Seminar Series
The NMHI Seminar Series has been running for over 35 years, bringing leading experts in neuroscience and mental health research to the University of Alberta. The series is designed to share cutting-edge research, spark conversation, and foster collaboration across disciplines. Everyone is welcome to attend, including members of the public, trainees, clinicians, and researchers—though talks are often geared toward an academic and medical audience.
Seminars are now offered in a hybrid format, with the option to attend either in-person or online. In-person sessions are held at the Oborowsky Degner Seminar Hall, located on the 1st floor of the Li Ka Shing Centre at the University of Alberta. To join virtually, please contact us to request the Zoom link.
2026-27 SEMINAR SERIES
Dr. Majid Mohajerani
Synopsis
This talk explores how hippocampal activity coordinates large-scale cortical networks during sleep and memory consolidation. Using multimodal imaging and electrophysiology, I will highlight how hippocampal outflow engages the default mode network, reorganizes cortical communication, and supports the reactivation of spatial information across the cortex.
Biography
Majid Mohajerani, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor at the Douglas Research Centre, McGill University, and an affiliate member of the Quebec Artificial Intelligence Institute (Mila). Previously, he was an Associate Professor at the Canadian Centre for Behavioural Neuroscience at the University of Lethbridge. His research focuses on neural dynamics, particularly sensorimotor integration, and memory systems. His team develops technologies for modern systems neuroscience that enable the study of brain activity across multiple spatiotemporal scales while simultaneously measuring behaviour, with the goal of understanding how neural activity gives rise to behaviour.
Dr. James Mackay
Synopsis
Altered neuronal activity may precede irreversible neuron loss and overt symptoms in neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Huntington’s disease. However, it is unclear if and how these early functional changes contribute to subsequent neurodegeneration. Dr. Mackay’s research program combines genetic mouse models, in vivo imaging of brain activity and machine learning to test whether neuronal activity can predict disease development before behaviorally disease evidence emerges and to identify the cellular/molecular mechanisms underlying any such biosignatures. This work aims to uncover modifiable targets, establish their causal roles in neurodegeneration and ultimately inform development of novel therapeutics for human disease.
Biography
Dr. Mackay received a BSc in Pharmacy from the University of Alberta (2008) and his PhD in Pharmacology (2016) under Dr. William F. Colmers, investigating NPY signaling in the basolateral amygdala. He then completed a postdoc with Dr. Lynn A. Raymond at the University of British Columbia, studying aberrant glutamate signaling and sensory processing in Huntington disease. Dr. Mackay joined the University of Alberta, Department of Pharmacology as an assistant professor in 2025, his current research uses machine learning and advancedneuroimaging to identify early brain changes in neurodegenerative disease, with the goal of discovering early biomarkers and therapeutic targets.
PREVIOUS SEMINARS
September 9, 2025 - Dr. J. Quinn Lee, "Identifying representational structure in large-scale neural recordings to transform models of space and memory"
September 16, 2025 - Dr. Kathleen Munley, "Uncovering the social brain: Using cichlid fishes to study the neural and molecular mechanisms of social plasticity"
October 7, 2025 - Dr. Sandeep Gupta, "Stem cell-derived sensory neurons for therapy and disease modeling"
October 14, 2025 - Dr. Simon Gosgnach, "Hunting for the spinal interneurons responsible for generating the locomotor rhythm"
October 21, 2025 - Dr. Richard Camicioli, "Amyloid, alpha-synuclein, tau and novel biomarkers: Impacts on clinical phenotypes"
November 4, 2025 - Dr. Lance Johnson, "Flipping the switch on APOE: AD-relevant effects of E4 replacement with E2"
November 25, 2025 - Dr. Mark Glover, "Mechanism of sRNA recognition by FinO RNA chaperones"
December 2, 2025 - Dr. Nabeela Nathoo, "Multiple sclerosis in diverse ethnicities"
December 9, 2025 - Dr. Chris Rose, "Hepatic encephalopathy: More than a metabolic syndrome"
January 6, 2026 - Dr. Karyne Rabey, "Evaluating therapies to enhance nerve regeneration, functional recovery, and bone health"
January 13, 2026 - Dr. Josh Neudorf, "Brain network features supporting cognitive ability with age"
January 20, 2026 - Dr. Paul LaPointe, "Leaving the yellow wood - Converging paths in the investigation of the Hsp90 system in health and disease"
January 27, 2026 - Dr. Jack Jhamandas, "Quest for a novel treatment for Alzheimer’s disease: The Last Crusade"
February 3, 2026 - Dr. Sue-Ann Mok, "Tau amyloids: Translating structure to dysfunction"
February 10, 2026 - Dr. Stephen Joza, "Clinical risk factors and predictors of dementia and parkinsonism in isolated REM sleep behaviour disorder"
February 24, 2026 - Dr. Craig Brown, "Monitoring and manipulating the brain’s microcirculation to improve function after damage or disease"
March 10, 2026 - Dr. Philip J. Horner, "Electrical stimulation drives immunomodulation and circuit conditioning to repair the injured spinal cord"
March 17, 2026 - Dr. Steven Prescott, "Neural coding strategies for touch and pain"
March 24, 2026 - Dr. Alexander Leemans, "From the diffusion of water molecules to the wiring of the brain"
April 14, 2026 - Dr. Chelsea Ekstrand, "From screens to real-world scenes: Understanding the brain in naturalistic contexts
April 28, 2026 - Dr. Ciaran Murphy-Royal, "Basolateral amygdala astrocytes encode anxiety states"
June 8, 2026 - Dr. Chris West, "Contemporary approaches to restore sympathetic & cardiovascular function following spinal cord injury"
June 29, 2026 - Dr. Siddharthan Chandran, "Healthy brain ageing; challenges and opportunities"