Society for Neuroscience

Amy Bastian examines why rehabilitation responses differ so widely among people with neurological injuries. Drawing on discoveries about movement control and motor learning, she connects differences in brain damage with variation in therapeutic benefit. The session traces the clinical questions that led from physical therapy to neuroscience and considers how research on the human motor system can inform more individualized rehabilitation.

Staci Bilbo explores reciprocal communication between the nervous and immune systems and how it shapes brain development. The talk considers how interactions early in life influence neural circuits supporting cognition and emotion, and extends this perspective to emerging work on communication between the lungs and brain. Bilbo also describes the research trajectory that led to these questions.

Scott J. Russo presents cross-species research on how immune cells outside the brain influence neural circuits implicated in anxiety and depression. The session examines stress-related disruption of neuroimmune communication, including inflammation and increased monocyte abundance. It connects these mechanisms with translational efforts to develop targeted interventions for major depression and post-traumatic stress disorder.