neurodevelopment

High Stakes in the Adolescent Brain: Glia Ignite Under THC’s Influence

Cellular Crosstalk in Brain Development, Evolution and Disease

Cellular crosstalk is an essential process during brain development and is influenced by numerous factors, including cell morphology, adhesion, the local extracellular matrix and secreted vesicles. Inspired by mutations associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, we focus on understanding the role of extracellular mechanisms essential for the proper development of the human brain. Therefore, we combine 2D and 3D in vitro human models to better understand the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in progenitor proliferation and fate, migration and maturation of excitatory and inhibitory neurons during human brain development and tackle the causes of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Gene regulatory mechanisms of neocortex development and evolution

The neocortex is considered to be the seat of higher cognitive functions in humans. During its evolution, most notably in humans, the neocortex has undergone considerable expansion, which is reflected by an increase in the number of neurons. Neocortical neurons are generated during development by neural stem and progenitor cells. Epigenetic mechanisms play a pivotal role in orchestrating the behaviour of stem cells during development. We are interested in the mechanisms that regulate gene expression in neural stem cells, which have implications for our understanding of neocortex development and evolution, neural stem cell regulation and neurodevelopmental disorders.

Virtual and experimental approaches to the pathogenicity of SynGAP1 missense mutations

Targeting gamma oscillations to improve cognition

Untitled Seminar

SYNGAP1 Natural History Study/ Multidisciplinary Clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado

Beyond the synapse: SYNGAP1 in primary and motile cilia

The Roles of Distinct Functions of SynGAP1 in SYNGAP1-Related Disorders

Investigating dynamiCa++l mechanisms underlying cortical development and disease

Modeling human brain development and disease: the role of primary cilia

Neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) impose a global burden, affecting an increasing number of individuals. While some causative genes have been identified, understanding the human-specific mechanisms involved in these disorders remains limited. Traditional gene-driven approaches for modeling brain diseases have failed to capture the diverse and convergent mechanisms at play. Centrosomes and cilia act as intermediaries between environmental and intrinsic signals, regulating cellular behavior. Mutations or dosage variations disrupting their function have been linked to brain formation deficits, highlighting their importance, yet their precise contributions remain largely unknown. Hence, we aim to investigate whether the centrosome/cilia axis is crucial for brain development and serves as a hub for human-specific mechanisms disrupted in NDDs. Towards this direction, we first demonstrated species-specific and cell-type-specific differences in the cilia-genes expression during mouse and human corticogenesis. Then, to dissect their role, we provoked their ectopic overexpression or silencing in the developing mouse cortex or in human brain organoids. Our findings suggest that cilia genes manipulation alters both the numbers and the position of NPCs and neurons in the developing cortex. Interestingly, primary cilium morphology is disrupted, as we find changes in their length, orientation and number that lead to disruption of the apical belt and altered delamination profiles during development. Our results give insight into the role of primary cilia in human cortical development and address fundamental questions regarding the diversity and convergence of gene function in development and disease manifestation. It has the potential to uncover novel pharmacological targets, facilitate personalized medicine, and improve the lives of individuals affected by NDDs through targeted cilia-based therapies.

Contrasting developmental principles of human brain development and their relevance to neurodevelopmental disorders

Cortical interneurons from brain development to disease

Genomic investigation of sex-differential neurodevelopment and risk for autism

Cellular crosstalk in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Cellular crosstalk is an essential process during brain development and it is influenced by numerous factors, including the morphology of the cells, their adhesion molecules, the local extracellular matrix and the secreted vesicles. Inspired by mutations associated with neurodevelopmental disorders, we focus on understanding the role of extracellular mechanisms essential for the correct development of the human brain. Hence, we combine the in vivo mouse model and the in vitro human-derived neurons, cerebral organoids, and dorso-ventral assembloids in order to better comprehend the molecular and cellular mechanisms involved in ventral progenitors’ proliferation and fate as well as migration and maturation of inhibitory neurons during human brain development and tackle the causes of neurodevelopmental disorders. We particularly focus on mutations in genes influencing cell-cell contacts, extracellular matrix, and secretion of vesicles and therefore study intrinsic and extrinsic mechanisms contributing to the formation of the brain. Our data reveal an important contribution of cell non-autonomous mechanisms in the development of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Quantifying perturbed SynGAP1 function caused by coding mutations

Therapeutic Strategies for Autism: Targeting Three Levels of the Central Dogma of Molecular Biology with a Focus on SYNGAP1

