Joint with: Neurobiology of Appetite Control
Sensory Systems: Interoception and Exteroception
Jan 18–21, 2027 | Keystone Resort, Keystone, CO, United States
Scientific Organizers:
Stephen Liberles and Vanessa Ruta
×
-
Jan 18–21, 2027 | Keystone Resort, Keystone, CO, United States
Scientific Organizers: Stephen Liberles and Vanessa Ruta
Stephen Liberles, PhD
Harvard Medical School
Stephen Liberles, Ph.D., is a Professor of Cell Biology at Harvard Medical School and an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. His research focuses on the molecular neuroscience of sensory systems, including olfaction, pheromone sensing, and internal organ senses of the vagus nerve. His lab has made foundational discoveries in how the vagus nerve controls physiology and behavior, identifying novel body-brain reflexes, sensory receptors, and the mechanisms by which bodily signals are organized in the brain. He has received an NIH Director’s Pioneer Award and was elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Vanessa Ruta, PhD
Rockefeller University
Vanessa Ruta, Ph.D., is the Gabrielle H. Reem and Herbert J. Kayden Professor and Director of the Price Family Center for the Social Brain at The Rockefeller University, and an Investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute. Her lab investigates the neural circuits and computations underlying innate and learned behaviors, using the concise chemosensory circuitry of the fruit fly Drosophila as a model system. Her research has yielded foundational insights into how the brain encodes olfactory memory, how evolution rewires neural circuits to generate species-specific behaviors, and the structural basis of insect olfactory receptor function. She is a recipient of the MacArthur Fellowship and was recently elected to the National Academy of Sciences.
Available Formats:
Supported by:
Livestream
In Person
On Demand
***Meeting program subject to change.
Available Formats: = Livestream = In Person = On DemandBooking Function
Merchandise Options
Registration Options
Monday, January 18, 2027
Fundraising
Registration
4:00–8:00 PM
Welcome Mixer
6:00–8:00 PM
Tuesday, January 19, 2027
Breakfast
7:00–8:00 AM
Welcome Remarks (Joint)
8:00–8:10 AM
Keynote Address (Joint)
8:10–9:00 AM
Misha Ahrens, Janelia Research Campus
Whole-Brain, All-Optical Interrogation of Neuronal Dynamics Underlying Gut Interoception
Whole-Brain, All-Optical Interrogation of Neuronal Dynamics Underlying Gut Interoception
Body-Brain Interoception I (Joint)
9:00–11:30 AM
Stephen Liberles, Harvard Medical School
Mechanisms of Body-Brain Communication
Mechanisms of Body-Brain Communication
Kara Marshall, Baylor College of Medicine
Under Pressure: The Role of PIEZO Ion Channels in Interoception
Under Pressure: The Role of PIEZO Ion Channels in Interoception
Isabel Espinosa Medina, Janelia Research Campus - Howard Hughes Medical Institute
Brain Meets Pancreas: Patterned Innervation Shapes Adult Metabolic Control
Brain Meets Pancreas: Patterned Innervation Shapes Adult Metabolic Control
Alejandro Lopez, UCSF
Short Talk: Functional Segregation of Body-Brain Signals in the Area Postrema
Short Talk: Functional Segregation of Body-Brain Signals in the Area Postrema
Emily Robinson, MIT
Short Talk: A Vagal-to-Sympathetic Reflex Controls Lung Vascular Leak
Short Talk: A Vagal-to-Sympathetic Reflex Controls Lung Vascular Leak
Coffee Break
9:30–9:50 AM
Poster Setup
11:30–1:00 PM
On Own for Lunch
11:30–2:30 PM
Poster Viewing
1:00–10:00 PM
Symposia Spotlight 1: Frontiers of Sensory Neuroscience
2:30–4:30 PM
Mark Dombrovski, University of Colorado Boulder
Short Talk: From Vision to Action: Molecular Control of Synaptic Connectivity Shaping Visual Behavior
Short Talk: From Vision to Action: Molecular Control of Synaptic Connectivity Shaping Visual Behavior
Seungwon (Sebastian) Choi, UT Southwestern Medical Center
Short Talk: Functional Dissection of the Brainstem Touch Circuits
Short Talk: Functional Dissection of the Brainstem Touch Circuits
Zachary R Lewis, Allen Institute for Brain Science
Short Talk: Defining Sympathetic Cell Types and Circuits in Brain-Body Communication
Short Talk: Defining Sympathetic Cell Types and Circuits in Brain-Body Communication
