Guests:

You are enthusiastically invited to a purely social reception to meet auditory and vestibular neuroscientists. Mingle with old friends and make new ones. A brief update on recent and upcoming issues (funding, legislation, gossip…) will be made. Remarks from attendees will be welcome.

Guests: D. Barch M. Baxter T. Braver S. Bunge L. Davachi A. Ghazanfar S. Kastner B. Murray K. Ochsner R. Poldrack B. Postle C. Ranganath S. Thompson-Schill

Zombies and neuroscientists both love brains! Therefore, in a spirit of kinship with the undead (and fun), come share your brains with your behavioral and cognitive neuroscience colleagues. If you're still hungry, you can sample those of our special guests! Conventional refreshments will also be provided. Everyone is welcome.

Guests: L.Puelles, P.Hof, G.Striedter, G.Shepherd, C.Saper

The Cajal Club social will be celebrating the 150th birthday of Charles Darwin and will be honoring the 75th anniversary of Cajal's death; a panel of experts will lead a discussion of the evolution of the cerebral cortex. Prior to the panel, there will be informal socializing and the presentation of the prestigious Krieg Cortical Kudos awards and the W. Maxwell Cowan Award for Developmental Neuroscience.

Guests: j. Chen M. Desmukh R. Freeman W. Friedman C. Henderson K. Herrup S. Lipton D. Kaplan F. Miller R. Morrison D. Park R. Ratan

If you've ever uttered the word "apoptosis" and even if you haven't but want to meet a cool group of folks, then we cordially invite you to come to the "Cell Death Social" at this years' SFN meeting. All topics are open for lively discussion except bad puns based on the concept of death (all of which have already been exhausted by reviews on the subject). To spice up the evening, a group of distinguished neuron death gurus have agreed to appear at the social.

Guests:

This social is a great opportunity for postdocs, graduate students, medical students, and residents who are considering careers in clinical and translational aspects of neuroscience. Meet successful basic and clinical scientists from diverse settings, including government, academic, non-profit and industry. Guest experts will provide a brief overview of their own career paths to help provide a framework for others. Join us to share your questions and open discussion.

Guests: D. Choquet M.D. Ehlers J.A. Esteban R.L. Huganir R.C. Malenka C.J. McBain R.A. McKinney S.M. Thompson G.G. Turrigiano R.S. Zukin

Everything you always wanted to know about excitation but were afraid to ask: receptor dynamics and traffic, synaptic plasticity, network activities and more. This year's social will be eclectic: excitation of inhibitory neurons, excitatory effects of inhibitory amino-acids, everyone's welcome! Come join us and discuss the latest research with experts in the field, or simply have a drink and chat with old friends.

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This purely social event is a gathering to celebrate the ever-strong invertebrate research in neuroscience, to meet old friends and make new ones. All are welcome: squishies, crunchies and vertebrates. Post-docs and graduate students are especially encouraged to drop by.

Guests: Speakers: D.L. Glanzman, K.M. Harris, G.M. Shepherd, R.W. Williams, Special Guests: G. Ascoli, E.G. Jones, D.M. Kennedy, Y. Liu

Our 2009 theme is Neuroinformatics' Greatest Hits. In a social and collegial session, four very short presentations will highlight successes in the field, and the good things that happened because of tools or databases. We'll also hear about funding opportunities to select and nurture Neuroinformatics' Next Great Hit.

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Please join us for the second annual neuroscience education outreach social! Come share ideas, network, and become inspired by the actions of others in neuroscience education. A number of established outreach groups as well as neuroscientists will present brief discussions about their programs and experiences in neuroscience civic engagement. The remainder of the social will be for follow-up discussions, building collaborations, and forming friendships. All are welcome!

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We propose that a clear understanding of the sequence of events triggered by traumatic injury to the cord requires multiple approaches and extensive collaboration among the groups. It is the goal of this social to try to identify some of the problems and to encourage collaborations.

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Awards from AlzForum Neuro-version of "Wait Wait Don't Tell me" and "Brain Talk" with the Synapse brothers Ispy and Espy

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Organized by the Society for Behavioral Neuroendocrinology (SBN), an interdisciplinary scientific organization dedicated to the study of hormonal processes and neuroendocrine systems that regulate behavior. There will be a social gathering along with a presentation honoring the recipient of the 2009 Frank A. Beach Award.

Guests: Yishi Jin Liqun Luo Li Huei Tsai Carol Mason Joe LoTurco Ole Kiehn Ricardo Dolmetsch

An informal social to meet with friends and colleagues interested in the development of the nervous system.

Guests: C.A. Korey J.R. Yates

Socialize and exchange ideas with others interested in undergraduate neuroscience research and education. Undergraduates will present posters of their research, and FUN Student Travel Awards and Educator of the Year Award will be presented. SOMAS awardees and their students will be introduced (see www.somasprogram.org). See the FUN website for travel award information and registration for poster presentations at the FUN Social (www.funfaculty.org).

Guests: G. Buzsaki N.J. Cohen M.E. Hasselmo R.P. Kesner J.J. Knierim J.C. Lacaille C.J. McBain S.J. Mizumori E.I. Moser M.B. Moser R.U. Muller P.R. Rapp J.D. Sweatt J.S. Taube C.S. Woolley

Tired of poster sessions and talks? Then engage your cognitive map – use your place, head direction, and grid cells to guide yourself over to the Hippocampus Social. Meet leading researchers in the fields of hippocampal anatomy, physiology, plasticity, and behavior. Discuss current topics in the field over a beer or a glass of wine. All welcome!

