2022 Sunday 9 October – Saturday 29 October 

The Australasian Course in Advanced Neuroscience (ACAN) is an intensive three-week course that teaches both advanced theory and hands-on-practice of latest neuroscience techniques. The course has historically been run on Stradbroke Island, however due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the 2021 edition will be held at the Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health in Melbourne. The core ethos of the course will not change and is designed to give students the skills to design and implement state-of-the-art experimental techniques in neuroscience.

Our Australasian and International faculty will guide each participant in the latest research methods in cellular and systems neuroscience. The course will be structured into three weeks with each supporting distinct but interrelated themes.

• Week 1 (Fundamentals of electrophysiology: the excitable cell and synaptic transmission) will be headed by Chris Reid, Karl Iremonger and Ian Forster and teach single-cell electrophysiology.
• Week 2 (Cortical Processing and Neuronal Networks) will be headed by Lucy Palmer and focus on in vitro and in vivo imaging techniques.
• Week 3 (Brain Systems and Behaviour) will be headed by Jay Bertran-Gonzalez and focus on neuromodulatory systems and behavioural neuroscience.

During the course, each participant will become proficient in patch-clamp recording, calcium imaging, optogenetics, pharmacogenetics and behavioural manipulation, amongst other techniques. Thanks to the generous support of The Finkel Foundation, ACAN 2022 will feature a dedicated 2-photon imaging / electrophysiology setup that will complement an array of in vitro and in vivo recording techniques. The course will also take advantage of the infrastructure of the Florey and University of Melbourne to provide a unique interactive experience.