Spring/Summer Neurotimes 2026

SPRING/SUMMER 2026

Newsletter Highlights

NEUROTIMES cnlm.uci.edu | memory@uci.edu | 949-824-5193

1 Message from our Team 2 Minds, Maps, and Machines

4 2026 Award Ceremony

8 Celebrating Community Achievements and Excellence

10 2026 Irvine Brain Bee

11 2026 How it’s Made

12 Research Spotlights

14 2026 Distinguished Lecture 15 Celebrating Connection

Dear Friends, If you had walked through the CNLM this past spring, you would have run into something very different almost every week of the quarter: researchers debating how our brains map our world one week, award recipients pitching their research the next, high schoolers holding preserved brains the week after that. It was one of our busiest stretches yet, and one of our most connected.

Our Minds, Maps, and Machines conference brought together voices from cognitive, molecular, and computational neuroscience, anchored by a keynote from Dr. Bruce McNaughton. Later, we filled a room with scientists, family members, and our generous community to celebrate thirty trainees, faculty, and research teams at our Award Ceremony. It was the kind of night that reminds us why this work matters.

The buzz and the productivity are the result of a community that keeps showing up, even on hard days. I hope you enjoy browsing this edition of NeuroTimes.

Save the date for October 1, when Dr. Steve Ramirez joins us for the McGaugh-Gerard Lecture. I'd love to see you there!

With gratitude,

Manuella Oliveira Yassa, Ph.D. Director of Outreach and Education Center for the Neurobiology of Learning and Memory

CNLM

NEUROTIMES

MINDS, MAPS, AND MACHINES 2026 CNLM SPRING MEETING | APRIL 9-10

Keynote Speaker

Bruce McNaughton, Ph.D. UC Irvine

Symposium Speakers Andrew Alexander, Ph.D. UC Santa Barbara Helen Elizabeth Davis, Ph.D. Arizona State University Jean-Marc Fellous, Ph.D. UC San Diego The 2026 CNLM Spring Conference was held at UC Irvine, with the theme Minds, Maps, and Machines. Over 150 attendees from within and beyond the CNLM community gathered for the conference, bringing together keynote speakers, faculty, presenters, and students from undergraduate to graduate levels.

This year’s theme reflected a shared effort to bridge perspectives across cognitive, molecular, and computational neuroscience, inspired by the collaborative work of this year’s conference committee: Dr. Elizabeth Chrastil, Dr. Jeffrey Krichmar, and Dr. Douglas Nitz. Together, these efforts captured what makes the CNLM Spring Conference distinctive: a space where ideas actively connect to move the field forward.

Throughout the conference, symposium sessions brought together speakers from interdisciplinary fields across multiple schools to explore different dimensions of the cognitive map and the mechanisms that support learning and memory.

Guided by the conference’s emphasis on collaboration and deep scientific discussion, attendees engaged in conversations that bridged perspectives across cognitive, molecular, and computational neuroscience.

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Michael Goard, Ph.D. UC Santa Barbara Lucia Jacobs, Ph.D. UC Berkeley Caitlin Mallory, Ph.D. UC Berkeley Mayank Mehta, Ph.D. UC Los Angeles Georg Striedter, Ph.D. UC Irvine

Bridging Futures in Neuroscience

Dr. Michael Yassa and graduate student Alina Tu following the Data Blitz session, recognizing excellence in research and presentation.

Beyond the symposium sessions, the conference featured Data Blitz, Open Paper, and Poster presentations that created additional opportunities for attendees to engage with emerging research, exchange ideas, and expand their perspectives.

This year’s keynote speaker was Dr. Bruce McNaughton,

Neurobridges is a collaboration between

Distinguished Professor of Neurobiology and Behavior,

the CNLM and NeuroBoricuas, a nonprofit

who shared insights into how memory is represented and

organization dedicated to empowering

consolidated across the cortex and hippocampus. His talk

young Puerto Ricans in science.

explored interconnected memory networks and the role of

Neurobridges supports the CNLM Travel

cortical representations in learning and spatial navigation.

Award which enables two Puerto Rican

The 2026 Spring Conference highlighted the power of collaboration across disciplines, model systems, and perspectives to drive innovation in neuroscience. These two days fostered meaningful interdisciplinary connections that continue to expand how we think about learning, memory, and the brain. As these conversations spark new ideas and partnerships, the CNLM looks forward to the discoveries and collaborations that will grow from this community in the years ahead.

Special thanks to our organizers Elizabeth Chrastil, Jeffrey Krichmar, Douglas Nitz, Michael A. Yassa, Manuella Oliveira Yassa, Morgan Coburn, and Erin Purvis Conway

undergraduate students to attend the spring conference. The two recipients of the award this year were Paulette Vazquez Martinez (left) and Andrea Garcia Quinones (right).

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Receiving this travel award is really meaningful as a Puerto Rican student. Sometimes resources are limited, so it’s really important for us to make our voices heard and seen in other places outside of the island.

Andrea Garcia Quinones 3

CNLM

NEUROTIMES

AN EVENING CELEBRATING NEUROSCIENCE EXCELLENCE 2026 CNLM AWARD CEREMONY

During the ceremony, recipients were On May 20, 2026, members of the CNLM

presented with a plaque and a $1,000

community gathered at the UCI Beall Applied

stipend. Graduate trainees and

Innovation Center to celebrate the

postdoctoral scholars took the stage to

accomplishments of this year’s award recipients.

deliver a brief Elevator Pitch about their

This year’s awardees consisted of thirty individuals,

research, while faculty and Team Science

including undergraduates, graduate trainees,

Award recipients were honored with a

postdoctoral scholars, faculty fellows, alumni, and interdisciplinary research teams.

The annual awards ceremony recognizes the contributions of these individuals through their research, leadership, and community engagement. Their achievements reflect the CNLM’s mission to advance neuroscience through innovation, collaboration, and scientific discovery. The event highlights the collaborative spirit of the CNLM community and celebrates the impact these individuals continue to make across 4

the field.

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plaque and invited to share remarks.

To our faculty, our students, their families, their colleagues, and friends, your dedication is what enables this work to actually happen in the center. It enables us to change lives and change the future of brain science.

Michael A. Yassa, Ph.D.

Emily Yi, Director’s Excellence Award Recipient No Woman Left Behind: Understanding FemaleSpecific Alzheimer’s Disease Risk

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The menstrual cycle, pregnancy, and menopause are all key biological events that affect women's bodies and their brains. And we know so little about what that looks like.

Johnny Boutros, John W. Haycock Award Recipient – Brain Drain or Brain Clog? Mapping the Amyloid Traffic Jam

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It's important as researchers we really get stuck in the weeds of what we're doing. And it means a lot to know that people care about what we do.

Inspiring the Future of Neuroscience The annual awards are made possible thanks to our wonderful community of supporters. Through their generosity, the center is able to recognize trainees, faculty, and alumni whose work is advancing the field of neuroscience. These awards empower recipients to drive groundbreaking research and accelerate their career growth.

This recognition honors the recipients' hard work and demonstrates the value of their contributions. The

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It’s so awesome that there are donors out there who care about undergraduate researchers such as myself. We get the validation of being recognized for research, allowing us to keep contributing to the field.

Morgan Sky Lu Friends of the CNLM Award Recipient

generosity of the CNLM community plays a fundamental role in shaping the next generation of leaders, creating a lasting impact on both the awardees and the field of neuroscience.

Scan here to learn more about the award recipients’ research and community impact 5

CNLM

NEUROTIMES

CONGRATULATIONS TO THE 2026 CNLM AWARD WINNERS UNDERGRADUATE RECIPIENTS JAMES TAIT GOODRICH AWARD

Allison Jian

Hannah Karowe

FRIENDS OF THE CNLM AWARD

Morgan Sky Lu

CAROL BECKER MCGAUGH AWARD

Muhanad Hilal

CAROL AND JAMES MCGAUGH AWARD

Vaidehi Shah

Varun Ajith

GRADUATE AND POSTDOCTORAL RECIPIENTS JOHN W. HAYCOCK AWARD

Johnny Boutros

Julia Lagomarsino

Briana Morales

ROGER W. RUSSELL AWARD

Natalie DiProspero, Ph.D.

Johanna Extremet, Ph.D.

Zaneta Navratilova, Ph.D.

Minh Ngo

Tracy Uzoigwe

JARED M. ROBERTS AWARD

Selen Dirik

NORMAN WEINBERGER AWARD

Jorge Mendoza

Vaidehi Gandhi

RENÉE HARWICK AWARD

Nicolette McClure

Kendyl Laumann

DIRECTOR’S EXCELLENCE AWARD

Erica Ramirez

Kristen Vallejo

Emily Yi

FACULTY RECIPIENTS PUBLIC IMPACT AWARD

EXCEPTIONAL MENTOR AWARD

RISING STAR AWARD

DISTINGUISHED SCHOLAR AWARD

Leslie Thompson, Ph.D.

Gyorgy Lur, Ph.D.

Eitan Schechtman, Ph.D.

Andrea Tenner, Ph.D.

TEAM SCIENCE AWARD

Kate Tsourmas, Ph.D.

Kim Green, Ph.D.

Munjal Acharya, Ph.D.

Vivek Swarup, Ph.D.

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CNLM

NEUROTIMES

CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENTS STUDENT EXCELLENCE Matthew Sandoval Matt Sandoval, a third-year graduate student researcher in the Diaz Alonzo Lab, has been selected as a Neuroscience Scholars Program (NSP) Fellow. This two-year training program provides graduate students and postdoctoral researchers with professional development funds, travel support, complimentary SfN membership, and dedicated mentorship and virtual networking opportunities.

Driven by a desire to understand his own experiences with depression and anxiety, Matt turned to neuroscience to study the molecular mechanisms underlying neuropsychiatric disorders. His research manipulates microscopic molecules to see how they affect brain function and behavior, aiming to inform future treatment targets for mental illness. This fellowship accelerates Matt's career by providing diverse mentorship and opening doors to vital collaboration, outreach, and networking within the NSP community.

Julia Lagomarsino Julia Lagomarsino, a second-year PhD student in the Fowler lab, has received the Tobacco-Related Disease Research Program (TRDRP) predoctoral fellowship. This fellowship supports doctoral research training under the mentorship of an established investigator within TRDRP priority areas. The award will support Julia’s research for three years while advancing TRDRP’s mission to reduce commercial tobacco use and tobacco-related disease, and to inform public policy that benefits Californians..

Julia’s research addresses a critical public health gap by evaluating unregulated synthetic nicotine analogs in e-cigarettes, a focus driven by her personal family history of nicotine dependence. The TRDRP fellowship will support her development into an independent scientist dedicated to shaping California's tobacco policies.

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CNLM

NEUROTIMES

CELEBRATING ACHIEVEMENTS FACULTY EXCELLENCE Fei Xia, Ph.D. Dr. Fei Xia, an Assistant Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science at UCI and a newly appointed CNLM Fellow, has received the University of California Early Career Faculty Research Excellence Award for her project, "Live Biopsy Microscope: LabelFree, Real-Time Disease Diagnosis for Accessible Precision Medicine."

Selected as one of only six UCI faculty members from 100 applicants system-wide, Dr. Xia is recognized by this inaugural award as an outstanding early-career scholar demonstrating exceptional research impact.

Dr. Xia leads an interdisciplinary research team at the intersection of optics, computation, and biomedicine, co-designing smart hardware and software systems to tackle critical biomedical challenges. Her groundbreaking work in translational imaging has been recognized by prestigious honors, including the Optica Foundation Challenge Award and the Rising Star in Light.

Michael A. Yassa, Ph.D. Dr. Michael A. Yassa, Professor of Neurobiology and CNLM Director, has been selected as an American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) fellow. The AAAS is the world’s largest general scientific society. The organization selected seven UC Irvine researchers, working in disciplines as diverse as chemistry, civil and environmental engineering, neurobiology, and physics, as 2026 fellows. These scholars are honored for their efforts to advance science or its applications.

Dr. Yassa is being recognized for groundbreaking discoveries about the hippocampus that provide a basis for understanding cognitive decline in dementia and for developing a visionary model for training the next generation of neuroscientists. His broader research focuses on the neural mechanisms of learning and memory, with a particular emphasis on how these processes are altered by aging and neuropsychiatric disease.

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CNLM

NEUROTIMES

2026 IRVINE BRAIN BEE

INSPIRING THE NEXT GENERATION OF NEUROSCIENTISTS

On February 7, 2026, the CNLM hosted the 8th

The program featured a keynote by Dr. Christie

annual Irvine Brain Bee, welcoming a record 143

Fowler, titled “Before the Clinical Trial: The Scientific

high school students from across Southern

Research That Makes Medicine Possible.” Her talk

California for a full day of neuroscience learning,

introduced students to the foundational research

discovery, and competition. The Irvine Brain Bee is

that underlies medical advances and showed how

made possible through the generous support of

discoveries in basic neuroscience move toward real-

the Friends of the CNLM and the remarkable

world treatments.

dedication of CNLM Ambassadors, who organize and lead the day’s activities and hands-on learning

Congratulations to the 2026 Irvine Brain Bee Winners:

experiences.

1st place: Kayla Roh 2nd place: Justin Liu

Dr. Manuella Oliveira Yassa, CNLM Director of

3rd place (tie): Mahima Wuppalapati and Ashley He

Outreach and Education and Director of the USA National Brain Bee, continues to lead the Irvine Brain Bee. This year’s event was made possible by the organizing committee: Dr. Rachael Hokenson, Winny Ning, Allison Morehouse, and Julie Loritsch, whose months of planning and coordination shaped this year’s program.

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I see the Irvine Brain Bee as an entry point into the scientific community... These experiences help them see that a future in neuroscience is truly within reach.

Dr. Manuella Oliveira Yassa

To learn more, visit: https://cnlm.uci.edu/irvinebrainbee

CNLM

NEUROTIMES

HOW IT’S MADE: NEUROSCIENCE EVER WONDER HOW NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH REALLY WORKS? This ongoing virtual public panel series explores the process of neuroscience research in different model systems. Each panel is accompanied by a special video to take the audience behind the scenes and into the lab.

Jeff Krichmar

Kate Inman Tsourmas

Sara Mednick

Lisa Flanagan

One of the center’s goals is to expand outreach across all ages and strengthen connections between science and the public. This series aims to make neuroscience more accessible and engaging, with a particular focus on adult audiences.

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This year’s second annual panel brought

I've been interested in bridging the

together more than 150 attendees, with a focus on sleep, robotics, and neural stem cells. Co-

gaps between the scientific community

organized by Adult Outreach Co-Chairs Dr. Kate

and members of the public pretty

Inman Tsourmas, Kristen Vallejo, and Tracy

much as long as I've been interested in

Uzoigwe, the panel brought together Dr. Lisa

science. And right now, I think

Flanagan, Dr. Jeff Krichmar, and Dr. Sara

transparency in science feels more important than ever.

Mednick to share insights into their research and scientific journeys.

Dr. Kate Inman Tsourmas

Scan the QR code to watch the full series and explore the fascinating research, discoveries, and stories behind the science.

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CNLM

NEUROTIMES

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

NEW HOPE FOR RARE BRAIN DISORDERS

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This year’s Team Science Award recognizes an exceptional interdisciplinary collaboration between Drs. Kate Tsourmas, Kim Green, Vivek Swarup, and Munjal Acharya. Together, this team advanced our understanding of a critical partnership between the brain’s immune cells and neurons that is essential for brain health.

Manuella Yassa, PhD

A new study led by researchers at the UC Irvine CNLM has uncovered a critical role for the brain’s immune cells, known as microglia, in maintaining neuronal health and preventing neurodegeneration in Sandhoff disease, a rare and fatal genetic disorder. Published in Nature Communications in August 2025, the study demonstrates that replacing dysfunctional microglia in a mouse model of the disease restored key cellular functions, improved behavior, and reduced damage in the brain.

