Lab Expectations

Biological imaging data has massive potential in terms of complexity of experiment and richness of dataset. While early imaging experiments were mostly descriptive, showing if "target X presents in cell of interest;" modern experiments have the potential to massively multiplex, define complex spatial relationships, measure levels or numbers of tiny subcellular components, and even measure mRNA.

In Nov 2017, over 30,000 neuroscientists gathered in Washington D.C. to talk all things brain at the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) meeting. I’ve attended SfN for what is now on the order of decades. Having reluctantly accepted veteran status for the annual meeting, I thought this year’s SfN was an opportunity to consider where neuroscience has been, where it is, and where it’s going.

The research objectives at SfN — to understand how molecules, cells, and circuits drive complex behavior — are broad and overwhelming. Even today, I choke up recalling that inevitable question I’d get from my graduate school advisor after a meeting — what did you learn? Such a question is challenging for any meeting, and a strong perspective, particularly for SfN, is necessary to even consider it.

It's almost time for the 2017 Society for Neuroscience meeting. To get your neurons excited for the meeting, here's a journal club discussing a recent paper with interesting findings for Alzheimer's disease. 

The pathological hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is the accumulation of amyloid β (Aβ) plaques and neurofibrillary tangles. Despite decades of research, the direct (and indirect) contribution of these lesions in disease progression is poorly understood. Do these lesions directly cause neuronal dysfunction and neurodegeneration? If so, why do some patients accumulate these lesions, but exhibit normal neurological behavioral before death? Do AD patients have secondary defects in cellular and/or molecular processes that normally function to protect patients from accumulation of these nefarious lesions? If so, what are these cell types and what…

Wait.

Take a breath.

This year’s Society for Neuroscience (SfN) was held in beautiful San Diego, CA. More than 30,000 neuroscientists and vendors attended the annual meeting to share and discuss all topics neuroscience. Of course, neuroscience is a broad, multidisciplinary field ranging from molecules and neurons, to circuits and behavior. As an attendee, prioritizing the symposium talks and posters has always been a challenge, and this year’s meeting was no different.