Speakers

Abstract: Over the last decade, important data have been obtained in the field of sleep physiology, new functions of astrocytes and pathways of interaction in the neuro-glia-vascular unit have been discovered, and the main patterns of the removal of harmful metabolites from the brain parenchyma have been identified. All together, this makes it possible to take a fresh look at the listed processes as a single global-local brain circuit that provides important functions for the organism as a whole. In particular, the phenomenon of local sleep, now proven by a number of experiments, requires a revision of the paradigm according to which sleep is a whole-brain state and thus opens the way to the concept of spatial-temporal dynamics of sleep. In turn, this raises the question of the presence and characteristics of a minimal “sleep unit” to which a group of neurovascular units corresponds. Further, this approach leads to the possibility of a local and time-unsynchronized process of cleaning the parenchyma from harmful metabolites. In my report, I provide an overview of specific data supporting the above assumptions and discuss a hypothesis that combines them into a consistent system. The work was supported by a grant from the Russian Science Foundation, #22-15-00143.

Speaker: Dmitry Postnov—chief researcher at the Department of Optics and Biophotonics, Saratov State University (SSU). In 1983, he graduated from the Department of Radiophysics at SSU, qualifying as an engineer. Over the next 17 years, he was engaged in research in the field of deterministic chaos and synchronization of non-periodic oscillations. Received a Candidate of Science degree in 1990 and a Doctor of Science degree in 2000. In 1997-1998. worked at Chungbuk University (South Korea), where he became interested in modeling processes in living systems. In subsequent years, he carried out a number of model and theoretical studies in the field of neuroscience, including neuro-glial ensembles, hemodynamics and filtration processes in the kidneys, vasomotor activity of vascular networks, etc. Since 2016, he has been focusing on mathematical modeling of processes in the brain parenchyma: cortical spreading depression, migraine waves, autoregulation of cerebral blood flow. Project leader for a number of grants from the RF Ministry of Education and Science and the Russian Science Foundation. In recent years, the focus has been on studying the relationships between the sleep-wake cycle, the activity of astrocytes and the process of removing harmful metabolites from the brain parenchyma.

Abstract: A distributed system of wearable laser flowmeters (DSF) of blood microcirculation with two non-invasive diagnostic methods was developed: laser Doppler flowmetry of blood microcirculation and a fluorescent method for assessing oxidative metabolism in skin tissue "LAZMA PF". The application of DSF allows you to move from the traditional assessment of the tissue system in the local area to the definition of systemic changes in humans.The presentation will discuss the use of DSF for sequential changes in sleep phases. The criterion for selection of sleep phase and time interval with the greatest activity of microcirculation regulation mechanisms will be proposed for effective therapeutic action in a therapeutic procedure.From the obtained data, it follows that the highest microcirculation activity occurs in the fourth phase, REM 4 fast sleep, after the third phase of NREM 3 slow sleep.

Speaker: Viktor Sidorov is a CEO of Scientific Production Enterprise “LAZMA” Ltd (Moscow), PhD in Optical Engineering in 1990 from SPO “Astrophysics” (Moscow).His area of research interests is development of a new types of medical laser diagnostic equipment. Sidorov has authored more than 50 publications and he is a coauthor of three textbooks at various laser methods for noninvasive diagnostics of tissues and also a developer of medical devices.

Abstract: The creation of highly effective biotech products based ontherapeutic monoclonal antibodies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases is a major issue of modern biopharmaceutics. The study will present various approaches used in development of therapeutic monoclonal antibodies products and challenges of a mAb-based drug generation. The topic also addresses the problems of genetic stability and clonality of production cell lines, alongside with perspectives of creating new molecules and their application in treating neurodegenerative diseases.

Speaker: Sergey Diduk, CEO of LEENERS LLC, PhD in Oncology of N.N. Blokhin National Medical Research Center of Oncology, Ministry of Health of Russia (2008). From 2012 till 2019 a Director of Biotechnology Department in CJSC BIOCAD, coordinating works on obtaining therapeutic monoclonal antibodies and gene therapy products development. From 2019 till 2022 Head of Laboratory of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology and Vice-Principal of Research Pushchino State Institute of Natural Science. Author of over 40 peer-reviewed publications and patents.

