
MPFI’s Biennial Neural Circuits Research Conference
At the Forefront of Understanding Neural Circuits
MPFI's Sunposium conference brings together leaders in basic neuroscience research from all over the world

2019
MARCH
04-06
Palm Beach County Convention Center
West Palm Beach, Florida
MPFI’s Sunposium conference brings hundreds of the world’s most esteemed neuroscience researchers together to highlight the challenges, latest findings, and advances that address some of the most complex issues at the forefront of understanding neural circuits.
Researchers from all over the world attend Sunposium to collaborate in understanding neural circuits, which underlie sensory processing, memory, and more. Along with elucidating basic behaviors and processes, understanding neural circuits will help researchers develop and improve treatments for neurological diseases and disorders that arise when these circuits aren’t working properly. While many speakers and attendees are neuroscientists, some come from other fields such as biochemistry and physics – disciplines that cross paths with and enhance basic neuroscience research. This basic neuroscience research has the potential to put the scientific world on track to dramatically change human health - and educational conferences such as Sunposium encourage a collaborative, problem-solving approach to some of the most pressing questions and challenges in the field.Sunposium 2017 Pictures
Please note the registration fee includes continental breakfast, lunch and dinner.
Day 1 | Monday, March 4, 2019
9:00am | Registration / Continental Breakfast |
9:45am | Opening Remarks (David Fitzpatrick) |
Session 1 (Chair: Yingxue Wang) | |
10:00am | Alon Chen / The neurocircuits of socio-emotional balance |
10:30am | Scott Sternson / Neurobiology of Need |
11:00am | Jessica Houtz / TrkB-expressing neurons in the DMH are potent regulators of energy expenditure |
11:15am | Break |
11:45am | Randy Blakely / Rare Opportunities for Insights into Serotonergic Mechanisms in Autism |
12:15pm | Fan Wang / General Anesthesia, Sleep, and Pain |
12:45pm | Yoav Livneh / Multiplexing internal physiological state and external cues in the insular cortex |
1:00pm | Lunch |
Session 2 (Chair: Hyungbae Kwon) | |
2:00pm | Rui Costa / Starting new actions and learning from it |
2:30pm | Jason Christie / Control of motor learning by inhibitory circuits in the cerebellum |
3:00pm | Emily Petrus / Interhemispheric Plasticity is Mediated by Maximal Potentiation of Callosal Inputs |
3:15pm | Break |
3:45pm | Christopher Harvey / Cortical population dynamics during navigation decisions |
4:15pm | Michael Halassa / A new role for the thalamus in cognitive flexibility |
4:45pm | Joseph Schumacher / Testing a neural basis for fine discrimination learning in the tree shrew visual cortex |
5:00pm | Poster Session 1 |
6:30pm | Dinner |
Plenary Session 1 | |
7:30pm | Plenary (Introduction / David Fitzpatrick):
Eric Kandel / Memory and Age Related Memory Loss |
Day 2 | Tuesday, March 5, 2019
8:30am | Registration / Continental Breakfast |
Session 3 (Chair: McLean Bolton) | |
9:00am | Takao Hensch / Balancing Plasticity/Stability in Brain Development |
9:30am | Carla Shatz / Surprise at the synapse: MHC Class I, pruning and Alzheimer's disease |
10:00am | Bethany Stahl / Glial regulation of sleep and metabolic rate |
10:15am | Kirill Martemyanov / Deciphering molecular mechanisms of neuromodulation |
10:45am | John Shallcross / Enhanced mGlu5 mRNA expression in the basal lateral amygdala as a molecular feature of resilience to predator odor stress in rats |
11:00am | Break |
11:30am | Lunch & Learn: Career Panel Hosted by Network of Women in Science (NWiS) Featuring: Gloria Choi, Carla Shatz, and Yingxue Wang |
1:00pm | Optional Outings » |
5:00pm | Poster Session 2 |
6:30pm | Dinner |
Plenary Session 2 – PGYIA | |
7:30pm | Presentation of Peter Gruss Young Investigator Award (Introduction / David Fitzpatrick):
Gloria Choi / Neuroimmune Interactions Shaping Social Behavior |
Day 3 | Wednesday, March 6, 2019
8:30am | Registration / Continental Breakfast |
Session 4 (Chair: Jason Christie) | |
9:00am | Jeff Magee / Mechanisms of experience-dependent hippocampal representations |
9:30am | Yingxue Wang / Internally generated hippocampal sequences as substrates of episodic memory |
10:00am | Mary Phillips / Ventral hippocampal inputs to the mPFC regulate social memory |
10:15am | Break |
10:45am | Matthew Larkum / Regulation of dendritic coupling in awake and anesthetized mice |
11:15am | Hyungbae Kwon / Dissecting behaviorally-relevant circuits at cellular resolution |
11:45am | Chen-Jie Shen / Cannabinoid CB1 receptors, Amygdala and Depression |
12:00pm | Lunch | Session 5 (Chair: Hiroki Taniguchi) |
1:00pm | Hongkui Zeng / Cell type classification in the mouse brain |
1:30pm | Gordon Fishell / The developmental genetic trajectories that give rise to subcortical projection and interneuronal populations |
2:00pm | Ewoud Schmidt / Humanization of SRGAP2C expression increases cortico-cortical connectivity in the mouse brain |
2:15pm | Kevin Briggman / Comparative connectomics of the mammalian retina |
2:45pm | Kiersten Ruda / Decoding retinal output: correlations, cell types and adaptation |
3:00pm | Break |
Plenary Session 3 | |
3:30pm | Plenary (Introduction / Ryohei Yasuda):
Linda Buck / Decoding Smell |
4:30pm | Closing Remarks (Ryohei Yasuda) |
Invited Speakers

