FALAN August 31st – September 3rd, 2026, Santiago, Chile
PLENARY LECTURERS
- Shubha Tole, Department of Biological Sciences, Tata Institute of Fundamental Research, India. IBRO’s President-elect
- Francisco Aboitiz, Centro de Neurociencia. Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, Chile.
- Grace Schenatto Pereira. Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Minas Gerais, Brazil
- Muming Poo, Scientific Director of the Institute of Neuroscience, Chinese Academy of Sciences, and CAS Center for Excellence in Brain Science and Intelligence Technology, China
SPECIAL LECTURES:
1) Ana Celia Silva Barbato, Facultad de Ciencias, Udelar, Uruguay
2) Noelia Weisstaub, Instituto de Neurociencia Cognitiva y Traslacional- INCYT U. FAvaloro-CONICET, Argentina
3) Brigitte van Zundert, Instituto de Ciencias Biomédicas, Universidad Andrés Bello, Chile
4) Sebastián Curti, Facultad de Medicina, Udelar, Uruguay
5) Fábio Cardoso Cruz, Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Brazil
6) Grace Pardo, Lab MNB UNESCO UniTwin CS-DC, Perú.
7) Lionel Muller Igaz, Instituto de Fisiologia y Biofisica Houssay UBA-CONICET, Argentina
8) José Alonso Fernández Guasti, afiliación, Mexico
9) Gloria Patricia Cardona, Grupo de Neurociencias. Universidad de Antioquia, Colombia
10) Yang Dan, Institute of Neuromodulation and Cognition, Shenzhen Medical Academy of Research and Translation, China.
SYMPOSIUMS
SYMPOSIUM 1 (Early Career Researchers)
Frontiers in Advanced Intravital Microscopy for Neuroscience
Chair: Víctor Hugo Cornejo, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile.
Speakers:
Cristina Rodriguez, Yale University, USA. Shaping light to unravel the nervous system.
Luis Carrillo, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México. Optogenetic manipulation of visual perception.
Vicente Parot, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. All-optical neurophysiology using high-speed optical sectioning
SYMPOSIUM 2
Stress across the lifespan: sex, genes, and brain systems shaping mental health susceptibility
Chair: Marisol R. Lamprea, Psychology Department, Universidad Nacional de Colombia.
Speakers:
Caroline Menard, CERVO, Brain research center and Department of neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada. Pericytes modulate brain vascular integrity in social stress and depression
Diana Milena Cortes Patino, Universidade Federal do Pará, Brazil. Effects of Early Isolation Stress on Incentive Value of Drug and Non-Drug Rewards
Carlos Eduardo Novoa Paloma, Department of Biobehavioral Health, College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University, PA, USA. Genetic Background Modulates the Impact of Adolescent Social Stress on Affective Behaviors in BXD Mice.
Jose Luis Solano Lopez, CERVO, Brain research center and Department of Neurosciences, Faculty of Medicine, Université Laval, Quebec City, Canada. Early-life stress effects on the development of the brain barrier
SYMPOSIUM 3
How do we learn a new skill? From Prediction to Memory Consolidation
Chair: Claudia Vargas, Institute of Biophysics Carlos Chagas Filho of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Speakers:
Leonardo G Cohen, Human Cortical Physiology and Neurorehabilitation Section, NINDS, Bethesda, USA. Contribution of wakeful neural replay to consolidation of skill.
Valeria Della-Maggiore, National University of San Martin (UNSAM), Argentina. Mapping critical windows of neuroplasticity governing motor memory consolidation across timescales.
Agustín Solano, Physiology of Action Lab, ICIFI, School of Science and Technology, University of San Martin, Buenos Aires, Argentina. Role of hippocampal replay in human motor memory consolidation.
Paulo R. Cabral-Passos, Institute of Mathematics and Statistics FAPESP NeuroMat – Research, Innovation and Dissemination Center for Neuromathematics, University of São Paulo, Brazil. Recovering the structure of probabilistic sequences from EEG signals.
SYMPOSIUM 4
Astrocytes do remember: Epigenetic memory drives glial responses in development and disease
Chair: Alberto Javier Ramos, IBCN UBA-CONICET, Argentina.
Speakers:
Javier Quintana, Ann Romney Center for Neurologic Diseases Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School, United States. Epigenetic control of astrocyte pro-inflammatory responses.
Tanja Vogel, Dept. for Molecular Embryology, Institute for Anatomy and Cell Biology University of Freiburg, Germany. Epigenetics in the developing brain: Neuronal and astrocytic heterogeneity revisited.
Alejandro Villarreal, IBCN UBA-CONICET & ITBA. Histone modifications in reactive astrocytes as a mechanism underlying cellular adaptation to pathological microenvironment.