This research, led by Dr. Kate Tsourmas, focused on how defects in microglia contribute to neuronal damage in lysosomal storage diseases. The researchers found that healthy microglia supply neurons with β-hexosaminidase, an enzyme required for proper lysosomal function. In Sandhoff disease, loss of this enzyme causes toxic materials to accumulate inside neurons, leading to neurodegeneration. To test whether healthy immune cells could reverse these effects, the team replaced diseased microglia with healthy donor-derived cells in a mouse model of Sandhoff disease.

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The treatment restored enzyme activity, reduced toxic buildup, improved neuronal health, and led to behavioral improvements. The findings suggest that microglia play a much more direct role in supporting neuronal function than previously understood and highlight microglial replacement as a promising therapeutic strategy for neurodegenerative disorders involving lysosomal dysfunction. The researchers believe these findings may have implications beyond Sandhoff disease, including for other neurological disorders in which inflammation and lysosomal dysfunction contribute to brain degeneration.

This collaborative research is a powerful example of team science in action. Dr. Kate Tsourmas began with a scientific question she wanted to tackle as part of her doctoral work and brought together the laboratories of Drs. Kim Green, Vivek Swarup, and Munjal Acharya to help answer it. This outstanding interdisciplinary research team was awarded the 2026 CNLM Team Science Award.

To discover more work from the CNLM community visit cnlm.uci.edu/news

RESEARCH SPOTLIGHT

COVID-19 VIRUS ALTERS GENE EXPRESSION ACROSS BRAIN CELLS

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Persistent changes in gene expression with homeostatic functions in resident brain cells following SARS-CoV-2 infection argues that peripheral infection with respiratory viral pathogens may prime the brain for longerterm neurodegeneration.

Thomas Lane, PhD

New research from UC Irvine, published in

Researchers found that while infection induced

Alzheimer’s & Dementia in April 2026, investigated

acute viral pneumonia, there was no detectable viral

the impact of SARS-CoV-2 infection on Alzheimer’s

RNA found in the brains. Additionally, infection did

disease pathology in the mouse brain. Researchers

not appear to affect neuroinflammation levels,

discovered that while SARS-CoV-2 did not impact

amyloid plaque pathologies, or loss of neurons in the

brain pathologies associated with Alzheimer’s

mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease. However, they

disease, it did result in altered gene expression

identified key gene expression changes induced by

across multiple cell types within the mouse brain.

SARS-CoV-2 infection across specific cell types, most notably inhibitory neurons and glial cells.

SARS-CoV-2 is the infectious agent causing COVID19. In addition to severe respiratory problems,

“We initially expected to find overt pathology

patients with COVID-19 also frequently experience

changes,” said first author Dr. Susana Furman.

neurological symptoms. Some of the most

“Instead, we found that even mild infection that

vulnerable populations were older individuals

never entered the brain triggered widespread

presenting symptoms of dementia and Alzheimer’s

changes in gene expression across multiple brain cell

disease. This study builds on a growing field of

types, revealing subtle molecular and cellular

research investigating the significant role of

reprogramming that could influence long-term

neuroinflammation in how Alzheimer’s disease

neurological function.” While this study is limited in

occurs in the aging brain.

its correlation between infection and consequential genetic changes within several types of brain cells,

In this new study, the research team used a mouse-

this work adds to growing evidence that even

adapted strain of SARS-CoV-2 to infect both

peripheral viral infection has the capacity to impact

healthy and Alzheimer’s disease mice.

the brain, especially as it ages.

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CNLM

NEUROTIMES

2026 DISTINGUISHED LECTURE New Frontiers in Women’s Brain Health

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Over 50,000 neuroimaging articles have been published since 1995, shedding light on the most complex organ in the human body. Of those 50,000 articles, about half of the test subjects are women.

Yet, only half of 1% center on matters specific to women's bodies.

