Society for Neuroscience Oregon/SW Washington Chapter
The Oregon/Southwest Washington Chapter is the local group affiliated with the Society for Neuroscience. Our goal is to be a networking resource for neuroscience students, postdoctoral scholars and faculty throughout the region. Our annual meeting in the spring brings together scientists to share projects, network with elected officials and government entities, and engage with colleagues from across the state.
Our 2024 meeting took place at McMenamin's Edgefield in Troutdale, OR, on March 8 and 9, 2024.
- Schedule
- Logistics
- Membership
Schedule
Friday, Mar. 8, 1 - 9 p.m.
Mini-symposium on Neuroinflammation and the Aging Brain
1 p.m. | Mini-sypmposium keynote: Treatment strategies to prevent and reverse cognitive decline associated with aging and traumatic brain injury
Susanna Rosi, Ph.D.
Principal Investigator, Altos Labs Bay Area Institute
Adjunct Professor, Departments of Physical Therapy Rehabilitation Science and Neurological Surgery
University of California, San Francisco
1:40 p.m. | Environmental challenges, immune and neuroinflammatory measures, and behavioral and cognitive measures in animal models
Jacob Raber, Ph.D., Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU
2:05 p.m. | Thrombin generation: gate keeper or grim reaper of the blood-brain barrier
Owen McCarty, Ph.D., FAHA, Professor and Chair, Biomedical Engineering, OHSU
2:30 p.m. | The influence of maternal nutrition, metabolic state and inflammation on child risk for psychiatric disorders
Elinor Sullivan, Ph.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU
2:55 p.m. | Understanding the role of microglial cells in motor neuron vulnerability in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS)
Bahareh Ajami, Ph.D., Assistant Professor of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU
3:20 p.m. | Break
3:40 p.m. | Ferroptosis drives microglial cell death following white matter injury in the aging brain
Philip Adeniyi, Ph.D., Post Doctoral Fellow, OHSU
4:05 p.m. | Will chronic inhibition of dual leucine zipper kinase (DLK) be neuroprotective and restore neuronal function in aged demyelination?
Katie Emberley, Department of Neurology, Jungers Center for Neurosciences Research, OHSU
4:20 p.m. | Elevated expression of a5-integrin by myeloid cells in motor areas provides a potential target for therapeutics in ALS
Audie Chiot, Departments of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology and Behavioral Neuroscience, OHSU
4:35 p.m. | Role of peripheral inflammation in driving central nervous system inflammatory signature in pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s Disease
Paula Sanchez Molinam, Department of Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, OHSU
4:50 p.m. | Poster Session I and Networking Social Hour
Elias M. Wisdom, OHSU
Jay C. Adams, Oregon State University
Kaitlyn Kim, Oregon State University
Rachel Morrill, OHSU
Ibrahim A. Abou-Seada, Oregon State University
Benjamin Bui, Legacy Research Institute
Mariel Kristine Micael, Vollum Institute
Will Liguore, Oregon National Primate Research Center
Kaylee Ha, OHSU
William S. Griesar, Ph.D., and Jeff Leake, Portland State University
6 p.m. | Dinner
6:45 p.m. | Meeting Keynote: Determinants and mechanisms of neuroinflammation-induced memory deficits in aging
Ruth M. Barrientos, Ph.D.
Associate Professor, Institute for Behavioral Medicine Research
Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Health
Ohio State University College of Medicine
Saturday, Mar. 9, 8 a.m. - 2 p.m.
7 a.m. | Continental Breakfast
8 a.m. | Las neuronas son bacanes: Interdisciplinary neuroscience in Valparaiso Chile
William S. Griesar, Ph.D., and Jeff Leake Department of Psychology, Portland State University
8:30 a.m. | The mouse olfactory bulb tracks breathing rhythms and place
Matt Smear, Ph.D., Associate Professor of Neuroscience and Psychology, University of Oregon
9 a.m. | Effects of amyloid beta peptides on platelet hemostatic function and procoagulant platelet generation
Yiheng Zhang, Department of Biomedical Engineering, OHSU
9:15 a.m. | T cell receptor-based cell therapy for central nervous system injury
Taitea Dykstra, OHSU
9:30 a.m. | Effects of TFEB gene therapy on hippocampal-dependent learning and molecular signaling in obese female and male 5xFAD mice
Danielle Osborne, Legacy Research Institute
9:45 a.m. | Structural insight into heteromeric assembly in epithelial sodium channels
Isabelle Baconguis, Ph.D., Assistant Scientist, Vollum Institute
10:15 a.m. | Poster Session II
Kadi Rae Smith, Portland State University
Natalie Robison, Portland State University
Emilee Brnusak, Portland State University
Connor Hilts, OHSU
Benjamin Zimmerman, OHSU
Brooke Rogers, OHSU
Olivia Monestime, OHSU
Joshua Karpf, Oregon National Primate Research Center
Opal Stayer-Wilburn, Oregon National Primate Research Center
Anahit Grigorian, Oregon National Primate Research Center
William S. Griesar, Ph.D., and Jeff Leake, Portland State University
11:15 a.m. | Electrophysiological characterization of immortalized ovine hypothalamic kisspeptin neurons
Anna Nielson, Oregon State University
11:30 a.m. | Assessing the role of inattention, response latency, and perseveration in predicting behavioral flexibility in rhesus macaques
Daniel Smith, Oregon National Primate Research Center
11:45 a.m. | Impact of ketamine and novelty on cue-induced reinstatement of cocaine self-administration in rats
Angela Gonzalez, Washington State University
12 noon | Molecular mechanisms of maternal care in a mouthbrooding cichlid fish
Suzy Renn, Ph.D., Professor of Biology, Reed College
12:30 | Lunch
1 p.m. | Awards and Adjournment
Logistics
Membership
Below you will find flyers from our past annual meetings:
- 2023 Mini-symposium on the Neuroscience of Psychedelics
- 2022 Mini-symposium on Neurogenetics
- 2021 Mini-symposium of the Gut Microbiome-Nervous System Axis
- 2019 Mini-symposium: Neuroscience of sex difference
- 2018 Mini-symposium: Neuroscience of neuropsychiatric disorders
- 2017 Satellite meeting: Myelin
- 2016 Mini-symposium: Neuroscience of addiction
- 2015 Mini-symposium: Neuroscience of cancer

Contact us
Larry Sherman, Ph.D.
President, SfN OR/SWW Chapter
Professor, Oregon National Primate Research Center, OHSU