Involvement of the brain endothelium in neurodevelopmental disorders

Circuit mechanisms of attention dysfunction in Scn8a+/- mice: implications for epilepsy and neurodevelopmental disorders

Microbial modulation of zebrafish behavior and brain development

There is growing recognition that host-associated microbiotas modulate intrinsic neurodevelopmental programs including those underlying human social behavior. Despite this awareness, the fundamental processes are generally not understood. We discovered that the zebrafish microbiota is necessary for normal social behavior. By examining neuronal correlates of behavior, we found that the microbiota restrains neurite complexity and targeting of key forebrain neurons within the social behavior circuitry. The microbiota is also necessary for both localization and molecular functions of forebrain microglia, brain-resident phagocytes that remodel neuronal arbors. In particular, the microbiota promotes expression of complement signaling pathway components important for synapse remodeling. Our work provides evidence that the microbiota modulates zebrafish social behavior by stimulating microglial remodeling of forebrain circuits during early neurodevelopment and suggests molecular pathways for therapeutic interventions during atypical neurodevelopment.

The balanced brain: two-photon microscopy of inhibitory synapse formation

Coordination between excitatory and inhibitory synapses (providing positive and negative signals respectively) is required to ensure proper information processing in the brain. Many brain disorders, especially neurodevelopental disorders, are rooted in a specific disturbance of this coordination. In my research group we use a combination of two-photon microscopy and electrophisiology to examine how inhibitory synapses are fromed and how this formation is coordinated with nearby excitatroy synapses.

Catatonia in Neurodevelopmental Conditions

Precision Genomics in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

A Data-Driven Approach to Reconstructing Disease Trajectories in SYNGAP1-Related Disorders

Expanding the role of MAST kinases in brain development and epilepsy: identification of de novo pathogenic variants in MAST4

Harnessing mRNA metabolism for the development of precision gene therapy

Integration of 3D human stem cell models derived from post-mortem tissue and statistical genomics to guide schizophrenia therapeutic development

Schizophrenia is a neuropsychiatric disorder characterized by positive symptoms (such as hallucinations and delusions), negative symptoms (such as avolition and withdrawal) and cognitive dysfunction1. Schizophrenia is highly heritable, and genetic studies are playing a pivotal role in identifying potential biomarkers and causal disease mechanisms with the hope of informing new treatments. Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) identified nearly 270 loci with a high statistical association with schizophrenia risk; however each locus confers only a small increase in risk therefore it is difficult to translate these findings into understanding disease biology that can lead to treatments. Induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) models are a tractable system to translate genetic findings and interrogate mechanisms of pathogenesis. Mounting research with patient-derived iPSCs has proposed several neurodevelopmental pathways altered in SCZ, such as neural progenitor cell (NPC) proliferation, imbalanced differentiation of excitatory and inhibitory cortical neurons. However, it is unclear what exactly these iPS models recapitulate, how potential perturbations of early brain development translates into illness in adults and how iPS models that represent fetal stages can be utilized to further drug development efforts to treat adult illness. I will present the largest transcriptome analysis of post-mortem caudate nucleus in schizophrenia where we discovered that decreased presynaptic DRD2 autoregulation is the causal dopamine risk factor for schizophrenia (Benjamin et al, Nature Neuroscience 2022 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41593-022-01182-7). We developed stem cell models from a subset of the postmortem cohort to better understand the molecular underpinnings of human psychiatric disorders (Sawada et al, Stem Cell Research 2020). We established a method for the differentiation of iPS cells into ventral forebrain organoids and performed single cell RNAseq and cellular phenotyping. To our knowledge, this is the first study to evaluate iPSC models of SZ from the same individuals with postmortem tissue. Our study establishes that striatal neurons in the patients with SCZ carry abnormalities that originated during early brain development. Differentiation of inhibitory neurons is accelerated whereas excitatory neuronal development is delayed, implicating an excitation and inhibition (E-I) imbalance during early brain development in SCZ. We found a significant overlap of genes upregulated in the inhibitory neurons in SCZ organoids with upregulated genes in postmortem caudate tissues from patients with SCZ compared with control individuals, including the donors of our iPS cell cohort. Altogether, we demonstrate that ventral forebrain organoids derived from postmortem tissue of individuals with schizophrenia recapitulate perturbed striatal gene expression dynamics of the donors’ brains (Sawada et al, biorxiv 2022 https://doi.org/10.1101/2022.05.26.493589).

