Agenda
Thursday, July 16, 2026
7 a.m.
Registration / Breakfast / Exhibits
7:50 a.m.
Meeting Introduction
Matthew Rizzo, MD, FAAN, FANA
Frances & Edgar Reynolds Professor; Chair, Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
8 a.m.
Opening Remarks
H. Dele Davies, MD
Chancellor, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Session 1: Sleep and Circuits
8:15 a.m.
Keynote
Sleep and Synaptic Homeostasis
Chiara Cirelli, MD, PhD
Vice Chair for Research; Professor, Department of Psychiatry, University of Wisconsin–Madison School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI
9 a.m.
Oral Presentation
Hypothalamic MCH Neurons Links Tau Pathology to Sleep Disruption
Peng Zhong, PhD
Assistant Professor, Systems Neuroscience, Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Trainee Flash Presentations
Twitches During NREM Sleep are Developmentally Transient
Taylor Christiansen
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Investigating the Role of Astrocytes in Deficient Sleep in Fragile X Syndrome Mouse Model
Alexandria Anding
University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
NREM-Associated Spindle-Like Oscillatory Burst Detection in Neonate EEG
Julie Gonzales
University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
9:40 a.m.
Break / Exhibits
Session 2: Brain Health Across the Lifespan: Neurodevelopment and Neurodegeneration
9:45 a.m.
Keynote
Biotypes of Disordered Sleep in Autism
Jacob Michaelson, PhD
Roy J. Carver Professor of Psychiatry and Neuroscience; Director, Division of Computational and Molecular Psychiatry; University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
10:30 a.m.
Oral Presentations
Development and Evolution of Cochlea Require Irx3/5 and Lmx1a/b
Bernd Fritzsch, PhD
Professor, Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Examining the Effects of Prenatal Alcohol Exposure on Auditory Processing in Mouse Models of FASD
Padmashri Ragunathan, PhD
Associate Professor, Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
New Approaches for Understanding Dopaminergic Neuron-Specific Mitochondrial Alterations
Kelly Stauch, PhD
Associate Professor, Experimental Neuroscience, Department of Neurological Sciences, Seahorse Core Director, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Trainee Flash Presentations
Cerebellar Characterization of Patient-Derived Mouse Models of Autism Spectrum Disorder: Insights From Animal Behavior to Neuronal Morphology
Madison O’Bryan
University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA
Development of Rod Photoreceptor Synapses in the Primate Retina
Sophie Hyman
University of Wisconsin–Madison, Madison, WI
Board Geometry and Difficulty Scale Continuous Cortical Engagement During Unstable Standing
Theodoros Deligiannis
University of Nebraska Omaha, Omaha, NE
11:40 p.m.
Lunch / Exhibits
Session 3: Motivation and Addiction
Session Introduction
Anna Dunaevsky, PhD
Professor, Developmental Neuroscience, Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
12:30 p.m.
Oral Presentations
Gene-Environment Interactions Modulate Anxiety-Like Behaviors and Nicotine Sensitivity Following Adolescent Social Stress in BXD Mice
Thomas Gould, PhD
Jean Phillips Shibley Professor and Department Head, Biobehavioral Health
Penn State Neuroscience Institute, Pennsylvania State University, State College, PA
Targeting the Gut to Treat the Brain: The Intestinal Microbiome as a Therapeutic Intervention for Addiction
Santiago Cuesta, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience, Rutgers University, New Brunswick, NJ
Trainee Flash Presentations
Methamphetamine-Related Behavioral and Neural Alterations in the Tracking of Reward Availability
Robert Roy
University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
Examining Autonomic Arousal in a Novel Model of Negative Urgency: The Effects of mTBI on Negative-Affect Induced Impulsivity
Victoria Stiritz
Rutgers University, Newark, NJ
1:15 p.m.
Poster Session
Session 4: Bioinformatics & AI
2:15 p.m.
Keynote
The National Institutes of Health, Brain Research Through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN®) Initiative: Inventing the Future
John Jay Ngai, PhD
Director and Senior Investigator, Brain Research through Advancing Innovative Neurotechnologies (BRAIN®) Initiative, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD
3 p.m.
Oral Presentations
Brain Mechanics and Memory: Insights from Magnetic Resonance Elastography
Hillary Schwarb, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
Children With Math Learning Difficulties Show Altered Resting-State Connectivity in Parietal Brain Regions
Isabella Starling-Alves, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Educational Psychology, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
One Cell at a Time: A True Single-Cell Cis- and Trans-Regulatory Atlas of the Whole Human Brain
Avinash Veerappa, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of Genetics, Cell Biology, and Anatomy, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Robust AI Single-Cell Annotation Enables Cross-Species Transfer and Neuroimmune Discovery in HIV/SIV
Dorzhey Matkhanov
Bioinformatician, Department of Neurological Sciences, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Interpretable Gait Biomarker Modeling for Neurodegenerative Disease Detection Using Wearable Lower-Back IMUs
Fadi Alsaleem, PhD
James S. and Virginia A. Blackman Associate Professor, Durham School Architectural Engineering & Construction, University of Nebraska–Lincoln, Lincoln, NE
4:20 p.m.
Closing Remarks
Matthew Rizzo, MD, FAAN, FANA
4:30 p.m.
Adjourn
Optional Reception / Dinner
Herbe Sainte
1934 S 67th Street, Omaha, NE 68106
4:45 p.m.
Networking Reception / Cocktail Hour
5:45 p.m.
Dinner