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 the COVID-19 pandemic, we will conduct our fall 2020 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 Sharon Toussaint (sharon.toussaint@vcuhealth.org).

September 18, 2020

Opioid- and HIV-mediated Effects on Blood-Brain Barrier Integrity, Antiretroviral Penetration and Immune Cell Recruitment into the Brain

Speaker: MaryPeace McRae, PharmD, PhD, Associate Professor and Graduate Program Director

Department of Pharmacotherapy and Outcomes Science, VCU School of Pharmacy

Host: Andrew Ottens, andrew.ottens@vcuhealth.org

September 25, 2020

Complex Actions of Ketamine and (2R,6R)-Hydroxynorketamine on Synaptic Properties in Nucleus Reuniens and Connected Regions

Speaker: Priyodarshan Goswamee, PhD, Postdoctoral Associate

Department of Anatomy and Neurobiology, VCU School of Medicine

Host: Rory McQuiston, adam.mcquiston@vcuhealth.org

October 2, 2020

Epigenetic Editing for the Study of Reward Pathophysiology

Speaker: Elizabeth Heller, PhD, Assistant Professor

Department of Systems Pharmacology & Translational Therapeutics, University of Pennsylvania

Host: Peter Hamilton peter.hamilton@vcuhealth.org

October 9, 2020

Immune, Neuroimmune, and Neurogenic Factors of Traumatic Brain Injury Pathogenesis

Speaker: Lee Shapiro, PhD, Associate Professor

Department of Neuroscience and Experimental Therapeutics, Texas A&M University

Host: Audrey Lafrenaye, audrey.lafrenaye@vcuhealth.org

October 16, 2020

Role of the Integrated Stress Response in Dysfunction of Multiple Cell Types in HIV Associated Neurocognitive Disorder

Speaker: Kelly Jordan-Sciutto, PhD, Professor and Vice-Chair

Department of Basic and Translational Sciences, University of Pennsylvania

Host: Pam Knapp, pamela.knapp@vcuhealth.org 

October 30, 2020

Computational Modeling and In Vivo Electrophysiology of Activation and Block of the Vagus Nerve for Analysis and Design

Speaker: Nicole Pelot, PhD, Grill Research Program Director

Department of Biomedical Engineering, Duke University

Host: Alex Meredith, marvin.meredith@vcuhealth.org 

November 13, 2020

Targeting Chronic Inflammation and Metabolic Dysregulation to Lower Risks for Alzheimer's Disease

Speaker: Malú Tansey, PhD, Professor and Center Director

Department of Neuroscience, Center for Translational Research in Neurodegenerative Disease, University of Florida

Host: Gretchen Neigh, gretchen.mccandless@vcuhealth.org 

November 20, 2020

Alzheimer's Disease and Traumatic Brain Injury: Lysosomal Cathepsin B to Synaptic Dysfunction and Exosome-mediated Pathology

Speaker: Vivian Hook, PhD, Professor

Department of Neuroscience, Skaggs School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences, University of California San Diego

Host: Audrey Lafrenaye, audrey.lafrenaye@vcuhealth.org 

December 4, 2020

A Lipid-centric View of Alzheimer’s Disease Pathogenesis: Meet Sulfatides and Ceramides

Speaker: Juan Pablo Palavicini, PhD, Assistant Professor

The Barshop Institute for Longevity and Aging Studies, University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio

Host: Jeffrey Dupree, jeffrey.dupree@vcuhealth.org