[box]Amelia Eisch, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, will present the keynote address during the NEURON Conference at Quinnipiac University’s Center for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences in North Haven.[/box]
Adult neuron growth and its impact on psychiatric disorders will be the focus of Amelia Eisch’s keynote address at the 25th annual Northeast Under/graduate Research Organization for Neuroscience (NEURON) Conference at Quinnipiac University on Sunday, Feb. 23.
Eisch, associate professor of psychiatry at the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, will present the talk, “Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis: What are New Neurons Good For? What is Good for New Neurons?” at theCenter for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences at 10 a.m. on Quinnipiac’s North Haven Campus.
“Eisch’s work is very important to understanding the relationship between adult neurogenesis and problems like mood disorders,” said Adrienne Betz, assistant professor of psychology, director of behavioral science and organizer of the Connecticut NEURON Conference. “We are honored to have her come to Quinnipiac.”
Eisch’s research team is working to understand how new neurons are involved in psychiatric disorders. Specifically, Eisch is exploring whether alterations in adult hippocampal neurogenesis by chronic antidepressant administration plays a role in depression and in the response to antidepressants. She is also exploring how methylphenidate, a drug commonly used in children to treat ADHD, will affect adult hippocampal neurogenesis. In addition, her research has found evidence that new neurogenesis may regulate the behavioral response of an animal to a stressful situation.
NEURON is an organization that supports undergraduate and graduate neuroscience education and research in the northeast region of the United States. The organization hosts annual conferences that are focused on enhancing neuroscience training. Previous conferences have attracted a wide audience from institutions all over the northeast.
This year’s conference program includes the keynote address, poster sessions, workshops and tours of the Center for Medicine, Nursing and Health Sciences. It will conclude with an awards ceremony.
For the general public, the keynote address is free. Registration for those wishing to attend the entire conference is $16 for adults and $7 for high school students.
For more information, please contact Betz at [email protected] or 203-582-5259.