Guests: L.M. Flanagan-Cato, P.S. Grigson, B.S. McEwen, T.H. Moran, L. Rinaman

“One of the very nicest things about life is the way we must regularly stop whatever it is we are doing and devote our attention to eating.” --Luciano Pavarotti and William Wright. And even better is to eat and drink while talking about eating and drinking! So stop whatever you're doing and join friends and colleagues for salty snacks, drink, and conversation about appetite, hunger, and thirst, and their sensory, hormonal, cognitive, and autonomic controls in this purely social event.

Guests: William Pearce, PhD Joe LaManna, PhD

An evening of music will be provided by SfN member musicians. All musical types are welcome, ranging from solo acts to full bands, with the emphasis on enthusiasm and fun. Accompaniment is available with sufficient advance notice. The Program fills quickly, so please contact us soon for a spot. Each performer will have about 10 minutes. The event is casual and informal. Please join us for an evening of music with brain scientists who have a side gig: MUSIC!

Guests: J. L. Feldman P. Guyenet

This social provides an opportunity for those interested in cardiorespiratory control and autonomic neuroscience to meet and exchange new ideas in a relaxed and friendly environment. The event will be highlighted by brief presentations by two of the field's luminaries who will discuss their views on the role(s) of the retrotrapezoid nucleus/parafacial respiratory group in cardiorespiratory control.

Guests: D. E. Angelaki K. E. Cullen R. A. Eatock J. M. Goldberg M. E. Goldberg A. Houmam S. G. Lisberger L. B. Minor C. Platt

“It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness…” This opening to A Tale of Two Cities seems apropos this year. Come discuss science and these interesting times with friends/colleagues. Students/post-docs should note that guests have been asked to make themselves available to you for part of the social. All welcome.

Guests: none

A purely social opportunity to meet and mingle with other scientists interested in the neurobiology of learning, memory, and emotion.

Guests: R.M. Carelli H.C. Becker M.A. Ungless K.A. Miczek M.R. Picciotto P. O'Donnell L.J. Porrino D.C.S. Roberts R.M Wightman

Locomote on over to the Psychopharmacology Social, get social with some psychos and alter your pharmacology! Stimulate your reward pathways with a beer or some wine and chat with our fabulous line-up of invited guests.

Guests: Alessandra Angelucci;Jon Kaas;Brian Wandell

An informal debate addressing the contributions of anatomical and functional work to Visual Neuroscience. Modern Neuroscience is historically and empirically grounded on a neuroanatomical roadmap. Yet, recent work increasingly concentrates on functional circuits and computations. Does precise anatomical localization matter for understanding function and behavior? Join us and debate the strengths and limitations of current approaches, and offer new perspectives to the study of brain structure and function.

Guests: L. Abbott G. Ascoli V. Booth C. Canavier S. Crook E. De Schutter W. Holmes R. Jung N. Kopell C. Linster F. Skinner I. Soltesz G. Turrigiano

Join us for the increasingly popular Computational Neuroscience Social! Information on computational neuroscience conferences, summer schools, publications, and web resources will be provided, but mainly we will just socialize and network and enjoy each other's company in an informal setting. Everybody is welcome!

Guests: R. Buckner, B.J. Casey, P. Fox, S.-G. Kim, D. Leopold, A. Martin, L.G. Ungerleider

Functional imaging brings together people from a variety of scientific backgrounds who use a range of powerful technologies to image brain function – from cellular techniques to EEG, MEG, PET, optical imaging, and fMRI. Please join us for a purely social event to unwind after a long day at the conference, chat with colleagues, explore new networks, and take advantage of an opportunity to discuss the latest advances and ideas. Come for a fun and enlightening evening of drinks and discussion.

Guests: K. L. Olsen, Moderator

Neuroendocrine researchers have known for decades what the FDA and NIH have only recently discovered; sex matters. This social will bring together a cohort of scientists who study sex differences in the nervous system, to pay a formal and serious tribute to the model systems that have enriched this field. The main event, a parade of model systems, will be followed by social interaction and comraderie.

Guests: J.T. Cacioppo J.D. Haynes J. Illes S. Laureys H.S. Mayberg E.A. Phelps R.A. Poldrack

Interested in the ethical, legal or policy implications of neuroscience? Come to the neuroethics social hour and meet others with the same interests. And don't miss the short but spirited debate, between two leading neuroimaging researchers, on the proposition that "brain imaging is already capable of (something worthy of the term) 'mind reading'."

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Please join us for a social gathering among friends. There will be plenty of Wii fit competitions, so take this opportunity to have a few drinks while your colleagues showcase their motor skills.

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Please join us for this purely social event open to all neuroscientists interested in songbird research. Come test the effects of alcohol on your vocal production, perception and learning circuits.

Guests: O. Arancio N. Brose P. De Camilli R. H. Edwards Y. Goda S. Halpain D. Lipscombe M. R. Picciotto B. L. Sabatini P. Scheiffele D. J. Surmeier

If you want to put a face on a name, put a name on a face, mingle with your reviewers, run away from posters, find a job or simply have a drink with friends and colleagues in the field, please consider the Synapses Social and its casual atmosphere this year. Don't push anybody's boutons, go through the right channels and rinse your siphon with beverages of your choice (but stop before the reflex). Our guests will be honored by your presence.