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October 01, 2018
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Date:23TuesdayOctober 2018Lecture
Northern exposure – The study of host-virus interactions from the lab to the Norwegian Fjords
More information Time 11:30 - 11:30Location Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Biological SciencesLecturer Dr. Daniella Schatz
Prof. Assaf Vardi's lab., Department of Plant and Environmental SciencesOrganizer Department of Plant and Environmental SciencesContact -
Date:23TuesdayOctober 2018Lecture
Synapsins regulate alpha-synuclein function
More information Time 12:30 - 12:30Location Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture HallLecturer Dr. Daniel Gitler
Dept of Physiology and Cell Biology/Faculty of Health Sciences and Zlotowksi Center for Neuroscience Ben-Gurion University of the NegevOrganizer Department of Brain SciencesContact Abstract Show full text abstract about The normal function of alpha-synuclein, a protein involved i...» The normal function of alpha-synuclein, a protein involved in Parkinson's Disease and other synucleinopathies, remains elusive. Though recent studies suggest that alpha-synuclein is a physiological attenuator of synaptic vesicle recycling, mechanisms remain unclear. Our data show that synapsin – a cytosolic protein with established roles in synaptic vesicle mobilization and clustering – is required for alpha-synuclein function. Furthermore, we show that the two proteins interact in a reversible manner in the synapse and that in the absence of synapsins, the localization of alpha-synuclein to synapses is deficient. Our data suggest a model where alpha-synuclein and synapsin cooperate in clustering SVs and attenuating recycling. -
Date:23TuesdayOctober 2018Lecture
Chemical Approaches to Study Oxidative Protein Folding
More information Time 14:00 - 15:00Location Helen and Milton A. Kimmelman BuildingLecturer Dr. Norman Metanis Organizer Department of Chemical and Structural BiologyContact -
Date:24WednesdayOctober 2018Lecture
Transport and fate of Pt-based pharmaceuticals in natural soil-water environments
More information Time 10:00 - 10:00Location Sussman Family Building for Environmental SciencesLecturer Natalia Chana Goykhman
Department of Earth and Planetary Sciences Weizmann Institute of ScienceOrganizer Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesContact -
Date:24WednesdayOctober 2018Lecture
Spotlight on Science
More information Time 12:00 - 12:00Title Detecting the Invisible: On Giant Detectors, Elusive Particles and Dark MatterLocation Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture HallLecturer Dr. Hagar Landsman
Department of Particle Physics and AstrophysicsContact -
Date:24WednesdayOctober 2018Lecture
Emotional valence and implicit memory formation under anesthesia: Neural mechanisms in the amygdala and pre-frontal cortex
More information Time 14:00 - 15:00Location Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Brain ResearchLecturer Nir Samuel (PhD Thesis Defense),
Rony Paz Lab, Dept of Neurobiology, WISOrganizer Department of Brain SciencesContact Abstract Show full text abstract about Background: The aim of anaesthesia is to eliminate awareness...» Background: The aim of anaesthesia is to eliminate awareness and prevent memory of the various aversive stimuli of medical procedures. Yet in a portion of cases, patients can recall events that occurred during surgery resulting in risks of adverse psychological outcomes. Fear conditioning offers a robust behavioral model to study this phenomenon, while the abundant evidence implicating the amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) circuit in acquisition, consolidation and retrieval of these memories offers a natural hypothesis for the neural mechanisms.
Objective: We aimed to study the effect of anaesthesia on stimulus valence, acquisition and memory and to identify the correlates in the mPFC-amygdala circuit using a primate model and clinically relevant doses of anesthesia.
Materials and methods: Two non-human primates acquired aversive memories by tone-odor classical conditioning under anesthesia with different doses of ketamine, a non-competitive antagonist of NMDA and midazolam, a GABA agonist. Both agents are in wide clinical use. We simultaneously recorded single neurons in the BLA and mPFC. Analyses focused on behavioral and neural evidence suggesting maintained valence, acquisition and retention of memory.
