Meet the jury: “Stem cell-associated plasticity in the hippocampus across lifespan” by Sebastian Jessberger and “From metabolic (de)regulation to (mis)wiring of the brain” by Julien Courchet

You are kindly invited to the Meet the jury lectures of prof Sebastian Jessberger and Dr. Julien Couchet.

Date: 22 May 2026 13h00
Location: Auditorium ON 5

About the lectures
Brain plasticity emerges from coordinated cellular programs that regulate both lifelong neuron production and the metabolic support required for circuit assembly. This mini-symposium brings together two complementary perspectives on how stem cell dynamics and neuronal energy metabolism shape neural circuits across development and adulthood.

In the first talk, “Stem cell-associated plasticity in the hippocampus across lifespan” by Sebastian Jessberger, the focus will be on how neural stem cells sustain adult hippocampal neurogenesis and contribute to circuit plasticity. Using intravital imaging and molecular profiling approaches, the presentation will highlight how individual stem cells self-renew over long periods, generate new neurons that integrate into existing hippocampal networks, and how the balance between new and mature neurons evolves with age to influence circuit activity and behavior.

In the second talk, “From metabolic (de)regulation to (mis)wiring of the brain” by Julien Courchet, the role of local energy metabolism in axon development will be discussed. The presentation will address how developing axons rely on tightly regulated mitochondrial and metabolic processes to sustain growth and synaptic maturation, and how disruption of these mechanisms can impair circuit formation and lead to altered brain function.

Together, these presentations will provide an integrated view of how intrinsic cellular programs and systemic metabolic states converge to shape brain plasticity, offering insights into both healthy brain function and disease mechanisms.

About the speakers

Sebastian Jessberger
Sebastian Jessberger is Professor for Neurosciences and Director of the Brain Research Institute. He studied Medicine in Hamburg, Germany and carried out his medical thesis at the Center for Molecular Neurobiology (ZMNH) in Hamburg. In 2002 he started a joint residency in the laboratory of Gerd Kempermann at the Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) and the Dept. of Neurology of the Charité University Hospital in Berlin, Germany. As a postdoctoral fellow (2004-2007) in the laboratory of Fred H. Gage at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, USA he continued to work on neural stem cell biology and neurogenesis in the adult brain. From 2007 to 2012 he was Assistant Professor at the ETH Zurich and joined the Brain Research Institute in August 2012.

Julien Courchet
Dr. Julien Courchet is a Research Director at Inserm and group leader at the Institut NeuroMyoGène in Lyon, France. He earned a Doctorate in Veterinary Medicine from the National Veterinary School of Lyon, then obtained a PhD in Cell Biology from the University of Lyon. Dr. Courchet was trained in neurobiology during a postdoc in the laboratory of Franck Polleux at the Neuroscience Center from the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, the Scripps Institute in San Diego, and Columbia University in New York.

Contact: isabelmaria<dot>gallegolopez<at>kuleuven<dot>be