We are happy to announce that we are organizing the 5^th European Calcium Channel Conference (ECCC), to be held in Alpbach, Austria, from May 26-30, 2025. 

With the European Calcium Channel Conference, we try to cover a wide scope of calcium signaling, bring in workshops of general interest, and make it affordable also for early career scientists.

We regularly update the information on our meeting website (www.calciumchannel.eu). In addition, the website provides information about past meetings, for example, lists of speakers and pictures.

The European Calcium Channel Conference devotes much attention to poster presentations and will offer many presentation slots and special workshops for early career scientists.

Hence, in addition to presenting the newest and most exciting scientific developments in the field of calcium channel research, the conference provides an excellent networking opportunity and allows early career scientists to get in contact with the leaders in the field.

We look forward to your participation and contributions!

The organizers:

• Gerald Obermair, Karl Landsteiner University, Krems
• Thomas Gudermann, LMU Munich
• Petronel Tuluc, University of Innsbruck
• Marc Freichel, University of Heidelberg
• Martin Biel, LMU Munich
• Nadine Ortner, University of Innsbruck
• Tobias Moser, University of Göttingen
• Marta Campiglio, Medical University of Innsbruck
• Jörg Striessnig, University of Innsbruck
• Veit Flockerzi, Saarland University
• Bernhard Flucher, Medical University of Innsbruck

The ANA Meeting organizing committee welcomes symposia proposals for our next annual meeting taking place at the Institute of Science and Technology Austria (ISTA) in Klosterneuburg (for details, see https://ana-meeting-2025.ista.ac.at).

Use this opportunity to highlight your research topic through a symposium format, featuring three presentations of 20 minutes each, followed by a short discussion. Proposals should include the names and affiliations of all three presenters, along with a concise summary of the symposium's content (up to 500 words). At least one speaker should be affiliated to an Austrian institution and we strongly encourage submissions that reflect the diversity of our neuroscience community.

Please submit your proposals to secretary@austrian-neuroscience.at by March 1, 2025.

Applicants will be informed of the organizing committee’s decisions by April 1, 2025. Organizers of accepted symposia will be asked to provide an abstract for the program booklet by July 1, 2025.

Please note that symposium organizers and speakers will be responsible for covering their own travel, accommodation, and registration expenses.

The ANA Meeting organizing committee

Simon Hippenmeyer

Sébastien Couillard-Després

Isabella Sarto-Jackson

Petra Scholze

The 4th edition of the Brain Innovation Days, organised by the European Brain Council, will take place on 13-14 November 2024 in Brussels, Belgium. The aim of the event is to bring the wider brain ecosystem together to foster dialogue, exchange knowledge, accelerate investment in research & innovation and facilitate business development.

Key players and experts in the brain space across Europe and beyond will be able to connect through a networking-friendly programme and innovation showcasing. You can look forward to inspiring keynotes, panel discussions, the Brain Innovation Days Pitch Competition, an Innovation Hall, and much more.

The event will take place in the EGG. Located in the heart of Brussels, the venue offers an outstanding space with easy access by train, public transport and car (with many different parking facilities in the vicinity). The perfect place to meet creative minds, exchange knowledge and experience.

This year’s Brain Innovation Days will take place under the overarching theme “Navigating the Brain Across a Lifetime“!

The main theme will revolve around 5 subthemes:

Blossoming Brains: Early Brain Development

Building Brains: Schools and Workplaces

Timeless Brains: Nurturing Resilience, Embracing Change

⚙️ Holistic Brains: Strategies for Brain Health in a Dynamic Society

Advancements in Neurotechnology: Pioneering Innovations

The programme will include a wide array of session types, including plenary sessions, inspiring Brain Talks, Poster and Innovation Showcase, matchmaking and networking activities (guided and spontaneous), the Brain Innovation Days Pitch Competition, breakout sessions, panels, how-to sessions and other excited session formats still under wraps and in development!

Registrations are now open! More information can be found here: Registration – Brain Innovation Days

As per tradition, the annual ANA General Assembly meeting was held during the FENS Forum 2024. This year in Vienna, drawing a record attendance of Austrian neuroscientists on June 28, 2024. This reflects ANA's steady growth to over 400 members and its dedication to representing and supporting Austrian neuroscientists. In addition to financially supporting 10 students to attend the FENS Forum, ANA was thrilled with the success of its many supported satellite events. Of particular note were the many contributions to the Forum by the Student Host society. 

Below, Sigismund Huck (Chair of the FENS Host Society Committee) and ANA President Sébastien Couillard-Després reflect on the last year's achievements. To further support the Austrian neuroscience community, Hugo Malagon-Vina presented new plans to establish and incentivize local satellite groups in neuroscience hotspots across Austria. M.Sc., Ph.D. students, and early-post docs are particularly encouraged to join this initiative.