Brooke C Jarvie †, University of California, San Francisco
Short Talk: Gut–Brain Control of Postprandial Gastrointestinal Motility
Short Talk: Gut–Brain Control of Postprandial Gastrointestinal Motility
Gwenaelle S. Geleoc, Boston Children's Hospital
Short Talk: Patient-derived Retinal and Inner Ear Organoids to Assess Therapies for Usher Syndrome
Short Talk: Patient-derived Retinal and Inner Ear Organoids to Assess Therapies for Usher Syndrome
Florian Hollunder, The Rockefeller University
Short Talk: A Circuit Logic for Social Flexibility in Drosophila
Short Talk: A Circuit Logic for Social Flexibility in Drosophila
Peng Li †, University of Michigan
Short Talk: Interoceptive Circuits for the Generation and Modulation of Breathing Patterns
Short Talk: Interoceptive Circuits for the Generation and Modulation of Breathing Patterns
Andrew Shuster †, Harvard Medical School
Short Talk: The Functional Diversification of Somatosensory Neuron Repertoires Across Mammalia
Short Talk: The Functional Diversification of Somatosensory Neuron Repertoires Across Mammalia
Coffee Available
4:30–5:00 PM
Touch
5:00–7:00 PM
Victoria Abraira, Rutgers University
Context is Key: How Spinal Cord Neuromodulation Shapes Our Somatosensory Experiences
Context is Key: How Spinal Cord Neuromodulation Shapes Our Somatosensory Experiences
Alexander Chesler, Vertex Pharmaceuticals
Molecules and Cells for Touch, Thermosensation, and Pain
Molecules and Cells for Touch, Thermosensation, and Pain
David D. Ginty, HHMI/Harvard Medical School
Touch Sensory Neurons and their Spinal Cord Circuits
Touch Sensory Neurons and their Spinal Cord Circuits
Nitsan Goldstein, Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Short Talk: Central Amygdala Neurons Regulate Autonomic Responses to Pain
Short Talk: Central Amygdala Neurons Regulate Autonomic Responses to Pain
Lindsey Salay, Caltech
How Touch Drives Desire: A Circuit Linking Contact and Affective State
How Touch Drives Desire: A Circuit Linking Contact and Affective State
Social Hour with Dinner
7:00–8:00 PM
Poster Session 1
7:30–10:00 PM
Wednesday, January 20, 2027
Breakfast
7:00–8:00 AM
Keynote Address (Joint)
8:00–8:50 AM
Mark L. Andermann, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center
How Motivation Shapes Perception
How Motivation Shapes Perception
Coffee Break
8:50–9:10 AM
Body-Brain Interoception II (Joint)
8:50–11:10 AM
Sung-Yon Kim, Seoul National University
Transforming Body Signals into Behavior: How Swallowing Quenches Thirst
Transforming Body Signals into Behavior: How Swallowing Quenches Thirst
Amber L. Alhadeff, Monell Chemical Senses Center
Dissociating Circuits for Satiety and Aversion
Dissociating Circuits for Satiety and Aversion
Yoav Livneh, Weizmann Institute of Science
Sensations and Prediction in Brain-Body Interactions
Sensations and Prediction in Brain-Body Interactions
Britya Ghosh, Baylor College of Medicine
Short Talk: Role of GI Mechanosensation in Sensing Fullness State and Shaping Feeding Behavior
Short Talk: Role of GI Mechanosensation in Sensing Fullness State and Shaping Feeding Behavior
Chen Ran, The Scripps Research Institute
Short Talk: Anatomical and Functional Architecture of Ascending Brainstem Interoceptive Pathways
Short Talk: Anatomical and Functional Architecture of Ascending Brainstem Interoceptive Pathways
Poster Setup
11:10–1:00 PM
On Own for Lunch
11:10–3:00 PM
Poster Viewing
1:00–10:00 PM
Career Roundtable
3:00–4:30 PM
Coffee Available
4:30–5:00 PM
Eyes and Ears
5:00–7:00 PM
Katie Kindt, NIDCD - National Institute of Health
Using Transgenic Zebrafish to Light up Hair-Cell Synapse Formation and Function
Using Transgenic Zebrafish to Light up Hair-Cell Synapse Formation and Function
Jeffrey R. Holt, Boston Children's Hospital
Mechanotransduction in Auditory Hair Cells: A Tale of Two Channels
Mechanotransduction in Auditory Hair Cells: A Tale of Two Channels
Wei Li, Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine
Biology of Glaucoma: Feeling the Pressure
Biology of Glaucoma: Feeling the Pressure
Xin Duan, University of California, San Francisco
Perivascular Neurons Instruct 3D Vascular Lattice Formation via Neurovascular Contact
Perivascular Neurons Instruct 3D Vascular Lattice Formation via Neurovascular Contact