Abstract: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a major health problem that results in long-term brain damage and cognitive dysfunctions, leading to neurodegenerative diseases. Pharmacological therapeutics that demonstrated efficacy for TBI treatment in animal research have failed to demonstrate benefits in human TBI. Photobiomodulation (PBM) is a non-invasive, nonpharmacological method of therapy that has gained interest in preclinical and clinical scientists and has been shown to be a promising approach for the treatment of TBI.In this presentation, I’ll overview recent progress made in the research and development of PBM in TBI, including novel mechanisms and applications.

Speaker: Denis E. Bragin is an Associate Professor of Translational Neuroscience at Lovelace Biomedical Research Institute, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA. He also holds joint appointments at the Department of Neurology, University of New Mexico School of Medicine, and New York Medical College. Dr. Bragin received his M.S. in Biology/Biochemistry from the Southern Federal University (former Rostov State University), Russia, in 1999 and his Ph.D. in Biophysics in 2004 from the Voronezh State University, Russia. His research focuses on the development of novel methods of treatment and diagnostics for cerebral circulation and metabolism after brain injury, stroke, and other cerebrovascular and metabolic diseasesand their comorbidities, including hemorrhagic and septic shock and intracranial hypertension. Dr. Bragin has authored over150 peer-reviewed publicationsand book chapters and has been granted six patents for novel treatment strategies for brain and related diseases. He was elected a Fellow of the American Heart Association (Stroke Council) in 2015 and nominated as a Fellow of Critical Care Medicine in 2024.

Abstract: MRI is a powerful method for neurophysiological studies, but the MRI experimental environment required to measure the data has a major impact on the conduct of the experiment and dramatically alters the physiology and behaviour of the participant. The closed loop, loud high frequency noise, fixed head, minimal body movement requirements, relaxed lying position and high-tech environment all put a lot of stress on the participant, but we expect them to ignore this and engage in the experiment. I'll give an overview of the MRI-induced changes in participants' perception, the processes of adaptation in the MRI and the physiological markers of good adaptation. We will review the samples of data recorded, reject the MRI induced artefacts and compare the results with the data recorded outside the MRI.

Speaker: Pavel Rudych is an engineer and project manager at Novosibirsk State University and the International Tomography Centre of Novosibirsk. Pavel received his M.S. in Physics from Novosibirsk State University, Russia, in 2005 and his second B.S. in Clinical Psychology in 2021. His research interests are in functional MRI and coregistered EEG experiments, experiment stimulus gamification and environmental transparency based on web, EEG/MRI data aggregation and automated processing, machine learning analysis. Pavel is the author of more than 30 peer-reviewed publications.

Abstract: Over the last decades, accumulating evidence has documented the burden of sleep disorders on individuals and society. Sleep disorders are highly prevalent in children and adults, resulting in compromised wake functioning and behavioral dysregulation. Iron deficiency (ID) has received increasing attention in disorders affecting sleep. Proposed mechanisms are derived from iron's central role in the brain as a co-factor in neurotransmitter synthesis, as well as in myelination and oxygen delivery. ID in humans and animals can lead to damage of diffuse brain structures, including the hippocampus, basal ganglia, and cerebellum. Emerging and evolving technologies that impact the practice of sleep medicine will be discovered.

Speaker: Alexander Kalinkin, Head of Sleep Medicine Centre of Moscow State University (www.sleeplab.ru). A graduate of Sechenov University (Moscow), certified as a cardiologist, and received his MD in Medical Centre of presidential affairs department. A board member of Russian Sleep Research Society, Russian Neuro-Muscular Diseases Society, member of American Academy of Sleep Medicine, European Sleep Research Society (ESRS). Alexander Kalinkin is first expert of ESRS in Russia. The main research activities are related to sleep breathing disorders, insomnia, RLS, arterial hypertension, iron metabolism. He has authored more than 100 peer-reviewed publications and chapters in textbooks on sleep medicine. Alexander Kalinkin is a Head of sleep medicine course and mentor of scientific work on sleep medicine in Moscow State University. Alexander Kalinkin is a founder of International Sleep Forum (www.sleepforum.ru).

