Neuroscience & Mechanisms: Conference Sessions

MGH 50th Annual Psychopharmacology Conference

October 16–18, 2026 · Boston, MA

• LecturePharmacology of Antipsychotic Drugs

  Frank Tarazi

  Covers the pharmacology of antipsychotic drugs, including how they act and how their properties differ.

  Antipsychotic Prescribing

• LecturePharmacology of Antidepressant Drugs

  Frank Tarazi

  Covers the pharmacology of antidepressant drugs, including how they act and how their properties differ.

  Depression

• LectureNeuroscience of Cannabis

  Jodi Gilman

  Overview of how cannabis and cannabinoids act on the brain.

  Cannabis & Cannabinoids

• LectureNeurobiology of Obesity

  Laura Holsen

  Overview of the brain mechanisms underlying obesity.

  Eating DisordersGLP-1 & Metabolic Psychiatry

• SessionThe Neurobiology of Addiction

  Jodi Gilman

  Evening seminar on the brain mechanisms underlying substance use disorders.

  Substance Use Disorders

AACAP Annual Meeting 2026

October 26–31, 2026 · Atlanta, GA

• LectureNeurobiological Underpinnings of Language Difficulties in Neurodevelopmental Disorders

  Jennifer Zuk

  Examines the neurobiological basis of language difficulties across neurodevelopmental disorders.

  Autism & Neurodevelopmental DisordersChild & Adolescent

• LectureTiny Brains, Major Insights: Neural Recruitment During Inhibitory Control in Toddlers With and Without Familial Risk for ADHD

  Anastasia N. Kerr-German

  Presents neural findings on inhibitory control in toddlers with and without familial ADHD risk.

  ADHDChild & Adolescent

• LectureSensory Processing Deficits: The Road to Dysregulation

  Steven J. Berkowitz

  Discusses how sensory processing deficits contribute to emotional dysregulation in children.

  Child & AdolescentPTSD & Trauma

• LectureFrom Diagnosis to Direction: How Autism Genetics is Reshaping Clinical Care

  Aaron D. Besterman

  Reviews how advances in autism genetics are changing clinical practice.

  Autism & Neurodevelopmental DisordersPharmacogenomics & Precision Psychiatry

• LectureJames C. Harris, MD, Developmental Neuropsychiatry Forum: Translational Frontiers in Autism: Advancing Discovery from Gene Pathways to Patients

  Rana Elmaghraby · Suma Jacob · Alexandra L. Bey · Pankhuree Vandana · Natasha Marrus · Matthew State · Alison T. Singer

  Matthew State presents how the identification of more than 100 high-confidence autism risk genes is being turned into therapeutic programs, with profound autism as a tractable starting point, while Alison Singer brings the family perspective on genetic testing and trial participation.

  Autism & Neurodevelopmental DisordersPharmacogenomics & Precision PsychiatryDrug Pipeline & Clinical Trials

See all 124 neuroscience & mechanisms sessions at this meeting →

APNA 40th Annual Conference

October 28–31, 2026 · Phoenix, AZ

• WorkshopNeuroplasticity in Substance Use Care: From Brain Development and Environmental Drivers to Integrated Treatment and Provider Resilience

  Laura Leahy · Susan Caverly · Lee Moore

  Connects neuroplasticity science and environmental determinants to youth substance use, recovery pathways, and clinician resilience.

  Child & AdolescentSubstance Use Disorders

• WorkshopCo-Morbidities/Treatment & Provider Resilience

  Julie Perry · Shane Gallagher · Queen Henry-Okafor · Rosemary Smentkowski

  Combines neurobiology and resilience frameworks to improve treatment of substance use with co-occurring psychiatric conditions. Pharmacology-eligible.

  Substance Use Disorders

NEI Fall Congress 2026

November 5–8, 2026 · Colorado Springs, CO

• WorkshopRolling in the Deep of Sleep: Neurotransmitters, Architecture, and Practical Diagnosis

  Thomas L. Schwartz

  Reviews the neurobiology of sleep-wake circuits and sleep architecture, and offers a practical framework for diagnosing sleep disorders.

