MDNS Journal Clubs

Please email the organizer for date/location confirmations & update emails

ORGANIZER/S:  Kaiden Jobin

WHEN/WHERE: Second Tuesday of each month at 2:00 pm (Zoom)

WHAT: This Journal Club covers current literature with translatable or clinical applications in acquired brain injury, with topics covering cellular/systems neuroscience, animal modeling, imaging and other detection modalities, neuropsychological and clinical outcomes. Presenters (2 per session) can either delve in depth into one article or compare multiple articles (cell/systems to clinical).

Please email the organizer for date/location confirmations & update emails.

ORGANIZER/S: Alex Lohman, Aaron Lanz, and Tamas Fuzesi 

WHEN/WHERE:  Last Monday of the month at 3:00-4:30pm (Zoom)

WHAT: The Advanced Neuroscience Techniques Journal Club is focused on introducing and detailing advanced, cutting-edge techniques and tools/technologies used in neuroscience research applicable to a broad range of research focuses. The aim of this journal club is to cover specific topics aligned with the core facilities in place at the Hotchkiss Brain Institute and University of Calgary. The topics will be structured monthly with each session devoted to one topic. Each session will involve presentations from 2 attendees each covering a paper applying a cutting-edge technique/tool to a branch of neuroscience research. Topics include, but are not limited to; deep brain, high resolution imaging (i.e. multiphoton, etc); population imaging/recording in freely behaving animals (head-fixed cameras, etc); in vivo electrophysiology; brain connectomics (CLARITY, stacked electron microscopy, etc); alternative optogenetics (tools outside of prototypical opsin based proteins); single cell RNA sequencing and proteomics; flow cytometry and fluorescence assisted cell sorting (FACS).

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ORGANIZER/S: Spencer Loewen 

WHEN/WHERE: Fri at 9:30-10:30am (Zoom)

WHAT: The focus of this Journal Club is to critically dissect novel (and/or seminal) original research articles that fall within the over-arching fields of ion channel/synaptic physiology; from the level of basic synaptic transmission and channel biophysics to the functional consequences on neural circuits and behaviour. The papers we discuss commonly employ distinct techniques that include, but are not limited to, electrophysiology (patch clamp), laser-scan imaging, molecular biology, optogenetic manipulations, and behavioural assays. We do not restrict papers based on the research topic (for example, learning & memory, addiction, stress, neuropathology) or model systems, but rather that the research questions must involve interrogation of ion channel function and/or the synapse. 

ORGANIZER/S: Kate Godfrey and Preeti Kar

WHEN/WHERE: Contact Organizer (Zoom); 

WHAT: The Developmental Neuroimaging Journal Club focuses on a range of topics including: healthy development, developmental disorders, mental health, and intervention studies conducted using neuroimaging techniques in a pediatric population

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ORGANIZER/S: Lamees Mohammad

WHEN/WHERE: Alternating Tuesdays at 2:00-3:00 pm (Zoom)

WHAT: This Journal Club reviews current literature in the field of developmental neuroscience. Emphasis is placed on fundamental, cutting-edge discoveries and technologies that have significant impact on enhancing our understanding of the mechanisms that control development of neural tissues and cells

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ORGANIZER/S: Conrad Rockel

WHEN/WHERE: Alternating Wed at 11:00-12:00pm (Zoom)

WHAT: This Journal Club encourages presenters to choose articles that are of interest to them in the field of fMRI. We review articles over a range of topics including brain physiology, cognitive neuroscience and clinical applications, such as, epilepsy, psychiatry, and systemic disease using a variety of fMRI techniques. We also cover general methods in resting-state fMRI, task-based fMRI, combined EEG-fMRI and DTI-fMRI, and acquisition/analysis techniques

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ORGANIZER/S: Govind Peringod, Arsenije Subotic, Jordan Haidey, Anastasiia Stepanchuk (dementia.jclub@gmail.com)

WHEN/WHERE: Third Wednesday of the month starting September 19, 12:00pm - 2:00pm (Zoom)

WHAT: What happens to the brain as we age? What biomarkers, models and interventions have we developed? How can we understand and support a person living with dementia? This Journal Club reviews current literature and emerging techniques related to cognitive decline in aging as well as the diagnosis, prevention and treatment of dementia. Topics include, but are not limited to: mechanisms of neurovascular (un)coupling in aging; clinical biomarkers for early detection of dementia; cutting-edge animal and computational models; exercise and cognitive/behavioral interventions for amelioration/prevention of symptoms. Each session will focus on a core topic, and will consist of three presentations (physiology-focused; behavioral/social-focused; 3-minute investor pitch) followed by a facilitated discussion with the aim of dissecting and contextualizing presentation content. This is a great opportunity for basic and clinical researchers to: improve your understanding of the mechanisms, diagnosis and implications of neural and vascular dysregulation/degeneration in aging; develop critical analysis and strategic communication skills; connect/network with colleagues within this emerging cross-disciplinary field of neuroscience.

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ORGANIZER/S: N3 coordinator

WHEN/WHERE: TBA (Zoom)

WHAT: Contact organizer

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ORGANIZER/S: Trisha Lichtenberger

WHEN/WHERE: Second/Third Friday of the month at 3:00-4:00pm (Zoom)

WHAT: This Journal Club reviews inspiring pieces of work. The range of acceptable topics is broad (e.g. axon regeneration, biomarkers, demyelination/remyelination, genetics, immunology, stem cells, clinical trials, etc.) but there must be a clear connection to multiple sclerosis research. Two active roles are available per meeting. 1) Presenter prepares and presents the article. 2) Discussant moderates the discussion.