Abstract: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is very serious and multifactorial sleep disorder which closely related with disruption of sleep homeostasis. It is known that such sleep encephalographic (EEG) phenomenon as sleep spindles (SSs) support sleep stability and may display a sleep protective function. Thus, it is of particular interest to assess the SSs pattern in OSA patient that was the aim of the present research. We investigated whether SS activity could be altered in patient with moderate degree of OSA compared with non-OSA subjects. 35 middle-aged OSA patients and 30 controls underwent full-night polysomnography (PSG). SSs were automatically detected during stage 2 (N2) of non-rapid eye movements. The SSs activity characteristics involved: total number, mean density, mean maximum amplitude and mean frequency. All differences were considered statistically significant at p <0.05. We noted a significant decrease in the density and number of central SSs in patients with OSA compared to controls, however, the amplitude is significantly higher in OSA subjects. To summarize, our results show that OSA lead to significant disruption of SSs density, reduction of their number and frequency in N2 sleep stages. These findings can be evidence of the extinction of a brain protective mechanism against exciting stimuli during apnea episodes in OSA patients with a long duration of sleep disturbances.

Speaker: Irina M. Madaeva, MD, PhD, is a Head of Irkutsk Somnological center, chief researcher of somnological and neurophysiological department of Federal State Public «Scientific Center for Family Health and Human Reproduction Problems», Irkutsk , Russia. She obtained her Ph.D. (1994) and D.Sc. (2009) in sleep medicine. Research interests include relationship between aging and sleep, modifying factors of sleep disorders, molecular mechanisms of sleep disorders, melatonin circadian rhythms, ethnic aspects of sleep disorders. Madaeva I.M. is scientific supervision of 7 scientific theses. She is member of World Association of Sleep Medicine. She is the Heard of Scientific Committee of Russian Society of Sleep Medicine . She is author more than 200 scientific papers in peer-reviewed journals, from them 162 publications in bases Web of Sciences and Scopus, Q 1-2.

Abstract: The mechanisms of homeostatic regulation of sleep is the presentation of stimuli of different modality with a frequency of about 1 Hz, that is, close to the frequency of delta waves, the basic rhythm of slow-wave sleep. Will be considered of nonpharmacological treatment of sleep disorders. Different types of audio effects, temperature treatment, vestibular stimulation, olfactory stimulation, phototherapy, electrocutaneous stimulation, audio-visual stimulation, transcranial electrical and magnetic stimulation, non-contact ultraweak electromagnetic stimulation. Alternative medicine is generally defined as a set of methods for healing, prevention, diagnosis, and treatment based on the experience of many generations of people. We will consider data on the possible use of these approaches for improving sleep quality using the three most widely employed methods as examples: deep breathing, aromatherapy, and reflex therapy (acupressure). Sleep hygiene: include the formation of a regular sleep schedule, careful use of daytime sleep, refusal of physical or mental exercises before bedtime, restriction of stress stimuli, restriction of light effects before bedtime, refusal to use beds for anything other than sleep and sex.

Speaker: Vladimir Dorokhov works as the head of the laboratory of neurobiology of sleep and wakefulness in Institute of Higher Nervous Activity & Neurophysiology RAS, Moscow. He also holds joint appointments at the Peoples' Friendship University of Russia and Higher School of Economics. Dorokhov received his first Ph.D. in the Institute of higher nervous activity of the RAS in 1981, his second Dr. of Physiology in the Institute of Higher Nervous Activity of the RAS in 2006. His research contributions are head of the Laboratory of sleep/wake neurobilogy in the Institute of higher nervous activity of the RAS in 2007. Member of dissertation committee of 1) Institute of Higher Nervous Activity & Neurophysiology of the RAS and 2) Cognitive Science of the Higher School of Economics. Currently, the laboratory is engaged in research on neurophysiological correlates of consciousness during the sleep-wake protocol, cardio-respiratory respiration processes during falling asleep and chronotypes. The proposed Abstract will be made according to the article V.B. Dorokhov and A.N. Puchkova. Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology, 2022. Vol.52, No.7, http://sleep.ru/lib/Dorokhov_Puchkova_2022_en.pdf.

Abstract: Looking into the future, neurotechnology is expected to be the most promising field in medicine. Just yesterday, it seemed fantastic to create technologies that could be controlled only by thought. But today, a number of companies Synchron Switch, Neuralink and Blackrock Neurotech have created a brain-computer interface that, using the power of thought and neurochips, makes it possible to restore movement, communication and reading in people with disabilities.

