Conference Description
The Neurobiology of Cognition GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes an array of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.
No known object is as complex as the human brain. As scientists seek to comprehend its operational principles, we must apply a multidisciplinary approach. The 2026 Gordon Conference for the Neurobiology of Cognition spans inter-related areas of cognitive, systems, and computational neuroscience most relevant for understanding how brain circuits give rise to our abilities to think, feel, act, decide, plan, and learn. The conference is designed to spark new avenues for discussion among participants with a broad range of scientific backgrounds whose paths might not normally cross. Individual sessions draw upon a mix of approaches for studying neural circuits at multiple spatial and temporal scales, in both humans and animal models, and the mechanisms by which such circuits give rise to cognition and behavior.
The conference program will bring together the latest techniques and approaches including electrophysiology of neural populations, imaging of neural circuits at multiple spatial scales and in concert with novel molecular tools, interrogation of the human brain via neuroimaging and electrophysiology, and computational approaches inspired by rapid advances in artificial intelligence and machine learning. This year, special attention is given to discussing the interface of cognitive neuroscience and artificial intelligence, and advances in transcranial and intracranial neuromodulation in the context of basic research and clinical treatment . A consistent theme throughout the conference is understanding how the elaborate architecture of the brain, governed by fundamental electrical, molecular, and mathematical principles, supports subjective experience and directs external behavior. The confluence of perspectives at this meeting promises to cast new light on some of the most challenging and fascinating questions about how the brain works.
The topics, speakers, and discussion leaders for the conference sessions are displayed below. The conference chair is currently developing their detailed program, which will include the complete meeting schedule, as well as the talk titles for all speakers. The detailed program will be available by March 21, 2026. Please check back for updates.
Keynote Session: Reward and Decision-Making: Learning in the Frontal Cortex and Basal Ganglia
Discussion Leaders
Speakers
Mechanisms of Memory
Discussion Leaders
Speakers
Computational and AI Approaches to Cognition
Discussion Leaders
Speakers
Interactions of Cognition and Motor Control
Discussion Leaders
Speakers
Neuromodulation
Discussion Leaders
Speakers
Social Cognition and Behavior
Discussion Leaders
Speakers
Sensory Systems
Discussion Leaders
Speakers
Higher-Order Cognition and Attention
Discussion Leaders
Speakers
Keynote Session: Reward and Decision-Making: Computational and Cellular/Circuit Mechanisms
Discussion Leaders
Speakers