Neuron-glial interactions in health and disease: from cognition to cancer

In the central nervous system, neuronal activity is a critical regulator of development and plasticity. Activity-dependent proliferation of healthy glial progenitors, oligodendrocyte precursor cells (OPCs), and the consequent generation of new oligodendrocytes contributes to adaptive myelination. This plasticity of myelin tunes neural circuit function and contributes to healthy cognition. The robust mitogenic effect of neuronal activity on normal oligodendroglial precursor cells, a putative cellular origin for many forms of glioma, suggests that dysregulated or “hijacked” mechanisms of myelin plasticity might similarly promote malignant cell proliferation in this devastating group of brain cancers. Indeed, neuronal activity promotes progression of both high-grade and low-grade glioma subtypes in preclinical models. Crucial mechanisms mediating activity-regulated glioma growth include paracrine secretion of BDNF and the synaptic protein neuroligin-3 (NLGN3). NLGN3 induces multiple oncogenic signaling pathways in the cancer cell, and also promotes glutamatergic synapse formation between neurons and glioma cells. Glioma cells integrate into neural circuits synaptically through neuron-to-glioma synapses, and electrically through potassium-evoked currents that are amplified through gap-junctional coupling between tumor cells This synaptic and electrical integration of glioma into neural circuits is central to tumor progression in preclinical models. Thus, neuron-glial interactions not only modulate neural circuit structure and function in the healthy brain, but paracrine and synaptic neuron-glioma interactions also play important roles in the pathogenesis of glial cancers. The mechanistic parallels between normal and malignant neuron-glial interactions underscores the extent to which mechanisms of neurodevelopment and plasticity are subverted by malignant gliomas, and the importance of understanding the neuroscience of cancer.

Linking SYNGAP1 with Human-Specific Mechanisms of Neuronal Development

SYNGAP1 and Epilepsy SurgerySYNGAP1 and Epilepsy Surgery

Cell-type specific alterations underpinning convergent ASD phenotypes in PACS1 neurodevelopmental disorder

Brain mosaicism in epileptogenic cortical malformations

Focal Cortical Dysplasia (FCD) is the most common focal cortical malformation leading to intractable childhood focal epilepsy. In recent years, we and others have shown that FCD type II is caused by mosaic mutations in genes within the PI3K-AKT-mTOR-signaling pathway. Hyperactivation of the mTOR pathway accounts for neuropathological abnormalities and seizure occurrence in FCD. We further showed from human surgical FCDII tissue that epileptiform activity correlates with the density of mutated dysmorphic neurons, supporting their pro-epileptogenic role. The level of mosaicism, as defined by variant allele frequency (VAF) is thought to correlate with the size and regional brain distribution of the lesion such that when a somatic mutation occurs early during the cortical development, the dysplastic area is smaller than if it occurs later. Novel approaches based on the detection of cell-free DNA from the CSF and from trace tissue adherent to SEEG electrodes promise future opportunities for genetic testing during the presurgical evaluation of refractory epilepsy patients or in those that are not eligible for surgery. In utero-based electroporation mouse models allow to express somatic mutation during neurodevelopment and recapitulate most neuropathological and clinical features of FCDII, establishing relevant preclinical mouse models for developing precision medicine strategies.

Developmental disorders of presynaptic vesicle cycling - Synaptotagmin-1 and beyond

Post-diagnostic research on rare genetic developmental disorders presents new opportunities (and a few challenges) for discovery neuroscience and translation. In this talk, Kate will describe and discuss neurodevelopmental phenotypes arising from rare, high penetrance genomic variants which directly influence pre-synaptic vesicle cycling (SVC disorders). She will focus on Synaptotagmin-1 Associated Neurodevelopmental Disorder (also known as Baker Gordon Syndrome), first described in 2015 and now diagnosed in more than 50 children and young people worldwide. She will then present work-in-progress by her group on the neurodevelopmental spectrum of SVC disorders more broadly, and discuss opportunities for collaborative neuroscience which can bridge the gaps between genetic cause and complex neurological, cognitive and mental health outcomes.