Randy Blakely
Florida Atlantic University Brain Institute

Kevin Briggman
Center of Advanced European Studies and Research

Linda Buck
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center

Alon Chen
Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry

Gloria Choi
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Jason Christie
Max Planck Florida Institute

Rui Costa
Columbia University

Gordon Fishell
Harvard University

Michael Halassa
Massachusetts Institute of Technology

Christopher Harvey
Harvard University

Takao Hensch
Harvard University

Eric Kandel
Columbia University

Hyungbae Kwon
Max Planck Florida Institute

Matthew Larkum
Humboldt University of Berlin

Jeffrey Magee
Baylor College of Medicine

Kirill Martemyanov
The Scripps Research Institute

Carla Shatz
Stanford University

Scott Sternson
Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Fan Wang
Duke University

Yingxue Wang
Max Planck Florida Institute

Hongkui Zeng
Allen Institute for Brain Science
Selected Speakers
Selected speakers will be chosen from submitted abstracts to present at this year’s Sunposium.

Abstract Submission Guideline
Most submitted abstracts will be selected to present in the poster sessions, which will emphasize cutting-edge findings and facilitate informal scientific discussion. To feature the latest and most exciting results, several speakers will be selected for short talks from the submitted abstracts. Travel awards will be available to help with the cost of attending the meeting for selected speakers with preference given to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty.Abstract submission deadline is 5:00PM (17:00) EST (UTC/GMT - 5.00 hours) on December 15, 2018.
Note: You may return to your registration page using log-in information to revise your abstract information. Presentation confirmation email will be sent to you separately. If you have any questions regarding poster or oral presentation, please email Paul Evans (Paul.Evans@mpfi.org).
Submission Format
Submissions that do not meet the following guidelines may be rejected Title Limit abstract titles to 15 words. Write your title in sentence case (first word is capitalized and subsequent words are lower case). Do not bold or italicize your full title. Do not abbreviate words in the abstract title. Abstract body Limit abstract bodies to 350 words. When using abbreviations for chemical compounds, spell it out in full for the first mention, followed by the abbreviation in parentheses. Key Words Key words that represent your abstract Co-Authors List all authors who contributed to the work discussed in the abstract.Sunposium Registration
- Abstract submission deadline is 5:00PM (17:00) EST (UTC/GMT – 5:00 hours) on December 15, 2018.
- Registration deadline is 5:00PM (17:00) EST (UTC/GMT – 5:00 hours) on January 31, 2019.
General | Florida | |
---|---|---|
Faculty | $275 | $225 |
Postdoctoral Fellow/Scientific Staff | $200 | $150 |
Student | $120 | $50 |
Other | $275 |
What is included in my registration fee?
- Access to invited and selected speaker talks and poster sessions
- Access to plenary talks
- Continental breakfast and lunch on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday
- Poster Session reception and dinner on Monday and Tuesday
- Beverage breaks throughout the day
Travel Grants
Travel awards are available to help with the cost of attending the meeting (lodging, travel, and waived registration fee) for selected speakers with preference given to graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and junior faculty. This list will be updated if/when we learn of additional travel funding available for this conference. Register Here If you have questions or difficulties with registration, please contact Sunposium@mpfi.orgSince Sunposium is held during the peak tourist season for this area, we strongly recommend you reserve your travel arrangements as soon as possible.
The Max Planck Florida Institute has established discounted rates at the following hotels. These rates are limited and on a first come, first serve basis.
Discounted Hotel
- DoubleTree by Hilton Hotel Palm Beach Airport
- 1808 S. Australian Avenue
- West Palm Beach, Florida 33409
- Tel: +1 561 689 6888
- Group Code: SCG
- Price: $229
- Cut-off date: February 11, 2019
