Molecular Neuroscience workshops

Brain-restricted somatic variants can cause cortical malformations, developmental tumors and other focal epilepsies while escaping routine germline tests. This investigators workshop examines sensitive methods for detecting variants present in only a small fraction of cells. Sessions cover minimally invasive sampling, genomic assays, single-nucleus RNA sequencing and spatial analysis of brain tissue, then connect these approaches to genotype–phenotype relationships and mechanistic studies in human cells and mosaic mouse models. The aim is to improve diagnosis and identify more targeted therapeutic strategies. Saturday 5 December, 14:30–16:00 Mountain Standard Time (America/Denver). Part of the 2026 American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting. In-person meeting registration and a free myAES account are required. Standard full-meeting rates are USD 800 for member scientists and USD 1,075 for non-member scientists; student rates are USD 250 and USD 360, respectively. Other professional and one-day categories are available. Seating priority goes to registered attendees.

Many epilepsies remain unexplained after exome or genome sequencing. This workshop investigates mechanisms that conventional testing may miss: somatic mosaicism, repeat expansions, epigenetic changes and microRNA regulation. It relates biological and technical detection limits to neuronal excitability, clinical heterogeneity and treatment resistance. Thematic presentations and an interactive panel address multi-omics study design, clinical phenotyping, biomarkers and therapeutic development, connecting molecular mechanisms to precision medicine and surgical decisions. Sunday 6 December, 08:30–10:00 Mountain Standard Time (America/Denver). Part of the 2026 American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting. In-person meeting registration and a free myAES account are required. Standard full-meeting rates are USD 800 for member scientists and USD 1,075 for non-member scientists; student rates are USD 250 and USD 360, respectively. Other professional and one-day categories are available. Seating priority goes to registered attendees.

This investigators workshop examines adeno-associated virus gene therapies for epilepsy from design and animal testing through clinical translation. Research examples concern Lafora disease, SCN1B-related Dravet syndrome and SLC6A1-related neurodevelopmental disorder. The panel considers treatment efficacy, seizure-associated adverse effects and AAV toxicity, alongside strategies for overcoming current limitations. Discussion also covers biomarkers, scalability and the evidence needed to advance candidates beyond preclinical studies. Sunday 6 December, 14:00–15:30 Mountain Standard Time (America/Denver). Part of the 2026 American Epilepsy Society Annual Meeting. In-person meeting registration and a free myAES account are required. Standard full-meeting rates are USD 800 for member scientists and USD 1,075 for non-member scientists; student rates are USD 250 and USD 360, respectively. Other professional and one-day categories are available. Seating priority goes to registered attendees.

The programme follows memory mechanisms from molecular and cellular processes through synapses, microcircuits and distributed brain networks. It connects engram formation and synaptic plasticity with encoding, consolidation, persistence and flexibility. Sessions examine transcriptional, translational, epigenetic and RNA regulation, together with neuromodulation, before considering circuit vulnerability and memory disruption in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. Novel methods and unresolved questions connect the different biological scales. A satellite symposium on synapses and cognition takes place on 26 April. On-site and virtual participation are available; applicants submit an abstract or a brief statement of interest and are selected for scientific relevance.

Methods in Computational Neuroscience (MCN) is a four-week Marine Biological Laboratory course that introduces the computational and mathematical techniques used to address how the brain solves problems at levels of neural organisation ranging from single membrane channels to operations of the entire brain. In each of the first three weeks the course moves up a level of complexity, from molecular and cellular to network to cognitive and behavioural, asking whether biologically plausible mechanisms can explain how nervous systems solve specific computational problems, how such problems can be decomposed, and how those decompositions relate to observable properties of neurons and circuits and their molecular building blocks. Core presentations are given jointly by theorists and experimentalists who have worked on the same problems, with optional first-week tutorials on dynamical systems, information theory, dimensionality reduction, neural network modelling and simulation in Python and MATLAB. Laboratory exercises combine quantitative analysis of experimental data with analytic and numerical exploration of models, often in teams mixing theoretical and experimental backgrounds, and the fourth week is reserved for student projects with resident faculty. The 2027 course, directed by Stefano Fusi (Columbia University) and Roozbeh Kiani (New York University), runs from 24 July to 21 August 2027 and is limited to 24 graduate students, postdocs and faculty from fields ranging from zoology and neurobiology to physics, engineering and mathematics. Applications are due on 10 March 2027, and financial aid is offered.

The Simons Computational Neuroscience Imbizo is a three-week school in Noordhoek, Cape Town, South Africa, that gives African and international students intensive training in research techniques in computational and theoretical neuroscience; imbizo is an isiXhosa and isiZulu word for a gathering to share knowledge. The 2027 school runs from 27 August to 17 September 2027 in three cycles of six working days, each focused on one theme: Molecules to Behavior, on biophysical mechanisms in individual cells and how they become building blocks of neural networks; Cells to Circuits to Behavior, on systems-level functions including sensory processing, birdsong, motor control and decision-making; and NeuroAI, on guiding principles for intelligent systems, how biological principles can inform machine learning and how machine learning can help us understand brains. Days combine morning lectures with further lectures or practical tutorials in simulation and data analysis, and students complete a mini research project under a tutor's supervision. Faculty include Adrienne Fairhall (University of Washington), Eva Dyer (Georgia Tech), Joseph Raimondo (University of Cape Town) and Thomas Tagoe (University of Ghana). The school is designed for students completing master's degrees or starting doctoral studies, with highly motivated advanced undergraduates and postdocs also encouraged, and all students stay in the student accommodation. The fee is €1,650, with fee reductions, waivers and travel bursaries offered according to need and merit; African students are particularly encouraged to apply. Applications open on 5 January 2027 and close on 1 March 2027 at 23:59 SAST, with decisions in April 2027.