While Neuroscience 2021’s in-person offering was cancelled due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic, the conference is still going ahead online November 8-11.

The ease of switching between online sessions – and the Society for Neuroscience’s (SFN) dedicated session planner – makes finding specific topics straightforward. However, there are still a dizzying number of plenaries, symposia and posters to sift through. Here, we pick a few highlights from day one of the conference.

L22 Presidential Special Panel — COVID and the Brain

8:30 AM – 9:30 AM, November 8

SARS-CoV-2, the virus that causes COVID-19, is primarily a respiratory pathogen. But a growing body of evidence is now mapping how the virus affects our nervous system. This panel will review several key topics, including the neurological effects of both acute COVID-19 and long-term sequelae.

L09 Special Lecture — Learning From Prediction Error

10:00 AM – 10:45 AM, November 8

Artificial intelligence has been inspired by the structure of the brain since its inception, but is that learning process a two-way street? In this special lecture, Reza Shadmehr, a professor of biomedical engineering and neuroscience at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, will outline how neurons in the cerebellum learn from error predictions and the subtle differences between neuronal populations and artificial networks.

NOA10 Celebration of Women in Neuroscience Session

12:00 PM – 1:00 PM, November 8

An annual staple at the conference, the 2021 Celebration of Women in Neuroscience session will feature a panel of female leaders in the field. Brown University Professor Diane Lipscombe will moderate, and she will be joined by the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology’s Professor Carmen Sandi, Professor Shubha Tole from the Tata Institute of Fundamental Research and National Institute of Drug Abuse Director Nora Volkow.