For the first time in the world, in 2023, a Russian breakthrough non-invasive technology was developed for cleansing brain tissue of toxins during sleep. This innovative direction opens a new page in the history of the development of neuroscience, when brain diseases will be treated in sleep. The technology is a portable flexible plate of LEDs that, in the infrared range, act on the meningeal lymphatic vessels, stimulating the removal of toxins (beta-amyloid and blood products) from the brain through them. Light exposure is supplied through a smart bracelet, which performs the function of monitoring sleep stages and sends a signal to photo elements via Bluetooth technology. Clinical trials of the technology will take place in 2025 on 30 patients with Alzheimer's disease and in 2026 on 30 patients with brain injuries. It is known that even one night without sleep leads to the accumulation of toxic molecules in the brain in healthy people, and in conditions of its chronic deficiency over 25 years, dementia develops. The technology is also intended to prevent dementia in healthy people who experience sleep deficiency due to overwork or in older people who experience age-related sleep disturbances. The portable size of the technology, safety and ease of use allow it to be used in a car, airplane, office and at home. The development of smart sleep technology has no analogues in the world, which contributes to the emergence of its own highly competitive niche for Russian technologies in the international arena and increases the prestige of Russian science. This will also help preserve the health of the nation, improve the quality of medical services and reduce the economic costs of treating patients with brain diseases.

Keywords: neurotechnology, medicine, photobiomodulation, Alzheimer's disease, brain injury.

Acknowledgments: The research was supported by the Russian Science Foundation grant No. 23-75-30001.

Abstract: Acquiring the three-dimensional (3D) structure of biological tissues is essential for research in life sciences. Modern optical imaging techniques and fluorescent labeling technologies have provided vital tools for obtaining high-resolution information on the 3D structures of biological tissues. However, the turbid nature of biological tissues limits the depth of light penetration, leading to restricted applications for large tissues or whole organs. Tissue optical clearing technology takes a different approach by making the tissues transparent using various physical and chemical strategies to reduce the attenuation of light in tissues, and providing a new approach for the 3D imaging of whole tissue organs. Here, we will introduce our progress in the research of ex vivo tissue optical clearing methods and applications, covering the fluorescence labeling, tissue clearing, and imaging of whole organs.

Speaker: Tingting Yu is an Associate Researcher at the Wuhan National Laboratory for Optoelectronics, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. She is mainly engaged in research on tissue optical clearing methods and applications, focusing on the development of optical imaging techniques based on tissue clearing for obtaining and reconstructing three-dimensional structure information of the central nervous system, peripheral nervous system, and other biological tissues. She has published over 30 SCI papers in journals such as Science Advances, Nature Communications, and Theranostics, and has contributed to the compilation of four Chinese and English monographs, with five authorized patents. She has led projects including the General Project, Young Scientists Fund from NSFC, International Cooperation and Exchanges Projects from NSFC, and Hubei Province's Key R&D Program, as well as participating in Key R&D projects of the Ministry of Science and Technology and the Key International Cooperation Research Projects of NSFC. She is a Young Committee Member of the Biomedical Optics Division of the Chinese Society of Biomedical Engineering and a Young Committee Member of the Biomedical Optics Professional Committee of the Chinese Optical Society.

Abstract: In recent decades many mysteries of the sleep-wake cycle have been solved. The use of data-loggers has clarified the influence of habitat factors on the diversity of animal sleep. Ways of studying similar patterns in humans have been outlined. The theory of synaptic homeostasis of the active environment of the brain in the sleep-wake cycle has gained special importance. Its further development leads somnologists to the understanding of sleep individuality as the organism's reaction to wakefulness preceding sleep. This approach opens new horizons for the study of sleep and wakefulness by introducing computer technologies in the development of personalized clinical somnology.

Speaker: The interest in the study of sleep-wakefulness was formed in the speaker by his teacher Prof. Alexander B. Kogan from Rostov University (Rostov on Don). This scientist, for his method of chronic implantation of electrodes in the brain, was honored by the Russian Academy of Sciences with two awards in Physiology: the I.P. Pavlov Prize and the I.M. Sechenov Prize. The speaker is currently working as a chief researcher at the Ecosystems Laboratory of the Southern Scientific Center of the Russian Academy of Sciences (Rostov on Don). He is the Chairman of the Rostov Branch of the I.P. Pavlov Physiological Society of the Russian Academy of Sciences, as well as the Chairman of the Rostov Regional Branch of the Russian Society of Somnologists. Evgeny V. Verbitsky is the author of articles and monographs on sleep and anxiety, a specialist in experimental and clinical somnology. His followers continue to study sleep and participate in the training of future doctors at Rostov State Medical University.