  Sleep & Insomnia

• WorkshopThe Fate of Orexins: Their Expanding Role in Insomnia, Hypersomnia, and Depression

  Covers orexin system physiology and the growing therapeutic role of orexin receptor antagonists and agonists across insomnia, hypersomnia, and mood disorders.

  DepressionSleep & Insomnia

• SymposiumFrom "Anxious" to Accurate: Neurobiology, Diagnostic Clarity, and Emerging Directions in Generalized Anxiety Disorder

  Jeffrey Robert Strawn

  Sharpens the diagnosis of generalized anxiety disorder and surveys its neurobiology and emerging treatment directions.

  Anxiety Disorders

• SymposiumSteady Hands, Steady Minds: From Evidence to Empowerment in TD Treatment

  Leslie Citrome

  Reviews the neurobiological rationale and clinical evidence behind current tardive dyskinesia treatments.

  Tardive Dyskinesia & Movement Disorders

• SymposiumResidual Symptoms in ADHD: From Circuitry to Clinical Strategy

  Jeffrey Robert Strawn · Andrew J. Cutler

  Links residual ADHD symptoms to underlying circuitry and offers strategies to optimize treatment response.

  ADHDStimulants & ADHD Medications

AAAP 37th Annual Meeting and Scientific Symposium

November 12–15, 2026 · Memphis, TN

• PosterAlterations in Muscarinic Acetylcholine Type-1 Receptors in People with Cocaine Use Disorder

  Alejandra Pulido Saavedra

  Study of M1 muscarinic receptor changes in people with cocaine use disorder.

  Substance Use Disorders

• PosterCharacterizing Causal Genetic Relationships among Substance Use, Psychiatric, and Physical Health Disorders

  Yousef Khan

  Genetic analysis of causal links among substance use, psychiatric and physical disorders.

  Substance Use Disorders

• PosterEffect of Tetrahydrocannabinol on Neural Reward Receipt in Young Adult Cannabis Users: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Study

  Dominic Grisafe

  Randomized placebo-controlled study of THC effects on neural reward response.

  Cannabis & Cannabinoids

• PosterMultivariable Prediction of Domain-Specific Reward Availability in Opioid Use Disorder: Mindfulness, Loneliness, and Sleep Quality as Independent Psychological Correlates

  Arnav Garyali

  Psychological correlates of reward availability in OUD.

  Opioid Use Disorder

• PosterFrom Association to Function: Neuronal Knockdown of GWAS Candidate Genes Alters Methamphetamine Response in Drosophila

  Mert Karatas

  Tests GWAS candidate genes by neuronal knockdown in Drosophila to see effects on methamphetamine response.

  Substance Use Disorders

NPA 32nd Annual Psychopharmacology Update 2027

February 10–13, 2027 · Las Vegas, NV

• LectureWhat is the Role of Glutamate in Depression?

  Roger S. McIntyre

  The glutamate hypothesis of depression and its therapeutic implications, from ketamine to emerging agents.

  DepressionKetamine & Esketamine

Substance Use Disorders: A Comprehensive Review and Update 2027

February 15–17, 2027 · Lake Buena Vista, FL

• LectureNeurobiology of Addiction & Genetics of Substance Use Disorders

  Robert R. Althoff

  Covers the neurobiological basis of addiction and genetic contributions to substance use disorders.

  Substance Use Disorders

39th ECNP Congress

October 10–13, 2026 · Munich, Germany

• KeynoteKL01 – Welcome, ECNP Awards Ceremony and Keynote Lecture 'Neural mechanisms of social homeostasis'

  Kay Tye

  Opening keynote by Salk Institute neuroscientist Kay Tye on how neural circuits maintain social homeostasis and encode emotional valence.

• SymposiumS02 – Rhythms and blues – unravelling circadian-stress interactions in mental health

  Henk Oster · Gabriel Tofani · Robert Thompson · Nicholas Meyer

  How circadian clocks, stress systems, and the gut microbiome interact to shape mental health and sleep.

  Inflammation & ImmunopsychiatrySleep & Insomnia

• PlenaryPL01 – Protein monoaminylation in the brain: novel mechanisms of neural development, plasticity, and disease

  Ian Maze

  Plenary on non-canonical roles of serotonin and other monoamines as direct protein modifications influencing gene expression and plasticity.

