13th INTERNATIONAL MEETING
STEROIDS AND NERVOUS SYSTEM
Torino (Italy) February 21-25, 2026
Torino (Italy) February 21-25, 2026
Saturday February 21 - Torino
Chair: Roberto C. Melcangi (Italy) & Silvia Giatti (Italy)
9:15 Roberto C. Melcangi (Italy) Introduction to the Satellite Symposium
9:30 Alexandros Tsompanidis (United Kingdom) Sex differences in early human brain structures and neurodevelopment
10:00 Ramune Griksiene (Lithuania) Sex differences in visuospatial cognition and emotion: behavioral, EEG, and eye-tracking insights
10:30 Giulia Lombardo (United Kingdom) Sex-specific endocrine and immune biomarkers in major depressive disorder
11:00 - 11:30 coffee break
11:30 Illana Gozes (Israel) ADNP/davunetide play a critical role in sex-dependent hippocampal neurogenesis and memory boost
12:00 Silvia Giatti (Italy) The sex of the brain: neuroactive steroid Implications for health and disease
12:30 Marco Bortolato (USA) Sex, stress, and steroids: male-specific pathways in mood and coping regulation
13:00 - 14:30 lunch
14:30 Michael Schumacher (France) Sex differences in myelination: activational and organizational effects of gonadal steroids
15:00 Ashley Monks (Canada) Adult gonadal steroid hormone manipulations effects on sexual reward and neural responses to genital stimulation depend on sex of mice
15:30 Jonathan Hirst (Australia) Zuranolone treatment following preterm labour has sexually dimorphic benefits that improve outcomes
16:00 Closure of the Satellite Symposium
Saturday February 21 - Torino
16:30 Opening ceremony
SYMPOSIUM - OVARIAN HORMONES ARE CRITICAL REGULATORS OF BRAIN PLASTICITY AND DISEASE RISK:
EVIDENCE ACROSS SPECIES AND BRAIN SCALES
Chair: Marija Kundakovic (USA) & Liisa Galea (Canada)
17:00 Susana Carmona (Spain) Brain neuroplasticity during gestation and postpartum period
17:30 Emily G. Jacobs (USA) Dynamic endocrine modulation of the nervous system
18:00 Deepak Srivastava (United Kingdom) Multi-omic analysis of sex specific effects of estradiol on neurodevelopment in human cerebral organoids
18:30 Marija Kundakovic (USA) Decoding the X-chromosome Dynamics in the Adult Female Brain
Chair: George Barreto (Ireland)
Manuel Tena-Sempere (Spain)
Dynamic interplay between sex steroids and metabolism: From brain actions to obesity-induced hypogonadism
20:00 Welcome Cocktail
Sunday February 22
Chair: Nicole Gervais (The Netherlands) & Charlotte Cornil (Belgium)
8:30 Nicole Gervais (The Netherlands) Menopause and midlife sleep disturbance in rodent AD models
9:00 Agnès Lacreuse (USA) Nonhuman primate models of menopause
9:30 Claudia Barth (Norway) Menopause-related factors & brain health
10:00 Mallar Chakravarty (Canada) Effects of long-term ovariectomy on brain trajectories in mice
10:30 - 11:00 coffee break
Chair: Jill Daniel (USA) & Karyn Frick (USA)
11:00 Laura Schrader (USA) Impact of cardiometabolic health status on the ability of estradiol to affect the hippocampal memory system
11:30 Ricardo Mostany (USA) Impact of cardiometabolic health status on the ability of estradiol to influence cortical plasticity and neurovascular coupling
12:00 Andrea Zsombok (USA) Impact of cardiometabolic health status on the ability of estradiol to modulate hypothalamic circuits regulating metabolism
12:30-14:30 lunch and poster discussion 1
MINISYMPOSIUM - THE BRAIN ON ESTROGENS: HOW STEROIDS SHAPE BEHAVIOR, BRAIN ACTIVITY, AND NEUROPLASTICITY
Chair: Birgit Derntl (Germany) & Liisa Galea (Canada)
14:30 Ellen de Bruijn (The Netherlands) Outcomes of the international expert meeting on the effects of hormonal fluctuations on neurocognitive functioning across the female lifespan
15:00 Erica Comasco (Swedeen) Estrogen, nicotine and reward
15:30 Ann-Christin Kimmig (Germany) Endogenous vs. Exogenous Estrogenic Potency in Females: Associations with Sexual Appetence and Brain Function – An (f)MRI Study
16:00-16:30 coffee break
16:30 Silvia Pagliardini (Canada) Influence of progestins on the CO2 central chemoreflex
17:00 Richard Kinkead (Canada) Life long cardiorespiratory consequences of early life stress on estrogen signalling in female rats
17:30 Luciane Gargaglioni (Brazil) Hormonal Rhythms and CO₂ Response: Unveiling Estrous Cycle Modulation of Behavior and Respiration in Rodents
18:00 Carolina Lombardi (Italy) Sleep apnea and autonomic nervous system; from cardiovascular risk to excessive daytime sleepiness
Monday February 23
SYMPOSIUM - NEUROSTEROIDS AND NMDAR FUNCTION: MOLECULAR MECHANISM AND RESCUE PHARMACOLOGY
Chair: Hongjie Yuan (USA) & George Barreto (Ireland)
8:30 Steven Mennerick (USA) Synthetic Steroid-like Compounds with Unusual Actions at GABA-A and NMDA Receptors
9:00 Ladislav Vyklicky (Czech Republic) Neurosteroid Modulation of NMDA Receptors in Physiology and GRIN-Related Pathology
9:30 Shai Berlin (Israel) Rescuing NMDA Receptor Function from Devastating De Novo Mutations
10:00 Sharon Swanger (USA) Novel Synthetic Neurosteroid Analog: from Mechanism of Action to Rescue Pharmacology
10:30-11:00 coffee break
MINISYMPOSIUM - MATERNAL NEUROENDOCRINE ADAPTATIONS IN AN ENVIRONMENT FILLED WITH DIVERSE PRESSURES
Chairs: Marilena Marraudino (Italy) & Dario Aspesi (USA)
11:00 Sarah Wilkour (USA) Investigating The Impact Of Sickness On The Neurobiology Of Maternal Caregiving Behavior
11:30 Dario Aspesi (USA) Resource Scarcity Induces Unpredictable Maternal Behavior Linked To Changes In Gene Expression Within The Basolateral Amygdala Of Rats
12:00 Marilena Marraudino (Italy) EDCs And Altered Maternal Nutrition Influence The Stress Axis Of The Mother And Offspring
12:30-14:00 lunch and poster vision
MINISYMPOSIUM - SEX STEROIDS, DOPAMINE AND PARKINSON’S DISEASE
Chair: Therese Di Paolo (Canada) & Roberto C. Melcangi (Italy)
14:00 Julia M. Schulze-Hentrich (Germany) Sex-specific transcriptional and epigenetic differences in Parkinson’s disease
14:30 Therese Di Paolo (Canada) Sex differences in animal models of Parkinson’s disease effect of hormonal treatments and COVID-19 disease
15:00 Jill Becker (USA) Effects of estradiol receptor subtypes on stimulated dopamine release and motivated behaviors
15:30-16:00 coffee break
SYMPOSIUM - NEUROACTIVE STEROIDS AND WOMEN’S MENTAL HEALTH: TRANSLATIONAL ADVANCES
IN PTSD, PMDD, AND POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION
Chair: Graziano Pinna (USA) & Gianluca Aimaretti (Italy)
16:00 Graziano Pinna (USA) The Neurosteroid-Endocannabinoid axis in PTSD: From Animal Models to Biomarkers and Therapeutics
16:30 Ann Rasmusson (USA) Moving Toward Rational Precision Neurosteroid-Based Treatments for PTSD and PTSD-Comorbid Conditions
17:00 Liisa Hantsoo (USA) Neuroactive Steroid Dysfunction in Premenstrual Dysphoric Disorder (PMDD)
17:30 Jennifer Payne (USA) The Neuroactive Steroid Pathway and Postpartum Depression: Moving Towards Etiology
Tuesday February 24
SYMPOSIUM - SEX HORMONES AND ADDICTION
Chair: Bernd Lenz (Germany) & Silvia Giatti (Italy)
8:30 Katarzyna Radwańska (Poland) Brain estrogen signaling and alcohol addiction in rodents
9:00 John Mantsch (USA) Complementary prefrontal cortical estrogen-glucocorticoid mechanisms regulate cocaine seeking
9:30 Bernd Lenz (Germany) Longitudinal variations in sex hormones and their associations with alcohol use and related phenotypes
10:00 Rajita Sinha (USA) Sex steroids and neuroactive steroids in alcohol and substance use disorders
10:30-11:00 coffee break
11:00-12:30 YOUNG INVESTIGATOR SYMPOSIUM
Chair: Silvia Diviccaro (Italy) & Marilena Marraudino (Italy)
12:30-14:30 Lunch & Poster Discussion 2
SYMPOSIUM - BRAIN CLOCKS AND STEROIDS
Chair: Mariana Astiz (Spain) & Stefano Gotti (Italy)
14:30 Violetta Pilorz (Germany) Hormones that shape the brain's rhythm: estrogen & progesterone, the female clock tuners
15:00 Hugh Piggins (United Kingdom) Sex and ageing differentially alter daily and infradian rhythms in mice
15.30 Simonneaux Valerie (France) Light and estradiol orchestrate the female reproductive cycle
16:00 Mariana Astiz (Spain) The central circadian clock and the developmental timeline of glucocorticoids sensitivity
Enjoy Torino
Social Dinner
Wednesday February 25
SYMPOSIUM - GLUCOCORTICOID REGULATION OF MEMORIES ON THE PATH TO STRESS RESILIENCE AND VULNERABILITY
Chair: Joanna Spencer-Segal (USA) & Onno Meijer (The Netherlands)
9:00 Jason Radley (USA) Bed nuclei-related circuit versus stress hormonal influences in modulating fear memory strength and precision
9:30 Patrizia Campolongo (Italy) Glucocorticoid receptor targeting in PTSD and adolescent stress models
10:00 Joanna Spencer-Segal (USA) Glucocorticoid modulation of PTSD risk in ICU survivors
10:30-11:00 Coffee Break
11:00 Harm Krugers (The Netherlands) Synaptic and cellular signature of stress-effects on memory
Stephen Matthews (Canada)
Glucocorticoids and the developing brain: an intergenerational perspective
Chair: Onno Meijer (The Netherlands)
12:30-14:00 Lunch
MINISYMPOSIUM -THE MULTIFACETED LINK OF STRESS AND PSYCHIATRIC DISORDERS:
UNRAVELING MECHANISMS TO ADVANCE THERAPEUTIC APPROACHES
Chair: Marco A. Riva (Italy) & Patrizia Campolongo (Italy)
14:00 Marco A. Riva (Italy) Adolescence at the Crossroads: Early Life Stress Exposure, Precipitating Factors, and Therapeutic Strategies for Psychopathologies
14:30 Carmen Sandi (Switzerland) Mitochondria, stress, and glucocorticoids: Unraveling vulnerability and therapeutic potential
15:00 Juan Nácher Roselló (Spain) Long term effects of early life stress and its contribution to psychiatric disorders
MINISYMPOSIUM - CORTICOSTEROIDS AND DISEASE
Chair: Onno Meijer (The Netherland) & Annamaria Cattaneo (Italy)
15:30 Serena Dudek (USA) Mineralocorticoid receptors in neurodevelopment – a link to autism
16:00 Laurent Givalois, (France) Glucorticoid receptor antagonism in neurodegeneration – Alzheimer’s models
16:30 Eva Viho (Germany) Single cell analysis of the human postmortem brain in stress related disorders
17:00 Closing of the Meeting