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ORGANIZER: Jessica Scheufen  and Savannah Lightfoot

WHEN/WHERE: Alternating Friday at 3:30-4:30pm (Hybrid)

WHAT: This Journal Club reviews current literature in the field of behavioural neuroscience and neuroethology at a systems level. Emphasis will be placed on examination of work employing novel, cutting-edge methods to better understand the how circuits in the nervous system interact to control a number of behaviours in a variety of model and non-model organisms; including, cognitive (ie. Memory and learning, reward and feeding, stress, etc.), motor (ie. Voluntary movement, prehension, locomotion, respiration, etc.), sensory (ie. Somatosensory, pain, vision, hearing, olfaction, etc.), neural injury & repair, and autonomic topics.

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ORGANIZER/S: Ephrem Zewdie 

WHEN/WHERE: Last Friday of the month, 11:00-12:00pm (Zoom)

WHAT:  Journal Club is about non-invasive neurostimulation (hosted by the N3 network).  N3 investigators use Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) to non-invasively stimulate small targeted regions of the brain with applications in research related to: movement disorders, mental health, cerebral palsy and neurodevelopmental disorders, neurorehabilitation, pediatric traumatic brain injury and concussion, pain and neuromuscular fatigue.

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ORGANIZER/S: Brooke Belanger

WHEN/WHERE: Alternating Fridays at 1:15pm (Zoom)

WHAT: This journal club focuses on accurately interpreting the latest complex medical research and formatting this research into entertaining journalistic pieces. 

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ORGANIZER/S: Adam Lognon

WHEN/WHERE: TBA (Zoom)

WHAT: Contact organizer

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ORGANIZER/S: Mohamed Najm and Lexi Wilson

WHEN/WHERE: Wed at 3:00-4:00pm (Zoom)

WHAT: Our meetings fluctuate between journal clubs and Imaging/project meetings. We try to have 1 journal club and around 2-3 project updates meetings per month. Our projects and meetings focus on studying imaging techniques to assess thrombus characteristics, leptomeningeal collaterals and tissue perfusion in patients with major acute ischemic stroke using CTA, dynamic CTA and perfusion CT. Our main trials seek to understand thrombus characteristics on imaging that can predict recanalization with thrombolytics in patients with acute ischemic stroke, as well as to understand the additional clinical utility of perfusion CT and multiphase CTA when compared to CT brain and conventional CT-angio. 

ORGANIZER/S: Romella Durrani 

WHEN/WHERE: First Thurs. of the month at 12:00-1:30 (Zoom)

WHAT: This Journal Club covers basic science, clinical research, and patient perspectives, and aims to be a forum for discussing translational research and precision medicine. It serves a wide array of researchers and clinicians and covers breadth and depth in the field of neuroscience. Translational research and precision medicine are topics that are becoming increasingly prominent and important in science and medicine, since they bridge the gap between basic science research, clinical applications, and personalized medicine/patient satisfaction. Although each area of research attacks scientific questions and health problems from a different perspective, they all inherently connect to the same overarching questions and end-goals for finding health solutions and serving patients. Thus, our journal club facilitates the translation of research from bench-side to bedside to bridge gaps in knowledge. This translation doesn’t just stop at bedside treatment, as patients' perspectives and experiences will also be featured here.

How our Journal Club works: Every month, we will host a two hour session revolving around a specific neurological disease or mental illness. Each session will feature basic science and clinical research on that topic by having presenters discuss one paper from each perspective. Additionally, we will also feature a patient guest speaker to speak about their perspective and experiences with that illness. This will be a great opportunity for everyone to understand these illnesses from a broader perspective, and learn about cellular, molecular and clinical applications, keeping precision medicine and patient needs in mind.

Please email the organizer for date/location confirmations & update emails

ORGANIZER/S: Kelsea Gorzo and Tefani Perera

WHEN/WHERE: Fridays (May - August) at 11:00-12:00pm (Zoom)

WHAT:  This journal club is a neuroscience-themed club for undergraduate summer students affiliated with the Hotchkiss Brain Institute. As neuroscience undergraduates come from vastly different neuroscience fields, we will not restrict our journal club to a specific topic or perspective in neuroscience. Instead, presenters will choose and present any neuroscience journal article they like (or dislike). We have three goals: 1) develop critical thinking skills in undergraduate students; 2) expose undergraduate students to the techniques, approaches, and ideas used in a variety of neuroscience fields; and 3) create a better community for HBI summer students by giving students weekly opportunities to meet. For more details, join our group on Facebook. 

ORGANIZER/S: Jessica Youngblood and Mohammad Ghasoub

WHEN/WHERE: Alternating Thursdays, 12:00-1:00pm, starting the week of September 19 or September 26, for Fall 2022 (Zoom). TBD for Winter 2023 

WHAT: In this journal club, we will review clinical, basic, and translational research studies aimed at better understanding child development and improving the health and wellness of children living with neurodevelopmental disorders using innovative technologies such as neuroimaging, brain stimulation, robotics, machine learning, computational neuroscience, neurological/psychiatric applications in a clinical setting, etc... The journal club is open to all undergraduate, graduate, and postdoctoral fellows interested in pediatric health and neurodevelopment.