- Hawthorn Suites by Wyndham West Palm Beach
- 301 Lamberton Drive
- West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
- Tel: +1 800 337 0202
- Group Code: CGMPFI
- Price: $189
- Cut-off date: February 3, 2019
- Hilton Garden Inn West Palm Beach Airport
- 1611 Worthington Road
- West Palm Beach, Florida 33409
- Tel: +1 561 670 9870
- Group Code: MPF
- Price: $259
- Cut-off date: February 1, 2019
- Hyatt Place West Palm Beach/Downtown
- 295 Lakeview Avenue
- West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
- Tel: +1 888 492 8847
- Group Code: G-MP19
- Price: $259 (King) / $269 (Double Queen)
- Cut-off date: January 17, 2019
Additional Hotels near the Convention Center
- Hilton West Palm Beach
- 600 Okeechobee Boulevard
- West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
- Tel: +1 561 231 6000
- West Palm Beach Marriott
- 1001 Okeechobee Boulevard
- West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
- Tel: +1 561 833 1234
- Residence Inn Marriott West Palm Beach Downtown/CityPlace Area
- 455 Hibiscus Street
- West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
- Tel: +1 561 653 8100
- Hampton Inn West Palm Beach Central Airport
- 1601 Worthington Road
- West Palm Beach, Florida 33409
- Tel: +1 561 472 7333
- Courtyard by Marriott West Palm Beach Airport
- 1800 Centrepark Drive East
- West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
- Tel: +1 561 207 1800
- Embassy Suites by Hilton West Palm Beach Central
- 1601 Belvedere Road
- West Palm Beach, Florida 33406
- Tel: +1 561 689 6400
Explore West Palm Beach
Nearby attractions include CityPlace, a $600 million shopping, dining and entertainment complex; the nationally acclaimed Raymond F. Kravis Center for the Performing Arts; Palm Beach’s famous Worth Avenue; South Florida’s beautiful beaches; and a wide variety of dining options - ranging from casual waterfront to sophisticated chic. For more information about things to do in the area, please visit Discover the Palm Beaches.Visa Information
Non-U.S. residents may need a visa to enter the United States for Sunposium 2019. If you already have a U.S. visa, check the expiration date to ensure your visa will not expire before or during your planned travel dates. If you are attending the Sunposium and live outside the United States and need to obtain a visa, please email sunposium@mpfi.org for assistance.Transportation
Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) offers 150 daily flights on 12 major airlines. It is located less than 10 minutes (3 miles) from the Palm Beach County Convention Center. Taxis – Taxis are available at the Ground Transportation desks located on the East and West ends of the Level One - Baggage Claim at PBI. A typical one-way rate to the area hotels range from $8-14. Uber and Lyft – These ridesharing companies are another economical option to get from the airport to area hotels. With average prices ranging between $9-$15 for a one-way trip. Rental Cars – Car rental services are conveniently located on Level One – Baggage Claim of the airport terminal. Shuttles – Participating courtesy hotel shuttles are available outside the terminal on Level One - Baggage Claim. Arrangements should be made directly with your hotel.Parking
The Palm Beach County Convention Center has a new 9 story parking garage that can be accessed off Okeechobee Boulevard (south side) and right turn onto Rosemary Avenue. The garage entrance is at the end of Rosemary Avenue.Directions
- Palm Beach County Convention Center
- 650 Okeechobee Boulevard
- West Palm Beach, Florida 33401
- Directions from I-95: Take I-95 to the Okeechobee Boulevard exit (#70) and head east on Okeechobee Boulevard, approximately 1 mile. The Palm Beach County Convention Center is located on the south side of Okeechobee Boulevard, directly across the street from CityPlace.
- Directions from Florida Turnpike: Take Florida’s Turnpike to the West Palm Beach/Okeechobee Boulevard exit (#99) and head east for approximately 7 miles. The Palm Beach County Convention Center is located on the south side of Okeechobee Boulevard, directly across the street from CityPlace.
Sponsors



For more information regarding sponsorship opportunities, please contact Miriam Chun at 561-972-9067 or by email at partner@mpfi.org