Over 200 delegates from across the GW4 Alliance (the Universities of Bath, Bristol, Cardiff and Exeter) came together on 23 October 2024 to learn more about the outstanding research taking place in the field of neuroscience in its broadest context across GW4 and partner institutions.

Programme

The programme consisted of 11 oral presentations from Early Career Researchers (ECRs), six poster pitches, two keynote talks, and 61 ECR poster presentations. With topics covering mood disorders, Alzheimer's, childhood trauma, autism, schizophrenia, ADHD, Parkinson's disease, neurophysiology, uveitis, anxiety and so much more, the event exposed delegates to a broad range of neuroscience research and offered multiple opportunities to obtain input to further existing research and develop ideas and collaborations for future research. 

We were delighted to have four invited speakers on the day:

• Dr Joanna Jenkinson MBE, Director, GW4
• Professor Marcus Munafò, Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor - Research Culture, Professor of Biological Psychology and MRC Investigator, School of Psychological Science, University of Bristol
• Professor Sir Michael Owen, Division of Psychological Medicine and Clinical Neurosciences; Emeritus Director of the Neuroscience and Mental Health Innovation Institute, Cardiff University
• Dr Jon Brown, Head of Department of Clinical and Biomedical Sciences, Associate Professor in Neurophysiology, University of Exeter

The full programme can be viewed here: ECND-programme

Prizes

Thanks to support from the Bristol Neuroscience Research Network and the Population Health Science Institute, the organisers were able to offer a number of prizes on the day:

Oral presentations: 

• 1st – Giulia Pegoraro (PhD student, Exeter): A transcriptome-wide analysis of Alzheimer’s disease brain during systemic inflammation 
• 2nd – Matthew Claydon (PDRA, Bristol): Selective effects of psilocin on cortico-amygdalar neurons mediated by 5HT2A and 5HT1A receptors 
• 3rd – Marlene Staginnus (RA, Bath): Dimensional Associations Between Conduct Problems and Brain Structure: A Coordinated Analysis of 18 Cohorts From the ENIGMA-Antisocial Behaviour Working Group 

Poster presentations:  

• 1st – Henry Kerr (PhD student, Exeter): Travelling waves in laterally-inhibited grids of integrate-and-fire neurons
• 2nd – Parinda Prapaiwongs (RA, Cardiff): Unlocking Insights into Interneuron Migration: Exploring 3D Striatal-Interneuron Assembloids
• 3rd – Mehtaab Chaudry (PhD student, Bristol): A translational framework for longitudinal analyses of sleep health, sleep EEG and psychiatric risk 

Supporters

The organisers would like to thank our many sponsors without whose support the event would not have been possible: