Journal Cafe
Journal Cafe (JC) began in 2005 as a lab-centered scholarly activity involving Dr. Tran and his research students in order to stay connected with current topics in neuroscience. Since then, it has expanded its reach from being a lab-centered activity to one that engages students across multiple disciplines across diverse departments. Journal Cafe is also beneficial in that students enhance their professional development as speakers and critical thinkers. The Cafe is open to all students that are interested in Neuroscience! There are two components in JC: 1) Synapse and 2) the JC presentation itself:
- Synapse: A student presents a thought/idea/concept that can be elaborated on and supported with scientific evidence in roughly 5-10 minutes.
- Journal Cafe: A student presents a published research paper using a platform of their choice (PowerPoint, Google Slides, etc.). The presenter leads the discussion by communicating background literature, hypotheses, explaining the research methods and results, and elaborating on the conclusions/implications. In turn, students in the audience pose challenging questions or engage in discourse that extends the discussion in an intellectual manner. The presentation is typically around 30 minutes.
Spring 2026 Schedule: We meet every Friday at 10:00AM EDT via WebEx Meetings unless specified otherwise. If you are not taking a course with me and wish to participate as an extracurricular activity, then contact Dr. Tran for the meeting link. Below is a listing of presentations for the 2025-2026 academic year. The Spring 2026 schedule remains a work in-progress each week, so check back regularly.
| Date | Student Presenter | Paper |
|---|---|---|
| 09.05.25 | Thanh Nguyen | Xiao, H., Liu, B., Chen, Y., & Zhang, J. (2016). Learning, memory and Learning, Memory and Synaptic Plasticity in Hippocampus in Rats Exposed to Sevoflurane. International Journal of Developmental Neuroscience : The Official Journal of the International Society for Developmental Neuroscience, 48, 38–49. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijdevneu.2015.11.001 |
| 09.12.25 | Beck Squier | Walter, Y. (2024). An Electroencephalogram (EEG) Spectral Analysis on the Cognitive Neuropsychology of Religious Experiences in Worship with Music. Psychology & Neuroscience, 17(4), 282–301. https://doi.org/10.1037/pne0000348 |
| 10.03.25 | Ava Waugaman | Carta, I., Chen, C. H., Schott, A. L., Dorizan, S., & Khodakhah, K. (2019). Cerebellar Modulation of the Reward Circuitry and Social Behavior. 363(6424). https://doi.org/DOI: 10.1126/science.aav0581 |
| 10.17.25 | Alsiene Washington | Stanley, J. A., Burgess, A., Khatib, D., Ramaseshan, K., Arshad, M., Wu, H., & Diwadkar, V. A. (2017). Functional dynamics of hippocampal glutamate during associative learning assessed with in vivo (1)H functional magnetic resonance spectroscopy. NeuroImage, 153, 189–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2017.03.051 |
| 11.07.25a | Naomi Baez | Gray, C. L., Norvelle, A., Larkin, T., & Huhman, K. L. (2015). Dopamine in the nucleus accumbens modulates the memory of social defeat in Syrian hamsters (Mesocricetus auratus). Behavioural Brain Research, 286, 22–28. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bbr.2015.02.030 |
| 11.07.25b | Matt Devivo | Zhai, Z. W., Yip, S. W., Lacadie, C. M., Sinha, R., Mayes, L. C., & Potenza, M. N. (2019). Childhood trauma moderates inhibitory control and anterior cingulate cortex activation during stress. NeuroImage, 185, 111–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.neuroimage.2018.10.049 |
| 11.14.25 | Ysabella Olivo | Ebrahimi, C., Gechter, J., Lueken, U., Schlagenhauf, F., Wittchen, H.-U., Hamm, A. O., & Ströhle, A. (2020). Augmenting extinction learning with D-cycloserine reduces return of fear: A randomized, placebo-controlled fMRI study. Neuropsychopharmacology : Official Publication of the American College of Neuropsychopharmacology, 45(3), 499–506. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41386-019-0552-z |
| 11.21.25 | Mohamed Ismail | Stelly, C. E., Tritley, S. C., Rafati, Y., & Wanat, M. J. (2020). Acute Stress Enhances Associative Learning via Dopamine Signaling in the Ventral Lateral Striatum. The Journal of Neuroscience : The Official Journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 40(22), 4391–4400. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.3003-19.2020 |
| 12.05.25 | Gracie Sweeney | Silveira, S., Fehse, K., Vedder, A., Elvers, K., & Hennig-Fast, K. (2015). Is it the picture or is it the frame? An fMRI study on the neurobiology of framing effects. Frontiers in Human Neuroscience, 9, 528. https://doi.org/10.3389/fnhum.2015.00528 |