuron Subtype Specification

Speaker: Bin Chen, PhD, Professor

Department of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology, University of California Santa Cruz

Host: Dong Sun

February 18, 2022

Modulation of Oligodendrocyte Development and Myelination by Voltage-gated Ca++ Channels

Speaker: Pablo Paez, PhD, Associate Professor Pharmacology and Toxicology

School of Medicine & Biomedical Sciences, University at Buffalo

Host: Jeffrey Dupree

February 25, 2022

Mechanisms of Spinophilin-dependent Regulation of Glutamate Receptor Function: Implications in Repetitive and Perseverative Behaviors

Speaker: Anthony J. Baucum II, PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Indiana University School of Medicine

Host: Peter Hamilton

March 4, 2022

Continuous Non-invasive Monitoring of Rodent Physiology and Behavior for the Prediction and Feedback-based Mitigation of Disease

Speaker: Donald J. Noble, PhD, Instructor

Department of Cell Biology, Emory University

Host: Gladys Shaw

March 18, 2022

Aquaporin-4 and Extracellular Fluid Transport in the Brain

Speaker: Alex J. Smith, PhD, Assistant Professor

Department of Opthalmology, University of California San Francisco

Host: Kelly Platfoot

March 25, 2022

Animal Models to Understand Psychiatric Function after TBI: A Behavioral Neuroscience Approach

Speaker: Cole Vonder Haar, MD, Assistant Professor

Department of Neuroscience, The Ohio State University

Host: Audrey Lafrenaye

April 1, 2022

Does Migraine Increase Brain Vulnerability?

Speaker: Katharina Eikermann-Haerter, MD, Assistant Professor

Department of Radiology, NYU Grossman School of Medicine and Harvard Medical School

Host: Martina Hernandez

April 8, 2022

The Absence of Notch1 Signaling During Injury Results in Altered Responses of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis and Recovery

Speaker: Nicole Weston, PhD Candidate

VCU Neuroscience PhD Program, Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology

Host: Dong Sun

Apr 22, 2022

Immunometabolic Signatures Associated with Anhedonia and Psychomotor Slowing in Patients with Depression

Speaker: Mandy Bekhbat, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

Department of Psychiatry & Behavioral Sciences, Emory University

Host: Susie Turkson

Apr 29, 2022

Selective Inhibition of Soluble TNF using XPro1595 Reverses Hippocampal Neuroinflammation and Neurological Deficits in a Rat Model of Gulf War Illness

Speaker: Janakiraman Udaiyappan, PhD, Postdoctoral Fellow

Department of Surgery, Virginia Commonwealth University

Host: Kirsty Dixon

May 6, 2022

Microscopic Mechanisms of Memory Formation in the Hippocampus

Speaker: Daniel Dombeck, PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Neurobiology, Northwestern University

Host: Rory McQuiston