During the summer of 2006, Med Associates launched the first installment in our Short Courses in Neuroscience series. Med Associates' Short Courses were intensive 2-day programs consisting of lecture, theory, and practical labs. Students learned from leading academic researchers and gained experience with new techniques. Perfect for advanced graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, or even PI's that wanted to learn about a new area.
Venue
Located in beautiful St. Albans, Vermont just 20 minutes north of Burlington.
Vermont is consistently rated one of the most beautiful states in the country, and is home to the Green Mountains and Lake Champlain. Summer water sports and outdoor recreation are all readily available in Vermont.
Schedule
June 21-22, 2006 COMPLETED
An Introduction to Behavioral Research Protocol Programming: Getting Started with MED PC.
Learn the basics of writing MED State Notation programs to control your behavioral experiments. Day 1 will feature key principles of conventions and programming methodologies. Day 2 will focus on putting MED State Notation and MED PC into practice running actual procedures in the lab. Be prepared to bring examples of your on MED State Notation programs, or details of your behavioral experiments as this will allow you to practice using your own procedures and protocols.
June 23-24, 2006 COMPLETED
An Introduction to Self-Administration.
Gain a basic understanding of the field of drug self-administration as a research tool to study drugs of abuse and mechanisms of learning. This course will present theoretical concepts and will also feature laboratory sessions designed to observe the phenomenon of self-administration. You will also learn about the technical details of the equipment necessary to perform self-administration studies.
July 20-21, 2006 COMPLETED
Classical Fear Conditioning as a Tool for Assessing Learning and Memory: the Acoustic Startle Reflex and The Freeze Response.
Learn about the technical and practical aspects of classical fear conditioning as it is used to study learning and memory. This is a popular field of research, and our course is designed to cover the academic basis of fear conditioning, as well as demonstrate two of the most well-established techniques for conducting fear-conditioning experiments: the Acoustic Startle Reflex Response and the Freeze Response. This two-day course will be taught by experts in the field who have well-respected reputations for teaching and research.
Registration
Be sure to register early. Space is limited. We are restricting enrollment at 10 to 15 attendees. Contact our sales department for registration information at (802) 527-9724. Or you can email: sales@med-associates.com .
Upon contacting Med Associates and registering for the course, you will be provided with details about lodging and travel. Med Associates has made arrangements for hotel rooms to be blocked off at a hotel in Burlington, Vermont. This allows easy travel arrangements into Burlington International Airport. Med Associates will provide daily shuttle transportation to attendees to and from the hotel to our facility in St. Albans, Vermont. We have planned an evening reception for the first evening of the course. Also, you will have time available to explore the pleasant city of Burlington on the second night.
Tuition
$350 - Includes course registration fee, all course materials, breakfast and lunch for both days of the conference, and opening reception the first night of the conference.
15 % discount available if you register for multiple courses.
Scholarships are available to attendees from academic institutions. Click here to download the scholarship application form (PDF).
Faculty
Courses will be taught by leading experts from Academia.
| Classical Fear Conditioning as a Tool for Assessing Learning and Memory: the Acoustic Startle Reflex and The Freeze Response.
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Dr. Meloni received his Ph.D. in Neuroscience from Yale University in 2000. Edward's post-doctoral experience included research in the Psychiatry Department at Emory University and Neurology Department at Harvard University. He is currently an Instructor in the Medicine Discovery and Development Laboratory at Harvard-affiliated McLean Hospital.
Dr. Meloni's research focuses on bipolar disorder with the aim of 1) a better understanding of the neurobiology of this psychiatric illness, 2) developing better animal models of this disease, and 3) discovering and developing better medications for the treatment of bipolar disorder. The scope of the research includes analyses at the molecular, cellular, and behavioral level to address these specific aims. |
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Edward G. Meloni, PhD
Instructor in Psychiatry
Behavioral Genetics Laboratory
and Medicinal Discovery and Development
Harvard Medical School
McLean Hospital
Animal Models and Therapeutics of Bipolar Disorder |
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| Classical Fear Conditioning as a Tool for Assessing Learning and Memory: the Acoustic Startle Reflex and The Freeze Response. |
Dr. Anagnostaras obtained his Ph.D. in Psychology in the laboratory of Dr. Michael Fanselow at the University of California, Los Angeles studying the neural basis of Pavlovian fear conditioning. After completing his graduate studies, Dr. Anagnostaras went on to train as a Postdoctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Professor Alcino Silva at UCLA. He is a well-respected young scientist and already has several high-impact publications in the field. He has taught undergraduate- and graduate-level courses in the Neurosciences, as well as serving as Course Organizer for the Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Summer Course on Mouse Behavioral Analysis. The general aim of Dr. Anagnostaras' research is to combine the molecular-genetic, systems, and cognitive-behavioral levels to understand how the brain produces behavior and cognition. A major emphasis in this endeavor is bridging systems and molecular approaches using hippocampus-dependent learning, in particular, learning about context. The hippocampal-neocortical memory system offers an excellent opportunity in which the molecular and cognitive levels may be first plainly joined. Long-term objectives of Dr. Anagnostaras' research are to advance our understandings of the mechanisms of memory, cognition, and drug addiction. |
Stephan G. Anagnostaras, PhD
Assistant Professor, Department of
Psychology, University of
California, San Diego
Integration of Molecular
Genetics and Cognitive |
| An Introduction to Behavioral Research Protocol Programming: Getting Started with MED PC, and An Introduction to Self-Administration. |
Dr. Dworkin received his undergraduate training in psychology at the University of Maryland and earned his Ph.D. in psychology from the University of Florida. Dr. Dworkin completed post-doctoral training in neuroscience at the LSU Medical Center and has held tenured positions at LSU Medical Center in Shreveport in psychiatry and pharmacology and the Wake Forest School of Medicine in Pharmacology and Physiology. He is currently a distinguished professor in the Department of Psychology at The University of North Carolina Wilmington.
Dr. Dworkin has established international recognition for his research on the neuropsychopharmacology of abused substances. He has received both private and NIH funding and has published extensively in several areas including behavior analysis, behavior pharmacology and the neuroscience of addiction. Dr. Dworkin is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and a member of ASPET, CPDD, the Society for Neuroscience and ABA International. He has reviewed manuscripts for the major journals in the field and served on NIH and NIDA study sections. |
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Steven I. Dworkin, PhD
Professor, Department of
Psychology, University of North
Carolina at Wilmington, Adjunct
Professor of Psychiatry,
Department of Psychiatry and
Behavioral Sciences, Duke
University Medical Center
Behavioral Neuroscience |
Resources
• 2,600 ft2 Animal Care Facility
· Animal Quarters
· Automatic Cage Washer
· Testing/Procedure Rooms
· Surgery Suite/Necropsy Room
• Behavioral Lab Suite
· Operant and Pavlovian Conditioning Systems
· RotoRod
· Mazes
· Video Tracking
· Open-Field Activity
· Self-Administration
· Conditioned Place Preference
. . . and much more
• Office Space, Clerical Support, Lunch Room
• 7,500 ft2 Analytical, Biochemical, Physiology, Pharmacology Lab Space
· GC, HPLC, UV-Vis, IR, Fluorescence, Various In Vitro Test Systems
• 265 ft2 Conference Room for Meetings, Seminars, and Teaching Purposes
Operant Behavior