Development of Interictal Networks: Implications for Epilepsy Progression and Cognition

Epilepsy is a common and disabling neurologic condition affecting adults and children that results from complex dysfunction of neural networks and is ineffectively treated with current therapies in up to one third of patients. This dysfunction can have especially severe consequences in pediatric age group, where neurodevelopment may be irreversibly affected. Furthermore, although seizures are the most obvious manifestation of epilepsy, the cognitive and psychiatric dysfunction that often coexists in patients with this disorder has the potential to be equally disabling.  Given these challenges, her research program aims to better understand how epileptic activity disrupts the proper development and function of neural networks, with the overall goal of identifying novel biomarkers and systems level treatments for epileptic disorders and their comorbidities, especially those affecting children.

Baby steps to breakthroughs in precision health in neurodevelopmental disorders

Targeting alternative splicing of SYNGAP1 using antisense oligonucleotides

Functional and translational implications of A-to-I editing in brain development and neurodevelopmental disorders

Untitled Seminar

Heiko Luhmann (Germany) – How neuronal activity builds the cerebral cortex; Mary Tolcos (Australia) – Cortical development and fetal brain injury; Silvia Velasco (Australia) – Human brain organoids to study neurodevelopment and disease

Investigating activity-dependent processes in cerebral cortex development and disease

The cerebral cortex contains an extraordinary diversity of excitatory projection neuron (PN) and inhibitory interneurons (IN), wired together to form complex circuits. Spatiotemporally coordinated execution of intrinsic molecular programs by PNs and INs and activity-dependent processes, contribute to cortical development and cortical microcircuits formation. Alterations of these delicate processes have often been associated to neurological/neurodevelopmental disorders. However, despite the groundbreaking discovery that spontaneous activity in the embryonic brain can shape regional identities of distinct cortical territories, it is still unclear whether this early activity contributes to define subtype-specific neuronal fate as well as circuit assembly. In this study, we combined in utero genetic perturbations via CRISPR/Cas9 system and pharmacological inhibition of selected ion channels with RNA-sequencing and live imaging technologies to identify the activity-regulated processes controlling the development of different cortical PN classes, their wiring and the acquisition of subtype specific features. Moreover, we generated human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) form patients affected by a severe, rare and untreatable form of developmental epileptic encephalopathy. By differentiating cortical organoids form patient-derived iPSCs we create human models of early electrical alterations for studying molecular, structural and functional consequences of the genetic mutations during cortical development. Our ultimate goal is to define the activity-conditioned processes that physiologically occur during the development of cortical circuits, to identify novel therapeutical paths to address the pathological consequences of neonatal epilepsies.

Don't forget the gametes: Neurodevelopmental pathogenesis starts in the sperm and egg

Proper development of the nervous system depends not only on the inherited DNA sequence, but also on proper regulation of gene expression, as controlled in part by epigenetic mechanisms present in the parental gametes. In this presentation an internationally recognized research advocate explains why researchers concerned about the origins of increasingly prevalent neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder should look beyond genetics in probing the origins of dysregulated transcription of brain-related genes. The culprit for a subset of cases, she contends, may lie in the exposure history of the parents, and thus their germ cells. To illustrate how environmentally informed, nongenetic dysfunction may occur, she focuses on the example of parents' histories of exposure to common agents of modern inhalational anesthesia, a highly toxic exposure that in mammalian models has been seen to induce heritable neurodevelopmental abnormality in offspring born of exposed germline.

CANCELLED

Sex Differences in Learning from Exploration

Sex-based modulation of cognitive processes could set the stage for individual differences in vulnerability to neuropsychiatric disorders. While value-based decision making processes in particular have been proposed to be influenced by sex differences, the overall correct performance in decision making tasks often show variable or minimal differences across sexes. Computational tools allow us to uncover latent variables that define different decision making approaches, even in animals with similar correct performance. Here, we quantify sex differences in mice in the latent variables underlying behavior in a classic value-based decision making task: a restless two-armed bandit. While male and female mice had similar accuracy, they achieved this performance via different patterns of exploration. Male mice tended to make more exploratory choices overall, largely because they appeared to get ‘stuck’ in exploration once they had started. Female mice tended to explore less but learned more quickly during exploration. Together, these results suggest that sex exerts stronger influences on decision making during periods of learning and exploration than during stable choices. Exploration during decision making is altered in people diagnosed with addictions, depression, and neurodevelopmental disabilities, pinpointing the neural mechanisms of exploration as a highly translational avenue for conferring sex-modulated vulnerability to neuropsychiatric diagnoses.