• SymposiumS06 – Retinal imaging in mental disorders: a novel lens on central nervous system dysfunction

  Steven Silverstein · Philipp Homan · Kathrin Nickel

  Retinal neural and microvascular changes as accessible windows on CNS dysfunction in psychosis and autism.

  Autism & Neurodevelopmental DisordersSchizophrenia & Psychosis

• SymposiumS07 – Engineering mental health: targeted therapies to restore brain and brain-barrier function

  Marianne Mueller · Stefan Liebner · Matthew Campbell · Karen Aboody

  Blood-brain barrier biology as a therapeutic target, plus stem-cell-derived vesicles and focused ultrasound approaches.

  Drug Pipeline & Clinical Trials

See all 23 neuroscience & mechanisms sessions at this meeting →

WCP 2026 — 26th World Congress of Psychiatry

September 23–26, 2026 · Stockholm, Sweden

• SymposiumSTATE OF THE ART SYMPOSIUM 04: Biological Pathways and Prevention in Psychiatric Disorders

  Inflammation & Immunopsychiatry

• LectureDistinguished Lectures: Genes and Planetary Change—biological and Environmental Drivers of Suicide Risk and Mental Health

  Suicide & Self-Harm

• PlenaryPlenary Session 07: Addiction Science as a Window into Brain Function

  Nora Volkow

  Nora Volkow's plenary on addiction neuroscience; the speakers page frames her talk around GLP-1 agonists and balancing neuro-metabolic opportunities with clinical realities.

  GLP-1 & Metabolic PsychiatrySubstance Use Disorders

• LecturePlenary Session 09 - Closing & Jean Delay Prize Lecture: Myelin and Schizophrenia: From a Better Phenotype to Drug Targets for Treatment

  Peter Falkai

  Award lecture on myelin pathology as a phenotype and treatment target in schizophrenia, closing the congress.

  Drug Pipeline & Clinical TrialsSchizophrenia & Psychosis

Psych Congress 2026

September 15–19, 2026 · New Orleans, LA

• CourseAdvanced Psychopharmacology Intensive: Emerging Neurobiologic Targets and Metabolic Pathways Reshaping Psychiatric Treatment

  Brittany Albright · Rakesh Jain · Gregory Mattingly · David Plante

  Half-day ticketed intensive built around four expert-led modules on treatment mechanisms moving beyond monoamines: orexin-based agents, glutamate/dopamine circuit approaches, muscarinic receptor modulation, and GLP-1/bioenergetic pathways.

  GLP-1 & Metabolic PsychiatryMuscarinic & Novel AntipsychoticsDrug Pipeline & Clinical Trials

• SymposiumMasterClass: Could Glutamatergic Modulation be the Keystone of Durable Change in Treatment-Resistant Depression?

  Brittany Albright · Michael Asbach

  Examines glutamatergic dysfunction in MDD and the evidence for current and emerging glutamate-targeting therapies in treatment-resistant depression.

  Ketamine & EsketamineTreatment-Resistant Depression

• SymposiumMasterClass: The Sleep-Psych Nexus: Understanding and Assessing Sleep Disturbances in Psychiatric Practice

  Craig Chepke · Philip Gehrman · Logan Schneider

  Explores the shared neurobiology of sleep and psychiatric illness with screening, diagnostic, and management strategies for complex sleep-wake disorders.

  Sleep & Insomnia

• SymposiumLatest Discoveries & Emerging Trends in MDD

  Rakesh Jain · Michael Thase

  Year-in-review of depression research spanning neurobiology, trial results, and pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic innovation, with selected poster presenters showcasing new data.

  DepressionDrug Pipeline & Clinical Trials

• SymposiumMasterClass: Unlocking the Doors of Depression: Neuroplastic and Psychedelic Therapies in MDD

  Charles Raison · Andrew Penn

  Examines glutamatergic and serotonergic neuroplasticity pathways and the evidence base for investigational psychedelic and psychedelic-assisted therapies in major depression.

  DepressionPsychedelics

See all 10 neuroscience & mechanisms sessions at this meeting →