Results: Seventy-six full sessions from two non-human primates entered analysis. We recorded 172 amygdala and 189 dACC neurons respectively. We found evidence of successful aversive conditioning under both anesthetics and in all doses. Under anesthesia, we found behavioral evidence of retention in 46% of sessions matched by a complementary response of 16.2% and 18.7% of amygdala and mPFC neurons respectively. An increased and escalating amygdala and mPFC response during acquisition predicted later retention and correlated the behavioral result. The behavioral and neural representation of aversive valence was sufficient to drive learning and affected conditioning outcome.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that under anesthesia, the perception of stimuli and implicit aversive memory formation may be maintained. We show patterns in the amygdala-mPFC circuit that precede and predict this phenomenon and that may serve future monitoring strategies of anesthetized patients. The use of a primate model and therapeutic doses of common anesthetics affecting both GABA and NMDA transmission improves the possible translation of our findings.
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Date:24WednesdayOctober 2018Lecture
Emotional valence and implicit memory formation under anesthesia: Neural mechanisms in the amygdala and pre-frontal cortex
More information Time 14:00 - 15:00Location Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Brain ResearchLecturer Nir Samuel (PhD Thesis Defense)
Rony Paz Lab, Dept of Neurobiology, WISOrganizer Department of Brain SciencesContact Abstract Show full text abstract about Background: The aim of anaesthesia is to eliminate awareness...» Background: The aim of anaesthesia is to eliminate awareness and prevent memory of the various aversive stimuli of medical procedures. Yet in a portion of cases, patients can recall events that occurred during surgery resulting in risks of adverse psychological outcomes. Fear conditioning offers a robust behavioral model to study this phenomenon, while the abundant evidence implicating the amygdala-medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC) circuit in acquisition, consolidation and retrieval of these memories offers a natural hypothesis for the neural mechanisms.
Objective: We aimed to study the effect of anaesthesia on stimulus valence, acquisition and memory and to identify the correlates in the mPFC-amygdala circuit using a primate model and clinically relevant doses of anesthesia.
Materials and methods: Two non-human primates acquired aversive memories by tone-odor classical conditioning under anesthesia with different doses of ketamine, a non-competitive antagonist of NMDA and midazolam, a GABA agonist. Both agents are in wide clinical use. We simultaneously recorded single neurons in the BLA and mPFC. Analyses focused on behavioral and neural evidence suggesting maintained valence, acquisition and retention of memory.
Results: Seventy-six full sessions from two non-human primates entered analysis. We recorded 172 amygdala and 189 dACC neurons respectively. We found evidence of successful aversive conditioning under both anesthetics and in all doses. Under anesthesia, we found behavioral evidence of retention in 46% of sessions matched by a complementary response of 16.2% and 18.7% of amygdala and mPFC neurons respectively. An increased and escalating amygdala and mPFC response during acquisition predicted later retention and correlated the behavioral result. The behavioral and neural representation of aversive valence was sufficient to drive learning and affected conditioning outcome.
Conclusion: Our results suggest that under anesthesia, the perception of stimuli and implicit aversive memory formation may be maintained. We show patterns in the amygdala-mPFC circuit that precede and predict this phenomenon and that may serve future monitoring strategies of anesthetized patients. The use of a primate model and therapeutic doses of common anesthetics affecting both GABA and NMDA transmission improves the possible translation of our findings.