Exploring mechanisms of human brain expansion in cerebral organoids

The human brain sets us apart as a species, with its size being one of its most striking features. Brain size is largely determined during development as vast numbers of neurons and supportive glia are generated. In an effort to better understand the events that determine the human brain’s cellular makeup, and its size, we use a human model system in a dish, called cerebral organoids. These 3D tissues are generated from pluripotent stem cells through neural differentiation and a supportive 3D microenvironment to generate organoids with the same tissue architecture as the early human fetal brain. Such organoids are allowing us to tackle questions previously impossible with more traditional approaches. Indeed, our recent findings provide insight into regulation of brain size and neuron number across ape species, identifying key stages of early neural stem cell expansion that set up a larger starting cell number to enable the production of increased numbers of neurons. We are also investigating the role of extrinsic regulators in determining numbers and types of neurons produced in the human cerebral cortex. Overall, our findings are pointing to key, human-specific aspects of brain development and function, that have important implications for neurological disease.

How are nervous systems remodeled in complex metazoans?

Early in development the nervous system is constructed with far too many neurons that make an excessive number of synaptic connections.  Later, a wave of neuronal remodeling radically reshapes nervous system wiring and cell numbers through the selective elimination of excess synapses, axons and dendrites, and even whole neurons.  This remodeling is widespread across the nervous system, extensive in terms of how much individual brain regions can change (e.g. in some cases 50% of neurons integrated into a brain circuit are eliminated), and thought to be essential for optimizing nervous system function.  Perturbations of neuronal remodeling are thought to underlie devastating neurodevelopmental disorders including autism spectrum disorder, schizophrenia, and epilepsy.  This seminar will discuss our efforts to use the relatively simple nervous system of Drosophila to understand the mechanistic basis by which cells, or parts of cells, are specified for removal and eliminated from the nervous system.

Neural Circuit Dysfunction along the Gut/Brain Axis in zebrafish models of Autism Spectrum Disorder

2nd In-Vitro 2D & 3D Neuronal Networks Summit

The event is open to everyone interested in Neuroscience, Cell Biology, Drug Discovery, Disease Modeling, and Bio/Neuroengineering! This meeting is a platform bringing scientists from all over the world together and fostering scientific exchange and collaboration.

2nd In-Vitro 2D & 3D Neuronal Networks Summit

The event is open to everyone interested in Neuroscience, Cell Biology, Drug Discovery, Disease Modeling, and Bio/Neuroengineering! This meeting is a platform bringing scientists from all over the world together and fostering scientific exchange and collaboration.

Untitled Seminar

Emilia Favuzzi (USA): Artisans of Brain Wiring: GABA-Receptive Microglia Selectively Sculpt Inhibitory Circuits; Ewoud Schmidt (USA): Humanizing the mouse brain: reorganizing cortical circuits through modified synaptic development; Tracy Bale (USA): Trophoblast mechanisms key in regulating neurodevelopment Anastassia Voronova (Canada): Regulation of neural stem cell fates by neuronal ligands

Mapping the Dynamics of the Linear and 3D Genome of Single Cells in the Developing Brain

Three intimately related dimensions of the mammalian genome—linear DNA sequence, gene transcription, and 3D genome architecture—are crucial for the development of nervous systems. Changes in the linear genome (e.g., de novo mutations), transcriptome, and 3D genome structure lead to debilitating neurodevelopmental disorders, such as autism and schizophrenia. However, current technologies and data are severely limited: (1) 3D genome structures of single brain cells have not been solved; (2) little is known about the dynamics of single-cell transcriptome and 3D genome after birth; (3) true de novo mutations are extremely difficult to distinguish from false positives (DNA damage and/or amplification errors). Here, I filled in this longstanding technological and knowledge gap. I recently developed a high-resolution method—diploid chromatin conformation capture (Dip-C)—which resolved the first 3D structure of the human genome, tackling a longstanding problem dating back to the 1880s. Using Dip-C, I obtained the first 3D genome structure of a single brain cell, and created the first transcriptome and 3D genome atlas of the mouse brain during postnatal development. I found that in adults, 3D genome “structure types” delineate all major cell types, with high correlation between chromatin A/B compartments and gene expression. During development, both transcriptome and 3D genome are extensively transformed in the first month of life. In neurons, 3D genome is rewired across scales, correlated with gene expression modules, and independent of sensory experience. Finally, I examined allele-specific structure of imprinted genes, revealing local and chromosome-wide differences. More recently, I expanded my 3D genome atlas to the human and mouse cerebellum—the most consistently affected brain region in autism. I uncovered unique 3D genome rewiring throughout life, providing a structural basis for the cerebellum’s unique mode of development and aging. In addition, to accurately measure de novo mutations in a single cell, I developed a new method—multiplex end-tagging amplification of complementary strands (META-CS), which eliminates nearly all false positives by virtue of DNA complementarity. Using META-CS, I determined the true mutation spectrum of single human brain cells, free from chemical artifacts. Together, my findings uncovered an unknown dimension of neurodevelopment, and open up opportunities for new treatments for autism and other developmental disorders.

