Ph.D students travel awards
Candidate for a Société des Neurosciences – Chen Institute travel award to attend the meeting
Human and Animal cognition
From behavorial observation to underlying
neuronal mechanisms
26 · 27 May 2026
CBI, Toulouse
Foreword
Understanding cognition remains one of the most ambitious and integrative challenges in neuroscience. From the molecular and cellular mechanisms of learning to the complex dynamics of social behavior, and the impact of environmental factors on brain function, cognitive processes result from interactions that transcend levels of organisation, species, and disciplines.
This thematic meeting will explore the many facets of cognition through a varied program of 15 conferences, including three plenary lectures, as well as the prestigious Alfred Fessard Lecture delivered by Claire Rampon. The meeting will also feature poster sessions and short presentations by young researchers (Master students, PhD candidates, and postdocs), providing opportunities for the next generation of neuroscientists to share their work. Speakers from France and abroad will highlight outstanding contributions across behavioral neuroscience, computational modeling, psychophysics, and systems biology. By building bridges between research on animal and human cognition, we aim to foster cross-disciplinary dialogue and open new perspectives on the mechanisms that shape learning, memory, social interactions and decision-making.
In addition, a roundtable discussion will provide a space dedicated to reflecting on the ecological validity of our experimental paradigms and how to better align our research questions with the real-world challenges of cognition.
Cognition, studied in many animal species including humans, has historically been at the heart of neuroscience research in Toulouse, making it a distinctive strength of our community. We are therefore particularly delighted to host this meeting in our city, known not only for its strong scientific tradition but also for its beauty, vibrant cultural life, and sunny, welcoming atmosphere.
The Local Organizing Committee
Laure Verret, Coordinator
Florence Rémy, Elsa Suberbielle, Lionel Dahan, Vincent Fourcassié, Mehdi Senoussi, Lionel Moulédous
Program
26 May 2026
9:00 – 9:30 · Coffee and opening remarks
9:30 – 10:30 · Plenary lecture
Julien Bastin (GIN, Grenoble, France)
From neural dynamics to psychiatric dysfunction: intracerebral insights into decision-making and learning
10:30 – 12:30 · Symposium - Learning signals and processes
Chaired by Lionel Dahan (CRCA, Toulouse, France) and Mehdi Senoussi (CLLE, Toulouse, France)
Tonomori Takeuchi (Shanghai Jiao Tong University, China)
Stéphanie Trouche & Elsa Karam (Institute of Functional Genomics, Montpellier, France)
Functional heterogeneity of dopaminergic neurons in the ventral tegmental area
Jacqueline Scholl (CRNL, Lyon, France)
Jonathan Curot (CerCo / CHU, Toulouse, France)
Blitz presentation by a young researcher (selection on abstract)
12:30 – 14:00 · Lunch and poster session
14:00 – 16:00 · Symposium - Exploring the Neural and Cognitive Foundations of Social Interactions
Chaired by Vincent Fourcassier (CRCA, Toulouse, France)
Rui F. Oliveira (ISPA, Lisbon, Portugal)
Of (zebra)fish and flies: studying the evolution of social cognition in two model organisms
Philippe Faure (ESPCI, Paris, France)
Dopaminergic modulation of social specialization in mouse micro-societies
Guillaume Dumas (Ste Justine, Montreal, QC, Canada)
Multi-Brain Neuroscience: from Inter-Brain Synchronization back to Intra-Brain Mechanisms
Julie Carcaud (EGCE, Paris, France)
Neural bases of pheromonal communication in the honey bee
Blitz presentation by a young researcher (selection on abstract)
16:00 – 16:30 · Coffee break
16:30 – 17:30 · Plenary lecture
Ewelina Knapska (Nencki Institute of Experimental Biology, Warsaw, Poland)
From sniff to snack: how mice discriminate positive emotions to learn socially about food
27 May 2026
8:30 – 9:30 · Plenary lecture
Aya Goldshtein (Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany)
Perception and Navigation in Wild Bats
9:30 – 10:30 · Coffee break & poster session
10:30 – 12:30 · Symposium - Positive or deleterious effects of the exposome on cognition
Chaired by Elsa Suberbielle (Infinity lab, Toulouse, France)
Yvonne Nolan (Cork University, Ireland)
Lifestyle factors and the gut-brain axis: relevance to Alzheimer’s
Elsa Suberbielle (Infinity lab, Toulouse, France)
Enikő Csata (CRCA, Toulouse, France)
Lucile Capuron (NutriNeuro, Inrae, Bordeaux, France)
Blitz presentation by a young researcher (selection on abstract)
12:30 – 14:00 · Lunch
13:30 – 14:00 · General Assembly of the French Neuroscience Society
14:00 – 15:00 · Alfred Fessard Lecture
Claire Rampon (CRCA, CBI, Toulouse, France)
15:00 – 16:30 · Roundtable - How to address the ecological validity of our research?
Chaired by Mathieu Lihoreau (CRCA, Toulouse, France)
16:30 · Concluding remarks
Registration & abstract submission
Registration & abstract submission open: 4 February 2026
Venue
Center for Integrative Biology
169 Rue Marianne Grunberg-Manago,
31400 Toulouse
