Medical Neuroscience at SfN2025, the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience, virtual content
Medical Neuroscience is a great fan of SfN meetings, see for example Medical Neuroscience at the annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience (SFN) 2024 In Chicago, USA
Medical Neuroscience was not able to visit SfN2025 in San Diego in person. Prof. White invited me to join the on line edition of the meeting. For the online edition, livestreams of featured and special lectures and virtual posters are presented online. They will be accessible until december 21, 2025.
When attending the meeting I feel totally immersed in it. I enter when the doors open and leave at the end of the day. Watching virtual content from home is a completely different. I miss talking to poster presenters the discussion of content with prof. White. Day to day life continues and watching lectures has to be done at times reserved for that. The on site meeting has ended and I have only been able to see 8 of the lectures online. It also has an advantage, I have a second screen and can take a break from the presentation and look up a translation of text or an explanation of a neurological term.
Mindful Taster
As you can see the opening lecture was ‘The Mindful Taster’. Nicolas Quillé a Master of Wine tasting based in the USA. was giving and insight in wine tasting using the senses and the complete brain. Mr. Quillé gave the audience an impression of the total brain workout wine tasting is to the Master, integrating the sensory experience in a complete mental experience.
Wine tasting starts with looking, smelling and tasting, an acure sensory observation. Then there is the analyses: how does this wine compare to other wines or the same wine from other years. What grapes were used how was the wine made?
In addition there is also a look to the future: how will it mature and when will it be at its best. How will the wine drinking audience appreciate the wine? The real master can form an opinion on the philosophy and skill of the winemakers. Why did they make this wine? What is the philosophy?
Tasting panel
The highlight of the presentation was the Wine Tasting Panel after the introduction by Nicolas Quillé. It was a really fun and practical demonstration of the application of neuroscience knowledge.
The Tasting Panel gave a lot of insight into the neuroscience of taste and olfaction. It was an enriching experience to hear the panelists verbally desctibe the actual tasting of the wine.
Everybody takes away his own pick from the presentations. For instance, to me this was not about wine (I actually do not like wine at all) but is was about the complete use of your senses. Mindful use of senses is enriching and can be a complete brain workout. Musicians can mindfully enjoy music. Perfumers and people with a good sense of smell can fully enjoy scents. Painters can immerse in the experience of light and colours.
Variety of presentations
Moreover there is a rich variety of online presentations to be enjoyed up to 21 December. I have already learned a lot about Microglia in the Brain-Immune Ecosystem and Emotional Learning and the Primate Amygdala for example.
I am going to enjoy many more online lectures from SfN2025.
SfN2026 in Washington.
The President of the Society for Neuroscience (SfN) for the 2026 meeting in Washington, D.C. will be Patricia Janak, Ph.D. Patricia Janak is Professor at Johns Hopkins University who studies the biological basis of behavior through associative learning.
Learning fascinates me, therefore I am already looking forward to the featured and special lectures of that meeting.