Informatics Forum, University of Edinburgh central campus
Register your attendance
The SNG 2026 will take place in Edinburgh
Venue
Informatics Forum
University of Edinburgh central campus
10 Crichton Street
Edinburgh
EH8 9AB
The Informatics Forum is about 15-20 minutes’ walk from Edinburgh Waverley station, or a 5-10 minute bus ride away.
Date
Friday 28 August 2026
09am–6pm
Provisional programme
As ever, the programme will feature a mix of talks from PhD students and early-career researchers from across Scottish universities, including Edinburgh, St Andrews, Dundee, Strathclyde, Aberdeen, Napier and Heriot Watt universities.
Session I (9am - 10.50am)
mGluR1α-dependent LTP normalises sex-specific differences in temporoammonic plasticity in a rat model of 16p11.2-microdeletion
Britt van Gevel, PhD student, University of Edinburgh
Pontine waves in brain-wide sleep-dependent neuronal activity and memory consolidation
Dr Mirna Merkler, Postdoc, University of Strathclyde
Characterising Early Synaptic Breakdown in Motor Neurone Disease
Dr Zsofia Laszlo, University of Dundee
TBC
Anna Stuckert, PhD Student, St Andrews
Bittersweet: Exploring the sex dependent effects of adolescent sugar consumption on metabolic health and food-seeking behaviour
Dr Diptendu Mukherjee, Postdoc, University of Aberdeen
REFRESHMENTS BREAK
Session II (11.30am - 1pm)
Update from sponsor
Vector Builder
FMRP regulates adult human cortical neuron excitability via cyclic-AMP signalling
Max Knops, PhD student, University of Edinburgh
Functions of the intellectual disability-associated E3 ligase RNF12
Sophie Rappich, PhD student, University of Dundee
Identifying metabolic and imaging signatures of oxidative stress driven ALS-FTSD
Dr Holly Spence, MND Association Lady Elizabeth Wolfson Non Clinical fellow, University of Aberdeen
Flash talks
Selected from submitted poster abstracts
LUNCH
Session III (2pm - 4pm)
Update from Sponsor
Bio-Techne
The Inferior Olive Relays Sensorimotor Prediction Errors to Shape Motor Learning
Dr Pierce Mullen, Postdoc, University of St Andrews
GLIAgeing: optimising a screening workflow to study impact of longevity genes on astrocyte homeostasis
Dr Laura Blaikie, Postdoc, Edinburgh Napier University
Environmental toxicants as potential initiators of early disease biology in neurodegeneration
Tatiana Langarova, PhD student, University of Aberdeen
Understanding the how and why: making proteins at neuronal connections
Dr Paul Donlin-Asp, Simons ESAT Fellow, University of Edinburgh
TBC
Lukas Jurcaga, PhD student, Heriot Watt University
REFRESHMENTS BREAK
Session IV: Keith Sillar Keynote Lecture
Polarity, plasticity and transmitter release in some really weird dopaminergic neurons
Professor Matthew Grubb, King’s College London
DRINKS RECEPTION
Professor Matt Grubb
King’s College London
Posters
Researchers at all career stages who are based in Scottish universities are invited to present a poster. If you would like to present a poster, please submit your poster title and abstract using this Microsoft Form: 2026 Scottish Neuroscience Group (SNG) meeting Poster Submission – Fill in form
We have room for a total of 30 posters and abstracts will be accepted on a first come first served basis. The form will close when capacity is reached, or on Friday 7 August at 5pm, whichever is earlier, and no submissions will be accepted after that.
Flash talks
If you would like to be considered for a 5-minute flash talk as part of the main programme, please indicate this on the form. The organising committee will select up to six abstracts and contact the presenters shortly after the poster deadline.
Please note that all poster boards are A0 size and in portrait orientation.
Catering
The SNG meeting will be fully catered, including:
Tea, coffee and pastries on arrival
Mid-morning refreshments break
Lunch
Mid-afternoon refreshments break
Drinks reception and networking to wrap up the day
Exhibitions
We are excited to bring you a selection of exhibitions from our generous funders. Please prepare to say hello to 10X Genomics, Campden Instruments and more!
Please register by Friday 14 August
We hope many of you can join us for this lively and stimulating day of neuroscience research and discussion! If you wish to attend, please register by Friday 14 August. This deadline is because we need to know the final numbers of attendees to finalise arrangements with caterers, name badges, poster boards and myriad other organisational considerations.
Registration fees:
Undergraduate student: £20
Postgraduate student or technician: £30
Everyone else: £40
You can register using the University of Edinburgh ePay system here:
NB. If you run into any trouble with the ePay system, e.g. with logging into existing accounts or creating a new one, please get in touch with us at Edinburgh.Neuroscience@ed.ac.uk and we can consider alternative payment options.
Organising committee
The organising committee for this year’s SNG consists of: Sam Booker, Rebekah Smikle, Laura Simoes de Oliveira, Daniel Hunter, Deborah Stitt and Marja Main (University of Edinburgh); Fiona Kerr and Laura Blaikie (Edinburgh Napier University) and Marta Vallejo (Heriot Watt University).