Alberto Javier Ramos IBCN UBA-CONICET. Astrocytes changing their mood: Epigenetic basis of the pro-epileptogenic glia in epilepsy.
SYMPOSIUM 5 (Early Career Researchers)
Non-invasive neuromodulation to promote rehabilitation in central nervous system injuries
Chair: Gonzalo Rivera Lillo, Departamento de Neurociencia, Departamento de Kinesiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile.
Speakers:
Cristian Cuadra, Department of Rehabilitation Science School of Public Health and Health Professions University at Buffalo, State University of NY. Non-invasive peripheral vestibular stimulation modulates motoneuron activation and spinal circuitry in upper and lower limb muscles in central nervous system disorders
Edith Elgueta, Universidad Andrés Bello, Exercise and Rehabilitation Sciences Institute, School of Physical Therapy, Faculty of Rehabilitation Sciences, Santiago, Chile. Transcranial magnetic stimulation for the study of chronic pain
Juan Jose Marimán, Departamento de Kinesiología. Universidad Metropolitana de Ciencias de la Educación, Santiago, Chile. Enhancement of motor learning through noninvasive electrical neuromodulation: neural correlates and implications for the rehabilitation of neurological injuries
Gonzalo Rivera Lillo, Departamento de Neurociencia, Departamento de Kinesiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile. Electrophysiological Markers to Personalize Non-invasive Brain Stimulation in Acquired Brain Injury.
SYMPOSIUM 6
Memory consolidation across brain states
Chair: Jan Born, University of Tübingen, Germany.
Speakers:
Julia Carbone, University of Tübingen, Germany. Memory Reactivation During Sleep in Humans: Mechanisms and Interventions.
Pablo Fuentealba, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile. Reinforcement learning and spatial memory map onto sleep-dependent hippocampal–cortical coupling.
Marion Inostroza, University of Tübingen, Germany. Sleep-dependent memory formation during early development.
Adrián Ocampo, Universidad de Chile, Chile. Starvation-mediated memory consolidation
SYMPOSIUM 7
Retinal development in vertebrates: from morphogenesis to neurogenesis
Chairs: Flavio R. Zolessi , Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay
Leonardo E. Valdivia, Center for Integrative Biology, Universidad Mayor, Chile
Speakers:
Juan Ramón Martínez-Morales, Centro Andaluz de Biología del Desarrollo, Spain. Multiome approaches to understand specification networks in the teleost retina.
Mariana S. Silveira, Universidade Federal de Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. Remodelling retinal development.
Evelyn Avilés, Faculty of Biological Sciences Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. Layer up! Fat3 and PTPsigma regulate retinal lamination.
Camila Davison, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad de la República, Uruguay. Polarized signals in the establishment of retinal neural layers: role of Laminin1.
SYMPOSIUM 8
Neuropeptides in Action: From synaptic nano‑architecture to circuit and behavior
Chair: Limei Zhang, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico.
Speakers:
Limei Zhang, National Autonomous University of Mexico, Mexico. Neuropeptide in fast and slow synaptic transmission: a discovery of a calyx of Held-like synapse in the rodent forebrain and its physiological implications.
Andrea Godino, National University of Cordoba, Argentina. Early life programming of osmoregulatory responses with an emphasis on vasopressin-angiotensin system
Mario A. Zetter, Universidad La Salle, Ciudad de México, México. Vasopressin as a master orchestrator: bridging homeostasis, neural plasticity, and behavior
Lee E. Eiden, National Institute of Mental Health, NIH, USA. PACAP Across Evolution: A Master Modulator of Endocrine Stress and Adaptive Behavior.
SYMPOSIUM 9 (Early Career Researchers)
Chair: to be selected from Scientific Committee Members according to the topics.
Speakers: to be determined: session designated to showcase selected poster session applicants through oral presentations.
SYMPOSIUM 10
Mechanisms underlying deficits in the balance between excitation and inhibition in psychopathologies
Chair: Felipe Villela Gomes, University of São Paulo, Brazil
Speakers:
Beatriz Luna, University of Pittsburgh, USA. Neurocognitive Plasticity and Specialization through Adolescence Establishing Adult Trajectories.
Juan E. Belforte, University of Buenos Aires & National Research Council (CONICET), Argentina. NMDA Receptor Hypofunction in Cortical Interneurons: Impact on E/I Balance and Schizophrenia-Related Phenotypes.
Marco Fuenzalida, University of Valparaiso, Chile. Adolescent Ketamine Exposure Impairs Inhibitory Synaptic Function and Dendritic Integration in the Adult Brain.
