On April 5 we invite all researchers in the field of translational neuroscience and investigators of public and private partners to join us for the next Translational Neuroscience Network (TN2) symposium: Understanding and Manipulating Neuroplasticity.

This event will be a great opportunity for you to meet industry partners, and connect with other investigators. We are pleased to welcome you at Amsterdam Science Park for a day filled with educational and inspiring lectures and presentations.
Make sure to register to join us on April 5.

Program


09.00 - 09.20

Entrance, coffee and opening event
By Guus Smit and Menno Schoonheim

09.20 – 10.15
KEYNOTE LECTURE I
Neuroplasticity, a historical perspective
Keynote lecture of Dick Swaab

10.30 - 11.30
Neuroplasticity across the lifespan

Presentations by Rinze Neuteboom and Mara Rocca

11.30 - 12.30
Targeting neuroplasticity with neurostimulation
Presentations by Debby Klooster and Martijn Arns

12.30 - 13.00
Three 10-minute selected Poster Presentations

13.00 - 14.30
Lunch break & Poster Market

14.30 - 15.15
Industry Alliance I: Using MEG in neuro-oncology
Presentation by Arjan Hillebrand and Amit Jaiswal of MEGIN

15.15 - 16.15
KEYNOTE LECTURE II
The modulation of brain functional connectivity across multiple scales

Keynote lecture of Valentin Riedl

16.15 - 16.30
CANDIDATE Center
Presentation by Pieter van Bokhoven and Ruud Wijdeven

16.30 - 16.35
Poster award

16.35 - 18.00
Drinks

Keynote Lectures

Alongside many interesting presentations, two keynote lectures will be held during this event. First, professor Dick Swaab will take us on a journey through time on neuroplasticity. Then, as a closing lecture of the day, Professor Riedl will connect the two themes (synaptic plasticity and TMS) we have spend the whole day with in his lecture.

Keynote Lecture I: Dick Swaab

Neuroplasticity, a historical perspective
Dick Swaab
MD, PhD, Full Professor of Neurobiology at the University of Amsterdam
Short abstract

Santiago Ramón Y Cagal (1894) used the term ‘plasticity’ in relation to adaptation to the environment in development. Plasticity is the capacity of the brain to change. Modifiability of the brain in development is extensively present in all its components, and takes place in interaction with the environment during critical periods (Lorentz, 1935). Michele Vincenzo Malacarne (1793) proposed that an enriched environment would stimulate the number of cerebellar folia. Darwin (1871) found that wild rabbits had 20-30% larger brains than the ones in captivity. Rosenzweig and Diamond only elaborated the experimental paradigm of an enriched environment in development and adulthood on synapses and glia cell numbers much later (1962-1985).

Concerning adult plasticity Cagal’s first opinion was ‘that once development is completed, the sources of growth and regeneration of axons and dendrites are irrevocably lost’. However, later (1928) he described regenerative processes after lesions. Adult neurogenesis, was shown in the rat by Altman and Bayer (1962-1982), but strongly denied for decennia by Rakic (1962-1999) and is still in discussion for the human brain.

Cajal (1928) already hypothesized that adult plasticity would have a significant role in memory formation. Hebb (1948) proposed that the co-incidence of pre- and postsynaptic activity would be the basis for this process. Although Golgi described peri-neuronal nets already in 1882, their role in closing off critical periods and in learning and memory becomes only recently apparent It should be noted that plasticity in adulthood is not only limited but can also be non-adaptive and e.g. cause phantom sensations and pain.


Keynote Lecture II: Valentin Riedl

The modulation of brain functional connectivity across multiple scales
Valentin Riedl
MD, PhD, Full Professor for Metabolic Brain Imaging at Friedrich-Alexander University (FAU) Erlangen, Germany
Short abstract

The human brain is a powerful information processor, composed of a densely interconnected network of neurons and synapses. Non-invasive brain imaging can provide a macroscopic description of the brain's functional connectome, but the underlying signaling dynamics remain largely unknown. In my talk, I will discuss two recent projects that examined the stability of
functional connectivity on a macro-scale and the molecular mechanisms of signaling pathways on a micro-scale. We discovered that the same brain stimulation applied to different network nodes had contradictory effects on the stability of the connectome.

Furthermore, we found that humans expend a significant amount of energy on the slow neuromodulator activity of signaling pathways. Overall, the functional connectome offers a reliable account of the communication pathways within the human brain, though there are numerous dynamic processes yet to be explored.