Mechanisms of visual circuit development: aligning topographic maps of space

IL-6 - A KEY MECHANISTIC PLAYER LINKING PRENATAL EARLY-LIFE STRESS AND CHILDHOOD NEURODEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES?

FENS Forum 2026

EXPLORING GLIAL INVOLVEMENT IN A MOUSE MODEL OF <EM>NR2F1</EM>-RELATED NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER

FENS Forum 2026

SLC45A1–HTR2A AXIS DRIVES FEMALE-BIASED CORTICAL E/I IMBALANCE UNDERLYING NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER PHENOTYPES

FENS Forum 2026

THE MITOCHONDRIAL TARGETED ANTIOXIDANT MITOQ PREVENTS COGNITIVE DECLINE IN A NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER MODEL IN RATS

FENS Forum 2026

DAM RESPONSE TO TREATMENT, RATHER THAN TREATMENT GROUP, PREDICTS OFFSPRING SPATIAL MEMORY DEFICITS IN A RAT MODEL OF NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

FENS Forum 2026

TARGETING THE MITOCHONDRIAL QUALITY CONTROL IN MODELS OF NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS BASED ON BRAIN-ENVIRONMENT INTERACTION

FENS Forum 2026

A STRATEGY FOR RESTORING CHOLESTEROL-DEPENDENT SHH SIGNALLING IN A LIPID STORAGE NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER

FENS Forum 2026

MECHANOSENSITIVE ION CHANNEL DYSFUNCTION IN NEURODEVELOPMENT: <EM >TMEM63B</EM> VARIANTS DRIVE SEVERE EPILEPTIC ENCEPHALOPATHY AND NEURODEGENERATION

FENS Forum 2026

MSL2 ORCHESTRATES OLIGODENDROCYTE PRECURSOR CELL CYCLE VIA H3K4ME3 TO PREVENT WHITE MATTER DEFECTS IN NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

FENS Forum 2026

A RECURRENT <EM>TRIO</EM> GAIN-OF-FUNCTION VARIANT IMPACTS NEURODEVELOPMENT <EM>IN VIVO</EM>

FENS Forum 2026

NEURODEVELOPMENTAL TIMING OF SOCIAL LEARNING IN MICE

FENS Forum 2026

DEVELOPING HPSC-DERIVED IN VITRO MODELS AS ALTERNATIVES FOR NEURODEVELOPMENTAL TOXICITY SCREENING

FENS Forum 2026

CORTICAL AND RETINAL TAUOPATHY ACROSS THE NEURODEVELOPMENT–NEURODEGENERATION CONTINUUM IN PRECLINICAL IPSC-DERIVED ORGANOID MODELS

FENS Forum 2026

VITAMIN A STATUS MODULATES NEURODEVELOPMENTAL, OXIDATIVE, AND CHOLINERGIC ALTERATIONS IN A VALPROIC ACID–INDUCED RAT MODEL OF AUTISM

FENS Forum 2026

REELIN SOURCES IN CORTICAL DEVELOPMENT AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

FENS Forum 2026

DISTINCT SPECTRAL, CONNECTIVITY, AND FIRING DYNAMICS AROUND SEIZURES IN RAT MODELS OF SYNGAP1 AND GRIN2B NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

FENS Forum 2026

VALIDATION OF THE POLY(I:C) MOUSE MODEL FOR NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS IN A SOPF ANIMAL FACILITY

FENS Forum 2026

DELINEATING CELL TYPE-SPECIFIC<S>​</S> ROLES OF SETBP1 DURING NEURODEVELOPMENT USING HUMAN NEURAL ORGANOIDS AND TRANSCRIPTOMICS

FENS Forum 2026

ROLE OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM AND NEUROIMMUNE INTERACTIONS IN THE ONSET OF NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS ASSOCIATED WITH PREMATURITY