Abstract: The lecture will focus on the diagnosis of neural diseases using functional brain networks reconstructed from fMRI and EEG data. To analyze functional networks, mathematical approaches based on the calculation of various metrics of network topology organization, as well as machine learning methods - LDA, graph neural networks and contrastive learning - are considered. The results of classification accuracy of patients with MDD and children with ASD using the above approaches are presented.

Speaker:Alexander E. Hramov was born on September 20, 1974, in Saratov, Russia. He received the specialist degree in Electronic Engineering from Saratov State University, Russia in 1996, and the Ph.D. degree in Electronic Engineering from Saratov State University, Russia in 1999. In 2005, he defended his doctoral dissertation in Mathematics and Physics. From 1999 to 2014, he held positions as a Researcher, Associate Professor, and Full Professor at Saratov State University, Russia. From 2014 to 2018, he served as a Leading Researcher in the Science and Educational Center of Artificial Intelligence Systems and Neurotechnology and as the Head of the Department of Automation, Control, and Mechatronics at Saratov State Technical University, Russia. From 2019 to 2021, he was a Professor and Head of the Laboratory of Neuroscience and Cognitive Technology at Innopolis University, Kazan, Russia. Currently, he holds the position of Head of the Baltic Center for Neurotechnology and Artificial Intelligence at Immanuel Kant Baltic Federal University, Kaliningrad, Russia. His research interests include complex network theory, methods of brain diagnostics, development of AI methods for neuroimaging data processing, and applied research in digital medicine, neurotechnologies and education.

Abstract: Several optical methods are emerging as a powerful tool for the noninvasive quantification of viscoelastic properties of several tissues, such as the eye, skin, and even whole embryos. In this presentation, I’ll overview recent progress made in the development and application of Optical Coherence Elastography (OCE) for quantification of mechanical properties of various tissues and how we use these data for health diagnostics, such as early detection of keratoconus (structural degeneration of the cornea), quantitative assessment of systemic sclerosis (an autoimmune disease that involves the hardening and tightening of the skin), and whole embryos.

Speaker: Kirill Larin is a Cullen College of Engineering Endowed Professor of Biomedical Engineering at the University of Houston. He also holds joint appointments at the College of Optometry and the Department of Physiology and Biophysics at Baylor College of Medicine. Larin received his first M.S. in Laser Physics and Mathematics from the Saratov State University, Russia, in 1995, his second M.S. in Cellular Physiology and Molecular Biophysics in 2001, and his Ph.D. in Biomedical Engineering in 2002 from the University of Texas Medical Branch. His research contributions are in Biomedical Optics and Biophotonics and the development and application of various optical methods for noninvasive and nondestructive imaging and diagnostics of tissues and cells. Larin has authored more than 200 peer-reviewed publications and chapters in ten textbooks on Biomedical Optics. He is the recipient of the prestigious Presidential Award from Russian President Boris Yeltsin. Larin currently serves as an Instructor for short courses on Tissue Optics at SPIE, Optica, and IEEE conferences. He was inducted as a Fellow of SPIE in 2015, a Fellow of Optica in 2016, and a Fellow of AIMBE in 2020.

Abstract: The glymphatic system is a glial-dependent waste clearance pathway in the central nervous system, devoted to drain away waste metabolic products and soluble proteins such as amyloid-beta. An impaired brain glymphatic system can increase the incidence of neurovascular, neuroinflammatory, and neurodegenerative diseases. Photobiomodulation (PBM) therapy can serve as a non-invasive neuroprotective strategy for maintaining and optimizing effective brain waste clearance. In this review, we discuss the crucial role of the glymphatic drainage system in removing toxins and waste metabolites from the brain.

