MOLECULAR AND CELLULAR NEUROSCIENCE
The “Molecular and cellular neuroscience” section will bring together leading scientists and young researchers with a keen interest in the latest advances at the interface of molecular and cellular biology and imaging in neuroscience. The symposia will highlight recent discoveries in the development of the nervous system, synaptic function, brain imaging, molecular and cellular mechanisms of neurological diseases. This section presents excellent opportunities for discussion, and an insight into the latest molecular neuroscience trends and technologies.
CHAIRMeN: PROF. VICTOR TARAByKIN, PROF. MARIA LAGARKOVA
SYSTEMS AND COGNITIVE NEUROSCIENCE
The section “Systems and cognitive neuroscience” will be an international platform for the exchange of scientific, educational and technical ideas and achievements between specialists, especially young scientists, working in the field of studying system and cognitive neuroscience. The scope of the section is broad, including research on the architecture of brain systems and information processing, storage and retrieval, the brain mechanisms underlying attention, memory, spatial cognition, executive function, and social behavior.
CHAIRMAN: PROF. ALEXANDeR HRAMOV
TRANSLATIONAL AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE
Despite the enormous efforts of many teams around the world, diseases of the nervous system are among those having the least successful therapeutic interventions. Progress in understanding neuropathologies and ways to correct them is much more modest compared to, for example, cancer or cardiovascular diseases. What is the reason for this? Is it the complexity of the nervous tissue? Or our poor understanding of its biochemical or signaling processes? Is it because of following dogmas that have weak ground, but are nevertheless considered universally recognized? In a symposium on translational and clinical neurosciences, we will try not only to capture the current state-of-the-art of these areas, but also to discuss the above issues in order to understand the future trajectories of neuromedicine.
CHAIRMaN: PROF. VSEVOLOD BELOUSOV
NEUROPLASTICITY, LEARNING AND MEMORY
The “Neuroplasticity, Learning and Memory” section will bring together leading scientists and young researchers investigating plasticity-related mechanisms of higher brain functions. The symposia will be aimed at reporting new discoveries concerning molecular and cellular mechanisms of plasticity and memory, discussion of novel approaches, achievements and problems in the field.
CHAIRMAN: PROF. PAVEL BALABAN
NEUROPHOTONICS AND OPTOGENETICS
For the purposes of this section, we consider the terms neurophotonics and optogenetics as broadly as possible, in fact as approaches using optical and genetically encoded tools to record and stimulate brain activity. It is especially important for us to share with each other the current state of this field and the range of these approaches in Russia in order to create broad opportunities for the exchange of technologies between different laboratories.
Section topics include, but are not limited to:
· “Classical” optogenetics – controlling the activity of neuronal and glial cells with light.
· Genetically encoded indicators of cellular activity: development of new probes
· Optical recoкding of brain activity: two-photon microscopy, miniscopes, fiber photometry etc.
· Chemogenetics and thermogenetics
· Optogenetic prosthetics, applied optical technologies.
CHAIRMeN: PROF. ALEXEY MALYSHEV, PROF. ILYA FEDOTOV
NEUROTECHNOLOGIES AND NEUROELECTRONICS
A strategic question from both fundamental and applied points of view is the involvement of living neural networks in synthetic information
processing. It implies the implementation of computations, learning artificial networks by living systems acting as a teacher, and the reverse situation of implementing certain brain functions by artificial networks. Step-by-step studies of this authentic hybrid approach based
on bi-directional interaction between synthetic and biologic systems aim at obtaining a mutual benefit. They can lead to a technological breakthrough in such applications of neurohybrid systems as the development of neuroimplants and neuroprosthetics, the emergence of a new class of AI, including the systems using living cells as an element base for computing.
The main goal of this Section is to stimulate fruitful discussions from different sides of this “authentic hybrid” challenge including both neurotechnologies and neuroelectronics. The former includes cellular and network mechanisms of brain functions, adaptation and plasticity in neural networks, biocompatible materials, and in vitro / in vivo recording systems, neuroengineering, etc. At the same time, the latter covers the development of new electronic materials to implement neural
functions, emerging memory devices, compact and energy-efficient brain-like computing systems capable of operating at the interface with living biological systems.
In this Section, we welcome contributions highlighting the latest results on the way to the symbiosis of emerging electronic and neuronal systems and particular topics introduced above.
CHAIRMeN: PROF. SUSANNA GORDLEEVA, DR. ALEXEY MIKHAYLOV
NEURODYNAMICS, COMPUTATIONAL NEUROSCIENCE AND ARTIFICIAL INTELLIGENCE
The topic of the section “Neurodynamics, Computational Neuroscience and Artificial Intelligence” relates to the development, simulation, and analysis of multi-scale mathematical models to investigate brain function, study of neural oscillations and various dynamic modes of communication of neurons, neuronal ensembles and systems in relation to the development of theories and applications of artificial intelligence.
Section topics include, but are not limited to:
· Dynamical systems in neuroscience
· Single neuron modeling
· Neuronal ensembles and synchronization
· Synaptic plasticity
· Spiking neural networks
· Memory, cognition and learning in computational neuroscience
· Applications of neurocomputing
· Brain signal analysis: methods and applications
· Artificial neural networks
· Machine learning for neuroscience
· Multi-scale analysis in neuroscience
· Intelligent Robotics
· AI based data processing methods
CHAIRMAN: PROF. GRIGORY OSIPOV
CONSCIOUSNESS AND THEORETICAL NEUROSCIENCE
The question of “how the matter of the brain produces subjective phenomena,” as Pavlov put it, still remains a great challenge for neuroscience. In order to make a breakthrough, current experimental studies in neural correlates of consciousness should be supplemented with theoretical approaches. In recent years, several neurobiological theories of consciousness have been proposed, and the purpose of this discussion section is to evaluate their experimental predictions and potential for solving “the hard problem” of neuroscience.
CHAIRMAN: PROF. KONSTANTIN ANOKHIN