S1 – NeuroTour 2024: A Federal Outlook of Neuroscience in Argentina

According to the information surveyed by the SAN in 2021, three districts in Argentina concentrate 90% of researchers in the area of ​​Neuroscience: 61% are based in the city of Buenos Aires and 15% and 14% in the provinces of Córdoba and Buenos Aires, respectively. In this context, and within the framework of the recently created Federalization Commission of the SAN, both during 2022 and 2023 we organized the Federal NeuroTour Symposium at the Annual Meeting. In the first edition we gathered five researchers from outside the main research nodes representing the provinces of Tucumán, Chaco, Santa Fe, Entre Ríos, and Mendoza, and the second one had representations of Santa Fe, San Luis, Rio Negro and Tucumán. Emphasis was made on inviting non-affiliated speakers and the inclusion of young investigators. We believe that fostering a federal community requires continual work over several years and even decades. For this reason we present a third edition of the NeuroTour hoping to make this event a tradition within the SAN annual meeting.
As previously mentioned the main goal of the Federal NeuroTour 2024 is to broaden the neuroscience network along our country. Consequently, the spirit of this symposium was to include several lines of investigation carried out in locations outside the main nodes of SAN. For this reason, in this symposium there is no specific research topic but rather a landscape of neuroscience done out of the most represented areas in SAN. Speakers that will participate in this symposium have their labs in Rio Negro, San Luis, San Juan and Tandil, one small City of Buenos Aires province.

An endogenous circadian clock controls many of the behavioral traits of Drosophila
melanogaster. This ̈clock ̈ relies on the activity of interconnected clusters of neurons that harbor the clock machinery. The hierarchy among clusters involved in the control of rest-activity cycles has been extensively studied. Sexually dimorphic behaviors, on the other hand, have received less attention. Even though egg-laying, a female characteristic behavior, has been shown to be rhythmic, it remains largely unexplored possibly due to metholodological constraints. The current study provides the first steps towards determining the neural substrates underlying the circadian control of egg-laying. We show that, whereas the lateral ventral neurons (LNvs) and the dorsal neurons (DNs) are dispensable, the lateral dorsal neurons (LNds) are necessary for rhythmic egg-laying. Systematically probing the Drosophila connectome for contacts between circadian clusters and oviposition-related neurons, we found no evidence of direct connections between
LNvs or DNs and neurons recruited during oviposition. Conversely, we did find bidirectional connections between Cryptochrome (Cry) expressing LNd (Cry+ LNds) and oviposition related neurons. Taken together, these results reveal that cry positive LNd neurons have a leading role in the control of the egg-laying rhythm in Drosophila females.

Lorena Franco
lorefranco@gmail.com
Departamento de Física Médica – Centro Atómico Bariloche, CNEA, San Carlos de Bariloche, Rio Negro, Argentina.
https://www.conicet.gov.ar/new_scp/detalle.phpid=43802&keywords=lorena%2Bfranco&datos_academicos=yes

This talk discusses the relationship between epilepsy and biological rhythms, especially the 24-hour daily rhythms. Circadian rhythms are endogenous cycles that occur with a period close to 24 hours and have an impact on metabolic, physiological, and behavioral processes. In addition to circadian rhythms, there are also other biological rhythms with durations shorter than a day (ultradian) and durations longer than a day
(infradian).
In epilepsy, it has been observed that the circadian rhythm of sleep-wakefulness has an important relationship. In particular, temporal lobe seizures occur more frequently during the light period, while frontal lobe seizures occur during the dark period. Seizures also characteristically occur at awakening in certain types of epilepsy.
This talk addresses various parameters related to daily rhythms in patients with epilepsy, including hormone rhythms, sleep-wakefulness rhythm, temperature rhythm, chronotype, and sleep quality. It also discusses the timing and occurrence of seizures, the use of hypnotics, and the localization and laterality of the epileptogenic zone. The results presented here suggest the need to adapt treatments for epilepsy based on biological rhythms and correct alterations in the sleep-wake cycle.

Manuel Facundo Latini
flatini@uccuyosl.edu.ar
Hospital Central Dr. Ramon Carillo y Universidad Nacional de San Luis, San Luis, Argentina
https://ar.linkedin.com/in/m-facundo-latini-9282a041

Within the framework of brain health promotion, cognitive impairment and dementia detection, a provincial plan is being developed to assess individuals over the age of 50. The assessment is carried out through a specifically designed software, which includes clinical data, determinants of brain health, mood scales, cognitive complaints, activities of daily living, and cognitive screening. Following the assessment, an individual report is issued providing specific suggestions. Additionally, those diagnosed with Alzheimer’s and Frontotemporal Dementia are invited to participate in another project. This additional initiative, with international scope, involves a deeper exploration including social determinants, neuroimaging studies, genetic analysis, electroencephalography, and comprehensive cognitive evaluation. The integration of both projects allows for a response to societal demands. Concurrently, brain health promotion is pursued through awareness and dissemination activities targeting the community, with initiatives spanning all stages of life.

Diana Bruno
dianabruno2@gmail.com
Instituto de Investigaciones en Psicología Básica y Aplicada (IIPBA), Facultad de Filosofía y Humanidades, Universidad Católica de Cuyo, San Juan, Argentina.
https://ar.linkedin.com/in/diana-bruno-68575b77

Medial entorhinal (MEC) grid cell neurons, pivotal in navigation, exhibit sequential firing patterns in mice, repeating approximately every minute. These patterns, however, lack spatial organization and do not seem linked to observable behavior. Minute-scale oscillations in the MEC entraining the entire cell population with periods ranging from 10 to 100 seconds (0.1-0.01Hz), remain shrouded in uncertainty regarding their underlying mechanisms. Through detailed numerical investigations, the talk will propose a plausible mechanism by which ultra-slow sequential firing emerges in spiking neural networks.

José A. Fernandez-Leon Fellenz
jafphd@googlemail.com
CIFICEN-CONICET & Universidad Nacional del Centro de la Provincia de Buenos Aires (UNCPBA), Tandil, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
https://jafphd.intia.exa.unicen.edu.ar/