Felipe V. Gomes, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil. Molecular mechanisms underlying the impact of adolescent stress on parvalbumin interneurons.
SYMPOSIUM 11
Neuroplasticity and Pain: Mechanisms and Approaches for Its Modulation
Chair: Javier Nogueira Borde, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República. Montevideo, Uruguay.
Speakers:
Alexandra Latini, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina. Florianópolis, Santa Catarina, Brasil. Oxidative Stress, Bioenergetics, and Neuroplasticity in Pain Modulation.
Spring Valdivia, Instituto de Fisiología y Biofísica Bernardo Houssay. Buenos Aires, Argentina. Neural Circuits of Chronic Pain: Mapping Affective-Motivational Pathways.
Valentina Lagos, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República. Montevideo, Uruguay. Metabolic Regulation as a Modulatory Mechanism in Chronic Pain.
Javier Nogueira, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República. Montevideo, Uruguay. Interplay Between Estrogen Receptors and Perineuronal Nets in Somatosensory Circuits and Pain Modulation.
SYMPOSIUM 12
Good news fly! Novel findings in brain development and behavior from Drosophila
Chair: Jorge Campusano, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile
Speakers:
Jorge M Campusano, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile. Transglutaminases in brain development and function. Is it time for us to fly?
María Paz Marzolo, Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas, Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile. The evolutionary cousins of Reelin and its receptors in flies; new roles and new actors in brain development and functions
Nara Murano, Instituto de Investigación en Biomedicina de Buenos Aires (IBioBA)-CONICET, Argentina. Why do we sleep? Insights from Drosophila.
Sergio Hidalgo, Dept. of Integrative Physiology and Neuroscience Washington State University, USA. Insights into neuropeptidergic modulation of seasonal physiology.
SYMPOSIUM 13 (Early Career Researchers)
Chair: to be selected from Scientific Committee Members according to the topics.
Speakers: to be determined: session designated to showcase selected poster session applicants through oral presentations.
SYMPOSIUM 14
From bench to bedside; novel pharmacological tools for the treatment of psychostimulants and opioid use disorders
Chair: Cecilia Scorza, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE) Uruguay
Speakers:
Georgina Renard, Universidad de Santiago de Chile, Chile. The Role of Vasopressin in Amphetamine-Conditioned Behaviors: Involvement of the Lateral Septum.
Ronald McGregor, Universidad de Los Ángeles, California, USA. Hypocretin, arousal and opioid use disorder.
Rafael Gatica, Pontifica Universidad Católica de Chile, Chile. Role of G Protein-Coupled Receptor Kinases in Amphetamine Sensitization and Drug Addiction Vulnerability.
Cecilia Scorza, Instituto de Investigaciones Biológicas Clemente Estable (IIBCE), Uruguay. Cannabidiol as a potential therapeutic strategy in cocaine-use disorder.
SYMPOSIUM 15
Neuromodulatory correlates of continual learning: bridging biological and artificial neural networks
Chair: Srikanth Ramaswamy, Newcastle University, United Kingdom
Speakers:
Giulia D’Angelo, Czech Technical University in Prague, Czech Republic. Neuromorphic active vision for embodied object perception.
Peter Murphy, Maynooth University, Ireland. Phasic pupil-linked neuromodulation as a source of contextual flexibility in neural circuits for working memory and decision-making.
Gabriel Wainstein Bezamat, Harvard Medical School, USA. Integrating Adaptive Gain and Network Reset: A Unified Framework for Locus Coeruleus-Mediated Learning in Attentional Set Shifting.
Srikanth Ramaswamy, Newcastle University, United Kingdom. Neuromodulation-aware cortical neural networks for continual learning.
SYMPOSIUM 16
Neuro-glio-vascular interactions in health and disease
Chairs: Silvia Olivera Bravo, Neurobiology and Neuropathology Department, IIBCE, Uruguay.
Eugenia Isasi, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Uruguay.
Speakers:
Nils Korte, William Randolph Hearst Fellow Department of Neurology, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA, USA. Reversing the pericyte-mediated fall of cerebral blood flow and capillary stalling that occurs in Alzheimer’s disease.
Sandra Mai, Laboratory of Neuro-glia-vascular signaling, Unidad Académica de Fisiología, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Uruguay. Role of pericyte Panx1 in the regulation of capillary diameter and memory.
Juan Beauquis, Laboratory of Neurobiology of Aging, CONICET (Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas), Argentina. Glial metabolism in Alzheimer’s disease.
Eugenia Isasi, Histology and Embryology Dept, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de la República, Uruguay. Phenotypic alterations in pericytes induced by ALS-linked SOD1G93A mutation: implications for neurovascular unit function.
