Australasian Course in Advanced Neuroscience

Dr Christina Mo | Researcher | The Florey Dr Christina Mo is interested in the neural basis of thoughts and decisions, and uses calcium imaging and behavioural tasks to understand the circuitry.

Planning for ACAN 2026 is well underway and we're excited to announce that Dr Christina Mo has joined as a co-director (florey.edu.au/researcher/c...). Christina's expertise strengthen our focus on bridging imaging approaches and in vivo systems neuroscience. @ausneurosoc.bsky.social

🎉That's a wrap for ACAN 2025, the 20th anniversary of ACAN 🎉. Well done to our 12 students for making it through 21 days of intensive training! Congratulations to Jay Bertran-Gonzalez and the entire team who volunteered their time to put on an amazing course. We look forward to ACAN 2026.

The ACAN community has great spirit, built on a passion for neuroscience and collaboration. Some behind the scenes of an ACAN birthday and ACAN faculty showing off the 2025 T-shirt designed by our students.

Week 3 is coming to an end and we want to thank the main theme sponsor MED Associates for all their behavioural equipment. Also thank you to Doric Lenses, Stoelting, and HP Australia for providing equipment for our students to learn fibre photometry, surgery, and advanced data analysis.

Second last day of ACAN 2025, wrapping up our lecture series with synaptic genes, cognition and mental disorders by Jess Nithianantharajah. A big thank you to @campdeninstruments.bsky.social for sponsoring this special lecture. Providing advanced training isn't possible without such great sponsors.

We're getting to the end of ACAN 2025. Yesterday saw lectures by Nathalie Dehorter on Leigh Walker on acetylcholine in the striatum, and muscarinic control of neural function. We also had a special lecture by John Reynolds on dopamine & acetylcholine in corticostriatal plasticity.

We are now into week 3- systems & behaviour. So far we've had lectures on behaviour, photometry, neurogenesis, & evolution of the cortex from experts across Oz & the USA. In the labs we've been running conditioning experiments, electroporation, fibre photometry, and a lot of advanced data analysis.

Today's lectures were given by @meunierlab.bsky.social and Victor Anggono on probing synaptic with super resolution microscopy, and the molecular structure of learning and memory. In the afternoon the students will have a go at super resolution, and TIRF microscopy.

Imaging week continues with lectures from @ethanscottlab.bsky.social and Lezanne Ooi on light sheet imaging in zebrafish, and brain organoids respectively. Today the students try their hand at light sheet imaging, imaging organoids, and MEA recordings from organoids.

Today the students had lectures from John Power and Jack Waters on calcium imaging and wide field imaging respectively. In the lab the students start their 2 photon, intravital imaging, and confocal microscopy workshop rotations.

Thank you to all our week 1 faculty for volunteering their time. A special thank you to our ephys instructors for all their preparation and staying past midnight each day to train the students. Ben Lau, Toby Bluett, Lee Fletcher, Alex Tang, Cherry Mao, Bryony Winters, and Stephen Williams

We are now into week 2 of ACAN - Network and Systems. This week focusses on advanced imaging techniques and how to combine it with electrophysiology. At the end of last week we saw students patch dendrites and have a go at paired neuron recordings. Congrats to Chow and Bronwyn for winning the prizes

Day 5 of ACAN had a lectures on dendritic integration, and in vivo recordings. In the lab we have been learning dendritic recordings with a special prize sponsored by Prof Cliff Abraham. Due to popular demand, Prof Stephen Williams gave an impromptu part 2 lecture on dendrites at 10pm!

Days 3 & 4 of ACAN saw lectures on axonal signalling, synaptic transmission, synaptic plasticity, and learning. Last night we had a hot topic lecture by Prof Chris Reid on translational research for rare forms of epilepsy.In the lab we have collected and analysed current and voltage clamp data.

Day 2 at ACAN featured lectures on the electrical structure of neurons, and ion channels by Prof Greg Stuart and Dr Bill Connelly. In the lab the students studied voltage-current relationships with many students patching their first cells.

ACAN 2025 has started! Today we started with a course overview and introduction to the week 1 theme by course directors Jay and Lee. It wouldn't be ACAN electrophysiology if the first lecture wasn't by Prof John Bekkers on "The Golden Rules of Electrophysiology".

Last but not least, we have @sushmithasp.bsky.social and Sadaf. Sushmitha's PhD studies the role of astrocytes and inflammation in ALS. Sadaf's PhD investigates the molecular properties of inhibitory interneurons in the adult and aged brain.

Next is Bronwyn and Morgane. Bronwyn's PhD at Auckland Uni investigates how the tail striatum contributes to sensory symptoms of neurological disorders. Morgane's PhD at the NIN investigates how chandelier cells modulate the axon initial segment of pyramidal neurons during predictive coding.

Next up we have @raphapricci.bsky.social and Luke Keevers. Luke's PhD at UNSW investigates how aversive events lead to appropriate behaviour adaptation. Raphael is an ECR at the Mater and UQ, investigating how abnormal myelination impacts neuropsychiatric and neurodegenerative disorders.

Next we have Maddy and @mitaliano.bsky.social. Maddy is an ECR studying the use of stem cells to treat gut motility disorders. Michael's PhD investigates the use electrical stimulation to alter retinal ganglion cell function and retinal degeneration.

Next up we have Sidney and Jim. Sidney studies how uncertainty influences sensory perception and decision making at ANU. Jim investigates viral gene therapy in treating Alzheimer's disease at Otago.

Course directors Jay and Lee are busy preparing the last pieces of equipment for week 1. They even managed to get some help from some of the youngest members of the ACAN family.

It's time to start introducing this year's cohort of students comprising of PhD students and EMCRs. We start with Annika and @chowhanchua.bsky.social. Annika's research looks at neuron-astrocyte interactions and Chow studies ion channel function in health & disease

Behind the scenes there has been a lot of work to get the electrophysiology rigs unpacked, built, and tested for our 12 students. From many boxes to 6 fully equipped patch clamp rigs!

⏰Less than 2 weeks before ACAN 2025 starts⏰ Week 1 focuses on electrophysiology and we have a stellar line up of lecturers. Make sure to check our account from Jan 18 - Feb 8 to see our daily reports

📣We are happy to announce our students for ACAN 2025:
Annika Ahtiainen
@chowhanchua.bsky.social
Sidney Chung
Jim Davies
Madeline De Natale
@mitaliano.bsky.social
Luke Keevers
@raphapricci.bsky.social
Bronwyn Riley
Morgane Ruffel
@sushmithasp.bsky.social
Sadaf Teymornejad