On January 28, 2026, the UC Irvine Center for the

Through groundbreaking imaging studies and large-

Neurobiology of Learning and Memory hosted the

scale collaborative initiatives, Dr. Jacobs

Distinguished Lecture on Brain, Learning, and

demonstrated how hormonal transitions such as

Memory, presented by Dr. Emily G. Jacobs.

menstruation, pregnancy, and menopause shape the brain across the lifespan. She emphasized that

Dr. Emily Jacobs was named one of the “Top 10

women’s brain health remains one of the most

Scientists” to watch around the globe by Science

understudied areas in neuroscience, despite the

News. She is a professor of psychological and brain

fact that women make up the majority of

science at UC Santa Barbara, and serves as the

Alzheimer’s disease cases and experience unique

director of the Ann S. Bowers Women's Brain Health

neurological changes throughout life.

Initiative. Her research explores the structural and functional changes in the brain that occur in

Her lecture highlighted how understanding these

response to changing hormonal conditions.

overlooked aspects of brain function is critical to advancing neuroscience research and deepening

Women’s health and its effects on the brain have

our understanding of how the brain adapts,

been understudied and underfunded for decades. In

changes, and supports learning and memory across

her lecture, titled “New Frontiers in Women’s Brain

different stages of life.

Health,” Dr. Jacobs explored the longstanding gaps in our knowledge of how women’s health influences the brain, and the pioneering research that is advancing the field.

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Watch the full lecture here

CELEBRATING CONNECTION

Dear Friends, Morgan Sky Lu, this year's Friends of the CNLM Award recipient, put it better than I could: "It's so awesome that there are donors out there who care about undergraduate researchers such as myself. We get the validation of being recognized for research, allowing us to keep contributing to the field." That's the plainest description I know of what your membership does — it turns years of careful, unseen lab work into something recognized and supported.

This spring alone, that support carried thirty trainees, faculty, and research teams across our Award Ceremony stage, sent Puerto Rican undergraduates to our spring conference through NeuroBridges, and brought 143 high schoolers into the Irvine Brain Bee — some holding a human brain for the first time. It also seeds our High-Risk, High-Reward research program, giving faculty and trainees room to chase bold, early-stage ideas that traditional grants won't fund until there's already preliminary data behind them. None of it runs on grant funding alone.

If you're not yet a Friends of the CNLM member, or your membership has lapsed, now's a good time to join or renew.

And save the date for October 1, when Dr. Steve Ramirez joins us for the McGaugh-Gerard Lecture.

Warmly,

Michael A. Yassa, PhD CNLM Director

JOIN OR RENEW YOUR FRIENDS OF THE CNLM MEMBERSHIP TODAY! NeuroSilver - $500 Patrons at this level are acknowledged at public lectures and events, receive our quarterly newsletter, and VIP admission to the annual Distinguished Lecture on Brain, Learning and Memory at the Irvine Barclay Theatre including an exclusive opportunity to meet the distinguished speaker.

NeuroGold - $1000 Patrons at this level receive all of the thank you gifts of NeuroSilver PLUS invitation to our exclusive Evenings to Remember series.

NeuroPlatinum - $2000 Patrons at this level receive all of the thank you gifts of NeuroGold PLUS a choice between a personal meeting for two with the CNLM scientist of your choice or an exclusive guided tour of a CNLM laboratory.

NeuroDiamond - $5000 Patrons at this level receive all of the courtesies of NeuroPlatinum PLUS invite a CNLM scientist of your choice to give a lecture at a dinner party at a location of your choosing.

Scan to JOIN or RENEW

cnlm.uci.edu/friends

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(949) 824-5193 memory@uci.edu 320 Qureshey Research Lab Irvine, CA 92697-3800

The McGaugh-Gerard Lecture on Learning and Memory

From Moments to Engrams Steve Ramirez, Ph.D. Associate Professor of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Boston University

October 1, 2026 | 7:30 pm Irvine Barclay Theatre

RSVP today: cnlm.uci.edu/ramirez/