Under the Chandigarh Region Innovation and Knowledge Cluster (CRIKC) initiative, Tri-city Neuroscientists today got together at Panjab University (PU), Chandigarh and explored collaborations in the area of neuroscience. The neuroscientists were mainly from Panjab University (PU), PGIMER, IISER, IMTECH, and NABI.

On this occasion, experts discussed various educational and research models to accelerate research advancement in Chandigarh region and suggested a critical need to put expertise and advancements in facilitating the process of translational research. PU Fellow and Dean Science Prof Rupinder Tewari, PU Professor Rajat Sandhir, Dr Akshay Anand from PGI also participated in the deliberations.

The event was a prelude to 33rd Annual Meeting of  the Indian Academy of Neurosciences and International Symposium from October 31 to November 2, 2015 and the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) supported school on "Mitochondria and Neurodegeneration" being hosted by the Panjab University from October 26-30, 2015.

Director of the Simons Center for the Social Brain at Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA  and eminent Neuroscientist, Dr. Mriganka Sur attended the interaction with the neuroscientists.

Dr. Sur has been studying the organization, development and plasticity of the cerebral cortex of the brain using experimental and theoretical approaches.

On this occasion, another noted neurologist from Department of Neurology, University of Louisville, USA, Professor Robert P. Friedlrch gave talk on the topic of "Molecular Mimicry, the Microbiome and Neurodegeneration". He postulated an active role of gut microbes on various brain disorders such as Alzheimer's Disease, Parkinson's Disease, etc. He showed data recommending vegetarian diet as a mean to avoid brain disorders.

It may be recalled that Dr. Sur is considered as an authority in this specialized stream of science. He has discovered fundamental principles by which networks of the cerebral cortex are wired during development and change dynamically during learning. Dr. Sur received the B. Tech. degree in Electrical Engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur, and the PhD degree in Electrical Engineering from Vanderbilt University, Nashville. He has received numerous awards and honors and is an elected Fellow of the Royal Society of the UK, the Institute of Medicine of the National Academies, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Association for the Advancement of Science, the Neuroscience Research Program, the National Academy of Sciences, India, the Rodin Academy, Sweden, and the Third World Academy of Sciences.

The brain, being the last frontier in biological science and unravelling how brain works, is a significant step in understanding this complex organ. The experts discussed their ideas and expertise and the ways to promote neuroscience research in the region and in the country.