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Date:25ThursdayOctober 2018Colloquia
Bose-Einstein condensation of photons
More information Time 11:15 - 12:30Location Edna and K.B. Weissman Building of Physical SciencesLecturer Martin Weitz
Institut für Angewandte Physik, Universität BonnOrganizer Faculty of PhysicsContact Abstract Show full text abstract about Bose-Einstein condensation has been observed in several phys...» Bose-Einstein condensation has been observed in several physical systems, including cold atomic gases, exciton-polaritons, and magnons. Photons usually show no Bose-Einstein con-densation, since for Planck’s blackbody radiation the particle number is not conserved and the photons at low temperatures vanish in the system walls. I here describe experiments with a dye-filled optical microresonator experimentally observing Bose-Einstein condensation of pho-tons. Thermalization is achieved in a number conserving way by repeated absorption re-emission cycles on the dye molecules, and the cavity mirrors provide both an effective photon mass and a confining potential. More recently, we have investigated calorimetric properties of the trapped photon gas, and determined both the heat capacity and the entropy around the phase transition. In other work, we have realized lattice potentials for photons in the dye mi-crocavity. In my talk, I will begin with a general introduction and give an account of current work and future plans of the Bonn photon gas experiment. -
Date:25ThursdayOctober 2018Lecture
Hierarchical dynamics of visual inference
More information Time 12:30 - 12:30Location Nella and Leon Benoziyo Building for Brain ResearchLecturer Prof. Jochen Braun
Institute of Biology Otto-von-Guericke Unversity, MagdeburgOrganizer Department of Brain SciencesContact Abstract Show full text abstract about Visual input is noisy, variable, and ambiguous. Optimal inf...» Visual input is noisy, variable, and ambiguous. Optimal inference of physical causes is challenging even for a restricted set of causes (e.g., orientations and spatial frequencies). It is well understood (e.g., Veliz-Cuba et al., 2016) that stochastic dynamical systems can approximate optimal inference by continuously accumulating and evaluating visual evidence. I will argue that the dynamics of multi-stable perception is consistent with just such an inference mechanism. Its psychophysically observable characteristics fully constrain a hierarchical dynamics with three levels, the lowest of which may conceivably correspond to cortical columns or clusters of columns. Given suitable inputs, this hierarchical dynamics accumulates and evaluates noisy evidence to make nearly optimal categorical discriminations. Moreover, its dynamical features seem to afford functional benefits in a volatile world, such as balancing stability and sensitivity of inference.
References:
Cao, Pastukhov, Mattia, Braun (2016) Collective activity of many bistable assemblies reproduces characteristic dynamics of multistable perception. J. Neurosci., 36: 6957-72.
Veliz-Cuba, Kilpatrick, Josic (2016) Stochastic models of evidence accumulation in changing environments. SIAM Review, 58: 264-289.
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Date:25ThursdayOctober 2018Lecture
Development of placenta-derived (PLX) cell therapy- from bench- to bedside
More information Time 14:00 - 15:00Title Special Guest LectureLocation Max and Lillian Candiotty BuildingLecturer Dr. Racheli Ofir
Vice President Research & Intellectual Property, {Pluristem, MATAM, HaifaOrganizer Department of Immunology and Regenerative BiologyContact Abstract Show full text abstract about PLacental expanded (PLX) cells are placenta-derived, mesench...» PLacental expanded (PLX) cells are placenta-derived, mesenchymal-like adherent stromal cells expanded using a bioreactor system which provides a three dimensional (3D) micro-environment enabling tightly controlled expansion. Accumulated data from multiple in vitro and in vivo experiments indicate that these cells act via a paracrine or endocrine manner to facilitate healing of damaged tissue.
Pluristem’s two lead placenta-derived cell products, PLX-PAD and PLX-R18, are each in clinical development for several indications. PLX-Immune is in non-clinical development stages for Cancer. Data from non-clinical as well as clinical studies will be presented. -
Date:25ThursdayOctober 2018Lecture
Pelletron meeting - by invitation only
More information Time 16:00 - 17:30Contact -
Date:28SundayOctober 201802FridayNovember 2018Academic Events
International Board SAAC Review
More information Time All dayContact -
Date:28SundayOctober 201801ThursdayNovember 2018International Board
SAAC meeting
More information Time All dayTitle Scientific and Academic Advisory Committee meeting 2018Contact -
Date:28SundayOctober 2018Conference
Pre SAAC Symposium on Recent Progress in Chemistry and in Advanced Materials
More information Time 08:30 - 16:30Location The David Lopatie Conference CentreChairperson Jacob KleinHomepage -