Speaker: His passion is to help people by teaching them how they can create neuroregeneration and healing in their own lives. In his 40 years of clinical experience, Dr. DiDuro has come to understand the very low quality of life that people affected by neurodegenerative diseases experience and that their disability touches every aspect of a person's existence; personal, social and family. Dr DiDuro has made it his life’s work to help end this suffering, initiate their recovery and restore their humanity. Dr. DiDuro earned his Bachelor of Arts degree from the State University of New York at Buffalo 1983 He received his Doctor of Chiropractic Degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic in Davenport, Iowa 1986. Dr. DiDuro lived and practiced in Vicenza Italy for 10 years and also completed further specialized training in Amsterdam, The Netherlands for the American Chiropractic Associations’ American Board of Chiropractic Neurology and has Diplomate Status in Chiropractic Neurology 2000. Upon moving back to America, Dr. DiDuro was accepted to Palmer Center for Chiropractic Research and completed an NIH funded program for a Master’s Degree in Clinical Research 2006. He has been dedicating himself to research and unlocking the keys for new technology to help create More Brain Power and combating the huge wave of neurodegenerative brain conditions. He is the HOST of the BRAIN +tPBMT Virtual SUmmit, an ONLINE forum where 40 of the world's leading scientist share their personal stories and research on the use of transcranial photobiomodulation therapy as an effective therapy for neurodegenerative conditions. He is the PRESIDENT and CEO of ProNeuroLIGHT LLC. a Medical device company that brings a suite of tPBMT products directly to the public that so desperately are looking for rapid reversal of cognitive decline in themselves and their loved ones. While leaving practice to care for his mother with dementia, he realized the personal challenges involved in primary caregiving for people with neurodegenerative diseases. He focused all his clinical, professional and scientific knowledge to develop a FAMILY CENTERED approach to NeuroCognitive rehab. He is currently Moderator of the tPBMT - Brain Research Consortium (transcranial Photobiomodulation Therapy) and a highly sought after Cognitive Neurotherapist and Brain Fitness Coach. He is the Developer and Author of My Brain Matters - the NeuroMetabolic Solution: How to Increase Brain Power for Your Loved Ones and Yourself.

Abstract: Rhythms are known in the nervous system for a long time, but there are still open questionsconcerning functions they serve. Recently, a new paradigm of network interactions of physiologically significant cortical rhythms hasbeen proposed and various classes of coupling forms have been discovered that coexist during a certain physiological stateand reorganize during transitions between physiological states. In particular, it has been demonstrated that physiological states cannot befully described by focusing only on individual rhythms. In this study, cross-correlations of cortical rhythms are considered for different physiological states with a modified version of fluctuation analysis. Distinctions in the cross-correlations of pairs of rhythms are reported caused by sleep deprivation in mice.

Speaker: Alexey Pavlov is a Professor of the Department of Open Systems Physics at the Saratov State University. He received M.S. in Radiophysics in 1995, Ph.D. in 1998, and D.Sc. in 2009 also in Radiophysics from the Saratov State University, Russia. His research interests are in signal processing, dynamics of living systems, theory of oscillations, neuroscience, nonlinear dynamics and its applications in biology and medicine. A. Pavlov is a co-author of more than 250 peer-reviewed publications, including the book “Wavelets in Neuroscience”, Springer 2015 (1-st ed.) and 2021 (2-nd ed.). He was supervisor of 9 PhD-students.

Abstract:Our laboratory studies the role of the vestibulocerebellum (Nodulus/Uvula and Flocculus) in visual-vestibular signal processing and spatial navigation. Dysfunction in the vestibulocerebellum has been linked to a range of clinical conditions, such as ataxia, vertigo, and other balance disorders associated with neurogenerative deceases. By studying the neural mechanisms that underlie the function of the vestibulocerebellum, our research could provide new insights into the causes and treatment of these conditions.

We use various experimental techniques, including single-unit recordings, pharmacology, behavioral neuroscience, neurogenetics, immunohistochemistry, and computational neuroscience. Here, I will present the results of our landmark studies in rhesus monkeys, where we showed that cerebellar nodulus and uvula performs a key computation for spatial navigation. They transform an idiothetic motion reference frame into an earth-bounded, allothetic, motion (translation and tilt) reference frame. We found that the cerebellar Purkinje cells, the sole output of cerebellum, carry transformed vestibular information from semicircular canals and otolith organs. Furthermore, using minute injections of GABA-A receptor antagonist to disrupt local cerebellar processing in the macaque monkey, we found that all canal-related information is removed from Purkinje cell responses, indicating that the canal signal transformations happen locally within the cerebellar nodulus and uvula. The implications of these findings extend beyond basic neuroscience, offering valuable insights into the neural basis of spatial cognition in primates, including humans.