Social Hour with Dinner
7:00–8:00 PM
Poster Session 2
7:30–10:00 PM
Thursday, January 21, 2027
Breakfast
7:00–8:00 AM
Chemosensation
8:00–11:00 AM
Vanessa Ruta, Rockefeller University
Circuits for Adaptive Behaviors
Circuits for Adaptive Behaviors
Emily Liman, University of Southern California
How We Taste - Diverse Roles of a Proton Channel
How We Taste - Diverse Roles of a Proton Channel
Maude Baldwin, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology
Evolution of Sensory and Physiological Systems
Evolution of Sensory and Physiological Systems
Raquel A Reilly, Yale University
Short Talk: Temperature Sensing by an Insect Gustatory Receptor
Short Talk: Temperature Sensing by an Insect Gustatory Receptor
Yijie Pan †, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor
Short Talk: Homeostatic Scaling in an Olfactory Learning Circuit Compensates for Inter-individual Variation
Short Talk: Homeostatic Scaling in an Olfactory Learning Circuit Compensates for Inter-individual Variation
James Jeanne †, Yale University
Short Talk: Structured Glomerular Convergence Implements Olfactory Feature Combination
Short Talk: Structured Glomerular Convergence Implements Olfactory Feature Combination
Bhagyashree Senapati, University of Oxford
Short Talk: Visceral Signaling of Post-Ingestive Malaise Directs Memory Updating in Drosophila
Short Talk: Visceral Signaling of Post-Ingestive Malaise Directs Memory Updating in Drosophila
Coffee Break
9:00–9:20 AM
On Own for Lunch
11:00–2:30 PM
Symposia Spotlight 2: Frontiers of Sensory Neuroscience 2
2:30–4:30 PM
Eric Figueroa, University of California, San Francisco
Short Talk: Female Gut Pain: Estrogen Hijacks a Gut Paracrine Pathway
Short Talk: Female Gut Pain: Estrogen Hijacks a Gut Paracrine Pathway
Zhikai Liu, Harvard Medical School
Short Talk: Vagal Blood Volume Receptors Compensate for Hemorrhage and Posture Change
Short Talk: Vagal Blood Volume Receptors Compensate for Hemorrhage and Posture Change
Marcin Szczot, Linkoping University, Sweden
Short Talk: Hierarchical Organization of Pelvic Mechanosensory Pathways Revealed by Activity Labeling
Short Talk: Hierarchical Organization of Pelvic Mechanosensory Pathways Revealed by Activity Labeling
Zixuan Deng †, The University of Chicago
Natural Motion Statistics Unify Direction Computations
Natural Motion Statistics Unify Direction Computations
Teja Pratap Bollu, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Short Talk: A Neural Geometry for Forelimb Proprioception in the Cervical Spinal Cord
Short Talk: A Neural Geometry for Forelimb Proprioception in the Cervical Spinal Cord
Ilayda Alkislar, UCSF
Short Talk: Emotional Brain Center Evokes Learned Breath-Holds to Avoid Airborne Irritants
Short Talk: Emotional Brain Center Evokes Learned Breath-Holds to Avoid Airborne Irritants
Allan-Hermann Pool, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center
Short Talk: Wiring Injury to Pain: Cell-Type Logic of the Spinal Cord's Ascending Output
Short Talk: Wiring Injury to Pain: Cell-Type Logic of the Spinal Cord's Ascending Output
Ling-Yu Liu, University of Michigan
Short Talk: Brainstem Premotor Circuits Transform Dental Sensory Input into Coordinated Jaw Opening
Short Talk: Brainstem Premotor Circuits Transform Dental Sensory Input into Coordinated Jaw Opening
Coffee Available
4:30–5:00 PM
Somatosensation
5:00–6:45 PM
Theanne N. Griffith, UC Davis
New Insights into Sodium Channel Function in Somatosensory Neurons
New Insights into Sodium Channel Function in Somatosensory Neurons
John Tuthill, University of Washington
Neural Control of Respiration in Drosophila
Neural Control of Respiration in Drosophila
Ishmail John Abdus-Saboor, Columbia University
Body-Brain Circuit for Lung Cancer Induced Pain
Body-Brain Circuit for Lung Cancer Induced Pain
Zoe K Sarafis, Harvard University
Short Talk: Structural and Biomechanical Basis of Pacinian Vibration Tuning
Short Talk: Structural and Biomechanical Basis of Pacinian Vibration Tuning
Meeting Wrap-Up: Outcomes and Future Directions
6:45–7:00 PM
Social Hour with Dinner
7:00–8:00 PM
Entertainment
8:00–11:00 PM
Cash Bar
8:00–11:00 PM
Friday, January 22, 2027
Departure
12:00–11:59 PM
Subscribe for Updates