Don't forget to save the date for the next ANA meeting on September 8-10, 2025!

The Austrian Neuroscience Association (ANA) is proud to have sponsored travel grants for two promising Ukrainian researchers, Mariia Shypshyna and Ludmilka Kasatkina (center left), enabling them to participate in the FENS Forum 2024 in Vienna. This initiative highlights ANA's commitment to fostering international collaboration and supporting the next generation of scientists, even in challenging times. The travel grants were handed over by our president Sébastien Couillard-Després (center right), Sigismund Huck (Chair Host Society Committee, left) and our treasurer Petra Scholze (right).

Congratulations to Valeria Mussetto!

winner of the ANA Best Thesis Award 2024

Her PhD work in Jürgen Sandkühler’s lab at the Center for Brain Research in Vienna aimed at understanding the neurobiological substrates of the emotional components of pain. In particular, she focused on the lateral parabrachial nucleus, a brainstem center that is crucial for pain aversion, and investigated how neuro-glial transmission can be modulated in this area.

She discovered two novel forms of synaptic plasticity at glutamatergic synapses triggered by opioid administration, identifying the parabrachial nucleus as a new site of opioid-induced neuronal adaptations and describing the first direct evidence of plasticity in this structure. Additionally, Valeria’s work shed light into the largely unexplored roles of parabrachial glial cells, expanding our understanding of regional variability in neuro-immuno-glial networks in the brain and providing insights into the differential contribution of glia to specific aspects of pathological pain.

Valeria’s findings have significant implications for our understanding of opioid abuse and chronic pain mechanisms and can open new avenues for the treatment of these conditions. Details of her findings can be found on JPain and Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience.

link to the meeting website: https://ana-meeting-2025.ista.ac.at

The European Society for Neurochemistry invites all ANA Members to register for free at the FENS Forum Satellite "Neurodevelopment in Health and Disease". Meeting participants are also invited to contribute a publication to a special issue of the Journal of Molecular Neuroscience.

It is with great sadness that the ANA learned about the recent passing of Hans Tuppy (*22 July 1924, Vienna – †24 April 2024).

Hans Tuppy was an outstanding figure in Austria’s academia. With the prospects of a brilliant academic career, he chose to serve the academic world in a truly altruistic manner. He held various prestigious positions: Dean of the Medical Faculty (1970-72), Rector of the University of Vienna and President of the Rectors' Conference (1983-85), President of the Austrian Science Fund (1974-82), President of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (1985-87), and Minister for Science and Research (1987-89). In its obituary, the IMP acknowledged Hans Tuppy for his role in “providing crucial support for the development of IMP and the Vienna BioCenter.” On the occasion of his 90th birthday, his student Peter Palese delivered a touching speech. Despite all the positions he held, he was a wonderful, lovely person with a curious, open mind who made you feel like a colleague. His occasional critical remarks always came with a humorous, chuckling smile.

I remember Hans Tuppy very well. He delivered brilliant lectures in chemistry and biochemistry (unfortunately, very little molecular biology at the time), which were always packed with us, the students. I passed my “Rigorosum” with distinction, even though I somehow messed up my practical exam by not getting the expected results. He did not mind, as I could somehow prove that I understood the principle.

At the 2016 Meeting at the ISTA, ANA awarded Hans Tuppy its Honorary Membership. He deeply regretted that he could not attend in person. Keeping his generosity and kindness in our hearts, we will miss him greatly.

Sigismund Huck & the Austrian Neuroscience Community

On behalf of the meeting organizers, we would like to invite you to the 3^rd Locus Coeruleus meeting in Innsbruck

About the meeting:

The Locus Coeruleus Meeting is a small and quite diverse meeting that tries to understand the early vulnerability of the locus coeruleus and other neuromodulatory nuclei in aging and neurodegenerative conditions.

About the participants: 

The meeting aims to bring together researchers with a background in clinical research on neurodegenerative conditions, cognitive neuroscience, MRI Physics, neuroscience in animal models, and other relevant disciplines with an interest in neuromodulatory systems and in particular the noradrenergic locus coeruleus in health and disease. 

Where and when:

The meeting will take place at the Grillhof in Innsbruck from the 9th to the 11th of September 2024.

>> CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFO & REGISTRATION <<

Registration will be open until the 15th of April 2024

Please do not hesitate to email us with any questions

email: LCMeeting2024'at'uibk.ac.at

  We look forward to welcoming you at our 3rd Locus Coeruleus Meeting! 

On behalf of the meeting organizers

Dorothea Haemmerer

Professor for Developmental Psychology

Department of Psychology, University of Innsbruck

Principal Investigator

Institute of Cognitive Neurology and Dementia Research,

Medical Faculty, Otto von Guericke University Magdeburg

Associate research fellow

Institute of Cognitive Neuroscience, University College London