FENS Forum 2026

FROM PATHOGENICITY ASSESSMENT TO PERSONALIZED RNA THERAPY: RHOBTB2 IN NEURODEVELOPMENT

FENS Forum 2026

VASCULAR AND MOLECULAR ALTERATIONS AS INDICATORS OF NEURODEVELOPMENTAL RISK IN MALE RAT OFFSPRING EXPOSED TO MATERNAL WESTERN DIET

FENS Forum 2026

IMPACT OF EARLY-LIFE ENVIRONMENTAL INHALATION EXPOSURE TO PYRETHROIDS DURING THE PERINATAL PERIOD ON NEURODEVELOPMENTAL OUTCOMES

FENS Forum 2026

ESTABLISHMENT OF HIPSC-BASED BLOOD-BRAIN BARRIER <EM>IN VITRO </EM>MODELS OF RARE NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS <EM> </EM>

FENS Forum 2026

<EM>IN VIVO </EM>CHARACTERIZATION OF PV AND SST INTERNEURON DEVELOPMENT IN THE PRIMARY VISUAL CORTEX: IMPLICATIONS FOR NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

FENS Forum 2026

OMICS INVESTIGATION OF NEURODEVELOPMENT IN MOUSE MODELS OF AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS

FENS Forum 2026

LONGITUDINAL ANALYSIS OF PERINEURONAL NET DYNAMICS AND NEURODEVELOPMENTAL PLASTICITY IN <EM >NF1<SUP>+/−</SUP></EM> MICE

FENS Forum 2026

ASSESSMENT OF CONNECTIVITY DYNAMICS DURING NEURODEVELOPMENT THROUGH PERSISTENT HOMOLOGY IN A HIPSC-BIOPRINTED MODEL

FENS Forum 2026

PATIENT-SPECIFIC NEURODEVELOPMENTAL PHENOTYPES AND PHARMACOLOGICAL STRATEGIES IN SYNGAP1 SYNDROME

FENS Forum 2026

MATERNAL AND NEONATAL IMMUNE SIGNATURES OF PRENATAL SARS-COV-2 INFECTION AND ITS ASSOCIATION WITH EARLY NEURODEVELOPMENT

FENS Forum 2026

CHARACTERIZATION OF THE ROLE OF <EM>PURA</EM> IN THE NEURODEVELOPMENTAL PHENOTYPE ASSOCIATED WITH 5Q31 DUPLICATIONS

FENS Forum 2026

SLEEP EEG DYNAMICS REFLECT DIVERGENT NEURODEVELOPMENTAL TRAJECTORIES IN INFANTS

FENS Forum 2026

FNIRS AS A NEW BIOMARKER FOR RARE NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

FENS Forum 2026

ELUCIDATING SYNGAP1 ISOFORM FUNCTIONS IN HUMAN NEURODEVELOPMENT USING CEREBRAL ORGANOIDS

FENS Forum 2026

MATERNAL DIETARY IMBALANCE BETWEEN OMEGA-6 AND OMEGA-3 FATTY ACIDS INDUCES SHORT- AND LONG-TERM SEX-SPECIFIC NEURODEVELOPMENTAL ALTERATIONS

FENS Forum 2026

DECIPHERING THE PATHOGENIC MECHANISMS OF SYNAPTOPATHIES – COMPARISON OF SYT1 &AMP; VAMP2-ASSOCIATED NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

FENS Forum 2026

FROM PATIENT TO PHENOTYPE: FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF PATIENT-SPECIFIC <EM>DE NOVO</EM> NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER VARIANT IN A <EM>DROSOPHILA</EM> MODEL

FENS Forum 2026

UNRAVELLING THE INVOLVEMENT OF THE SYNAPTIC ADAPTOR PROTEIN P140CAP IN HUMAN CORTICAL NEURODEVELOPMENT THROUGH BRAIN ORGANOIDS

FENS Forum 2026

MONO-ALLELIC VARIANTS IN THE NUCLEAR TRANSPORT RECEPTOR GENE XPO7 CAUSE A NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDER WITH BRAIN ABNORMALITIES

FENS Forum 2026

CELL TYPE-SPECIFIC SYNAPTIC PHENOTYPES OF CLINICALLY RELEVANT <EM>GRIN2B</EM> GENE VARIANTS ASSOCIATED WITH NEURODEVELOPMENTAL DISORDERS

FENS Forum 2026

UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE OF FATTY ACIDS IN HUMAN MICROGLIA MATURATION DURING NEURODEVELOPMENT

FENS Forum 2026