Date:28SundayOctober 2018Lecture
Pre-SAAC Symposium on High Energy Physics
More information Time 10:00 - 15:45Location Edna and K.B. Weissman Building of Physical SciencesLecturer Prof. Beate Heinemann, Prof. Joanna Stachel, Prof. Marumi Kado, Prof. Michael Dine, Prof. Michelangelo L. Mangano Organizer Faculty of PhysicsContact -
Date:28SundayOctober 2018Lecture
Interactive Microscopy Image Analysis with IMARIS
More information Time 10:30 - 10:30Location Max and Lillian Candiotty BuildingLecturer Georgia Golfis
BITPLANEOrganizer Department of Life Sciences Core FacilitiesContact -
Date:28SundayOctober 2018Lecture
Convergence of hunger and thirst in the insular cortex
More information Time 11:00 - 11:00Location Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Building for Biomedical ResearchLecturer Dr. Yoav Livneh
Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical SchoolOrganizer Department of Brain SciencesContact -
Date:28SundayOctober 2018Lecture
Ozone waves in the stratosphere and the early winter mid-latitude QBO signal
More information Time 11:00 - 11:00Location Sussman Family Building for Environmental SciencesLecturer Vered Silverman
Earth and Planetary Sciences Weizmann Institute of ScienceOrganizer Department of Earth and Planetary SciencesContact -
Date:28SundayOctober 2018Lecture
Unravelling the tumor immune microenvironment by multiplexed imaging
More information Time 15:00 - 15:00Location Arthur and Rochelle Belfer Building for Biomedical ResearchLecturer Dr. Leeat Yankielowicz-Keren
Department of Pathology, School of Medicine, Stanford UniversityOrganizer Department of Systems Immunology , Department of Molecular Cell Biology , Department of Molecular GeneticsContact -
Date:28SundayOctober 2018Lecture
Ultrahigh Field MR Imaging in the Mesosphere Where Physics, Life Sciences, Computer Sciences and Medicine Meet
More information Time 16:30 - 17:30Location Gerhard M.J. Schmidt Lecture HallLecturer Prof. Thoralf Niendorf
Berlin Ultrahigh Field Facility (B.U.F.F.), Max-Delbrueck Center for Molecular MedicineOrganizer Department of Molecular Chemistry and Materials ScienceContact Abstract Show full text abstract about The development of ultrahigh field magnetic resonance (UHF-M...» The development of ultrahigh field magnetic resonance (UHF-MR) is moving forward at an amazing speed that is breaking through technical barriers almost as fast as they appear. UHF-MR has a staggering number of potential uses in neuroscience, neurology, radiology, cardiology, internal medicine, physiology, oncology, nephrology, ophthalmology and other related clinical fields. With over 50,000 MR examinations already performed at 7.0 Tesla, the reasons for moving UHF-MR into clinical applications are more compelling than ever. The value UHF-MR has already proven itself many times over at lower field strengths; now 7.0 T has opened a window on tissues, organs, and (patho)physiological processes that have been largely inaccessible in the past. Images from these instruments have revealed new aspects of the anatomy, functions and physio-metabolic characteristics of the brain, heart, joints, kidneys, liver, eye, and other organs/tissues, at an unparalleled quality. 50,000 sounds like a large number, but in fact we have barely cracked open the door and have yet to truly assess what lies on the other side. To this end this presentation documents advances and progress of UHF-MR with the goal to engage the interest of clinical adopters, basic scientists, engineers, and translational researchers from many areas. To meet this goal the traits, challenges and opportunities for discovery of human UHF-MRI will be surveyed. The considerations run from technical advances to early clinical applications. Examples of UHF-MR strategies are demonstrated. Their added value over the kindred counterparts at lower fields is explored along with an outline of research promises. Encouraging developments into enabling multiple channel radiofrequency (RF) antennae concepts (Figure 1) are reviewed. Frontier applications of MR at 7.0 T are surveyed including cardiac imaging (Figure 1), ophthalmic MRI and high spatial resolution MRI of the brain. Heteronuclear UHF-MR applications are explored with a focus on in vivo mapping of electrolytes including potassium MRI and sodium MRI (Figure 1). Practical obstacles of UHF MR are outlined including MR safety. Insights into RF heating induced by conductive stents and implants are provided. Current trends in UHF-MR are considered together with their clinical implications. A concluding section ventures a glance beyond the horizon including explorations into Extreme Field MR (EF-MR) which envisions human MR at 20 Tesla, which is an important leap of the imagination because it aims to fill a crucial "resolution gap" in our understanding of human biology (39, 40). It is the speakers hope that this presentation will convey the seeds of this vision and inspire the audience to become pioneers in these amazingly promising new areas of biomedical research: ultrahigh field and extreme field MR..