Speaker:Tatyana Yakusheva is a Assistant Professor of Department of Otolaryngology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis. Dr. Yakusheva received M.S. in Biology and Physiology from the Saratov State University, Russia, in 1997. She received her Ph.D. in Physiology in 2003 from the Saratov State University and Peoples’ Friendship University of Russia. Dr. Tatyana Yakusheva's major contribution lies in her groundbreaking research on the vestibulocerebellum, particularly focusing on the cerebellar nodulus and uvula. Her work has significantly advanced our understanding of how these brain regions contribute to spatial navigation, motor control, and vestibular processing.

Abstract: S In recent years, there has been a growing interest in the development of compact and low-cost, versatile, broadly tunable CW and ultra-short pulse laser sources generating light across the near-infrared and visible spectral ranges. In this talk we are presenting the recent progress on the development of novel compact laser sources generating light across broad spectral ranges in CW and ultra-short pulse regimes. We also will demonstrate applicability of such lasers in Biomedical Photonics.

Speaker: Prof. Edik U. Rafailov received the Ph.D. degree from Ioffe Institute, Saint Petersburg, Russia, in 1992. In 1997, he moved to St. Andrews University, Scotland, UK and in 2005, he established a new group in Dundee University, Scotland. In 2014, he and his Optoelectronics and Biomedical Photonics Group moved to Aston University, Birmingham, UK. He has authored and coauthored more than 550 articles in refereed journals and conference proceedings, including three books, ten invited chapters and numerous plenary/invited talks. His current research interests include high-power CW and ultra-short pulsed lasers, generation of UV/visible/IR/MIR and THz radiation, nanostructures and biomedical photonics. He coordinated the €14.7M FP7 FAST-DOT project development of new ultrafast lasers for biophotonics applications and the €12.5M NEWLED project which aims to develop a new generation of LEDs. He also coordinated the H2020 FET projects: Mesa-Brain (€3.3M, aims to develop 3D nano-printing technology for functional three-dimensional human stem cell derived neural networks), and NEUROPA (€3.6M, aims to develop novel non-invasive brain theragnostic approaches), and PLATFORMA. Recently he as a Coordinator was awarded HE Pathfinder GlioLight project (€3.2M, aims to develop novel laser treatment of cancer). He also leads a few other projects funded by EU FP7, H2020 and EPSRC. In 2014 he has been awarded the Lebedev Medal of the Russian Optical Society. In 2022 he was elected as a Fellow of Optica (former OSA) and in 2023 elected as a Fellow SPIE.

Abstract: The state of sleep is a difficult subject to study. The fact of observation and the environment by itself lead to a disruption of its natural progression. Some pathological phenomena, such as seizures, do not occur every night, which also limits the implication of the objective sleep data in clinical practice. However, for certain disorders, such as obstructive sleep apnea, REM sleep behavior disorder, bruxism, overnight polysomnography supports the diagnosis with high confidence. This is also true for some phenotypes of insomnia. The report presents examples of identification and confirmation of some pathological conditions in humans, in which the ability to objectively verify different features of sleep plays a key role.

Speaker: Mikhail Poluektov works as an associate professor at the Department of Nervous Diseases at Sechenov University in Moscow. He is also the head of the sleep medicine department at the same institution and the acting president of the Russian Society of Somnologists. In 1993 he graduated from the Medical University by I.M. Sechenov, then specialized in neurology. His PhD, received in 1998, was devoted to studying the effect of autonomic neuropathy on sleep-disordered breathing. As an associate professor, Mikhail Poluektov teaches sleep medicine in neurology and general medicine, organizes conferences on somnology, and publishes regular issues on sleep disorders in «S.S. Korsakov Journal of Neurology and Psychiatry» and «Effective pharmacotherapy». Serves as a reviewer editor in «Frontiers in Psychiatry», «Frontiers in Neurology». Author of more than 250 publications in Russian and foreign journals, 5 monographs in Russian, 3 popular books about sleep.