ONWAR

Graduate School Neurosciences

2026 – Summer School CEN: Neural Circuit Development and Plasticity

2026 – Summer School CEN: Neural Circuit Development and Plasticity

Date

20 Jul. – 24 Jul. 2026 

Duration

Five days in total, about 8 hours a day.

Location

Utrecht University – Faculty of Medicine

Organizer

Dr. G.M.J. Ramakers

Current Status

Not Enrolled (8 places remaining)

Price

Free

Get Started

Course details

About this course

The CEN summerschool is aimed at advanced master students and starting PhD students with the goal to teach them on recent advances in neural circuit development and plasticity from an interdisciplinary perspective. This will be achieved in three ways: first, lectures on basic neurobiological principles by the organisers, second, a series of lectures by renowned international speakers and third, participants work on assignments that require extensive discussion between lecturers, organizers and participants.

The goal of this course is to teach and train master students and PhD students in recent advances in neural circuit development and plasticity from an interdisciplinary perspective. This will be achieved in three ways: first a series of lectures covering the basic principles of axonal and synaptic development and plasticity, second, by a series of lectures by renowned international speakers to provide knowledge to the participants and third, participants work on assignments that require extensive discussion between the lecturers, staff and participants.

The topics will range from early developmental events required for neural circuit development to aspects of synaptic plasticity. More specifically, among others the following topics will be addressed: axonal growth and guidance, synapse formation, synaptic transmission, neural plasticity, membrane trafficking and transport, regeneration and degenerative disease. Participants of this summer school will be informed on the latest developments in the field of neural circuit development and plasticity (lectures), but will also learn how experienced experts in the field address problems, formulate research questions and design experiments (workshop). Lectures will include both basic research and preclinical examples. The topics will be addressed from different angles (molecular, cellular and systems), levels (from single neurons to the level of neuronal networks in vivo) and approaches (imaging, biochemistry, mouse genetics, electrophysiology).

Monday July 20 | Lectures by the organizers ‘Basic principles of neuronal development and function’ – 09:00 – 17:00 hr: Lectures and Student presentations – 17:00 – 20:00 hr: Welcome BBQ (in ‘Living’) Tuesday July 21 | New Tools to Study Synaps Function | Organizer: Geert Ramakers – 09:00 hr: Introduction of the topic/speakers by the organizer</p> – 09:00 – 10:00 hr: Speaker 1 – 10:00 – 10:30 hr: Coffee – 10:30 – 11:30 hr: Speaker 2 – 11:30 – 12:30 hr : Speaker 3 – 12:30 – 14:00 hr: Lunch with speakers – 14:00 – 17:00 hr: Workshop-Career Choices Wednesday July 22 | Axon development and disease | Organizer:  Eljo van Battum – 09:00 hr: Introduction of the topic/speakers by the organizer – 09:00 – 10:00 hr: Speaker 1 – 10:00 – 10:30 hr: Coffee – 10:30 – 11:30 hr: Speaker 2 – 11:30 – 12:30 hr:n Speaker 3 – 12:30 – 14:00 hr: Lunch with speakers – 15:00 – 17:00 hr: Workshop: Lab Tours  Thursday July 23 | Neural circuit formation | Organizer: Carla Gome – 09:00 hr: Introduction of the topic/speakers by the organizer – 09:00 – 10:00 hr: Speaker 1 – 10:00 – 10:30 hr: Coffee – 10:30 – 11:30 hr: Speaker 2 – 11:30 – 12:30 hr: Speaker 3 – 12:30 – 14:00 hr: Lunch with speakers – 14:00 – 17:00 hr: Workshop: New Neuroscience Techniques Friday July 24 | Neural circuit plasticity and function | Organizer: Frank Meye – 09:00 hr: Introduction of the topic/speakers by the organizer – 09:00 – 10:00 hr: Speaker 1 – 10:00 – 10:30 hr: Coffee – 10:30 – 11:30 hr: Speaker 2 – 11:30 – 12:30 hr: Speaker 3 – 12:30 – 14:00 hr: Lunch with speakers – 14:00 – 17:00 hr: Workshop: Neuroethics – 17:00 – 19:00 hr: Farewell drinks

CEN has given ONWAR some free spots to participate in this course. We are not entirely sure yet of the amount of spots, so you will be given a notification in February whether you are in the course or not.