Speakers

Keynote speakers

Ana Joao Rodrigues
University of Minho, Portugal

Ana João Rodrigues is a Group Leader at ICVS and Invited Professor at the School of Medicine, University of Minho. Her research bridges fundamental and clinical neuroscience, integrating rodent and human studies to elucidate the neural mechanisms underlying motivated behaviors. Her laboratory employs a multidisciplinary approach, combining behavioral assessments, optogenetics, electrophysiology, pharmacology, and live imaging with genetically-encoded sensors in rodent models to understand how reward and aversion are encoded in the brain. Her research excellence has been recognized through prestigious awards, including the inaugural Janssen Neuroscience Prize, and competitive funding from the La Caixa Foundation and a European Research Council (ERC) Consolidator Grant. Beyond research, she is deeply committed to science communication and public engagement, having led multiple initiatives over several years to promote scientific literacy in the general public.

Ann Graybiel
MIT McGovern Institute, USA

Ann Graybiel studies the basal ganglia, forebrain structures that are profoundly important for normal brain function. Dysfunction in these regions is implicated in neurologic and neuropsychiatric disorders ranging from Parkinson’s disease and Huntington’s disease to obsessive-compulsive disorder, anxiety and depression, and addiction. Graybiel’s laboratory is uncovering circuits underlying both the neural deficits related to these disorders, as well as the role that the basal ganglia play in guiding normal learning, motivation, and behavior.

Christian Lüscher
University of Geneva, Switzerland

Christian Lüscher, a trained neurologist, is a Full Professor at the Department of Basic Neurosciences at UNIGE, and also works as a physician at the Neurology Service of HUG. His research focuses on exploring the brain circuits involved in addiction disorders, particularly investigating the mechanisms of motivated behavior.

Christian Lüscher’s groundbreaking work has been recognized with numerous awards for their significant contributions in the field of addictions. His studies have revealed how certain addictive substances, such as cocaine, alter synaptic plasticity and affect the neural circuits of the reward system. Driven by a passion for technological advancements, he has been a pioneer in utilizing optogenetics and deep brain stimulation in his research to identify therapeutic approaches against drug addiction. Within the scope of Synapsy, he aims to extend his research to address food disorders.

James Surmeier
Northwestern University, USA

James Surmeier directs a research program focused on the molecular, cellular, and network mechanisms that govern the basal ganglia in both health and disease. Employing a combination of electrophysiological, optical, and genetic techniques in mouse models, his group has made major contributions to understanding how dopamine and other neuromodulators shape intrinsic and synaptic mechanisms underlying basal ganglia function. Their research has provided critical insights into how these processes are altered in conditions such as Parkinson’s disease, Huntington’s disease, and chronic pain.

Surmeier’s group has also significantly advanced the understanding of pathogenesis and selective neuronal vulnerability in Parkinson’s disease, identifying Cav1 Ca²⁺ channels and mitochondrial stress as potential drivers of disease. Supported by epidemiological evidence, these findings have led to Phase 2 and 3 clinical trials aimed at disease modification in early-stage Parkinson’s disease patients. This work continues with the goal of developing more effective strategies to slow or stop disease progression.

His research has received support from the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS), the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), the Department of Defense (DOD), and various private foundations. Surmeier also serves in an editorial capacity for several leading scientific journals, including *Science Advances*, *Neuron*, *Movement Disorders*, and the *Journal of Clinical Investigation*.

Peter Dayan
MPI for Biological Cybernetics, Germany

Peter Dayan is a Director at the MPI for Biological Cybernetics and a Professor at the University of Tübingen.

His interests include affective decision making, neural reinforcement learning and computational psychiatry.

Yulong Li
Peking University, China

Dr. Yulong Li, a professor at the School of Life Sciences, Peking University, is a researcher at the PKU-THU Center for Life Sciences, IDG/McGovern Institute for Brain Research at PKU, New Cornerstone Science Laboratory. He got his B.S. from Peking University and his Ph.D. in Neurobiology from Duke University, followed by postdoctoral research at Stanford University. Since 2012, he established his lab at Peking University. His research centers on the ‘synapse’, the fundamental unit for the communication between neurons. He carries two layers of research: first, he develops cutting-edge research tools, namely advanced imaging probes, to untangle the complexity of the nervous system in space and in time; second, capitalizing on the advancement of research toolkits, he studies the regulation of synaptic transmission, focusing on the modulation of presynaptic transmitter release in health and disease conditions. His research group has successfully developed a series of novel genetically encoded optical probes called GPCR Activation-Based (GRAB) sensors for imaging neuromodulators such as acetylcholine, monoamines, purines, lipids, and neuropeptides. These probes have allowed, probably for the first time, rapid, chemical- and cell-specific in vivo detection in multiple organisms ranging from flies, zebrafish, and mice to songbirds.