4Brain at FENS 2026 in Barcelona
Last week, 4Brain was proudly represented at the FENS 2026 Forum in Barcelona by Melissa Lajtos, Marijke Vergaelen, Maren De Colvenaer, Silke Bocklandt and Emma Lescrauwaet. The conference provided an excellent opportunity to share our latest research, exchange ideas with the international neuroscience community, and connect with fellow researchers.
All team members presented their work through poster presentations and engaged in inspiring discussions with both established and early-career scientists.
Silke Bocklandt presented her poster, "Transcranial Focused Ultrasound for Seizure Modulation: Parameter Mapping in Awake Healthy Mice Using Fiber Photometry." Her research explores transcranial focused ultrasound as a promising non-invasive neuromodulation technique for epilepsy. The poster highlighted the intensity-dependent effects of stimulating hippocampal excitatory neurons in awake healthy mice, contributing to a better understanding of this emerging therapeutic approach.
Emma Lescrauwaet presented "Modulation of the Noradrenergic System Using Transcranial Ultrasonic Stimulation Targeted to the Brainstem Locus Coeruleus in Awake Mice." Her work investigates how targeted ultrasound stimulation of the locus coeruleus can influence the noradrenergic system, opening new perspectives for neuromodulation research.
Melissa Lajtos showcased her work in "Dynamic FDG-PET Enables Reliable Single-Subject Metabolic Brain Network Analysis." Her research introduces a novel imaging approach that reliably assesses how different brain regions function together by tracking glucose uptake patterns. This method has the potential to improve our understanding of how neurological disorders alter brain network function.
Marijke Vergaelen presented "Towards Therapeutic Innovation in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Using Photopharmacology: Spatially Selective and Closed-loop Adenosinergic Modulation of Dentate Gyrus Excitability." Her research focuses on photopharmacology, an innovative therapeutic strategy that allows the activity of drugs to be precisely controlled with light. This approach could lead to more targeted seizure suppression while reducing unwanted side effects.
Maren De Colvenaer presented her work on 'Astrocytes in noradrenergic modulation of hippocampal excitability: from synapse to seizure'. Noradrenergic signaling plays a central role in regulating brain network activity and is altered in epilepsy. Here, we show that noradrenaline remodels synapses by signaling through astrocytes in both healthy and epileptic mice.ย
Attending FENS 2026 was an inspiring experience for our team. The scientific discussions, valuable feedback and new collaborations have provided fresh ideas and renewed motivation to further advance our research. We returned home energized and look forward to translating these insights into the next steps of our work.
