The second day of CNS 2026 was richly packed with 6 stimulating symposia — on topics ranging from the cognitive neuroscience in infants to individual factors that affect brain aging and resilience — two poster sessions, multiple practical workshops, and the George A. Miller Prize lecture by Joseph Ledoux about fusing the science of emotion with the science of consciousness. Check out some highlights in photos and posts below.
#CNS2026 is officially underway! We are thrilled to welcome you to yet another beautiful day in Vancouver. We have a packed program ahead, featuring the G.A.M Award Session, diverse symposia, and our vibrant poster sessions—don’t forget to visit our exhibitors too!
@cogneuronews.bsky.social
— CNS 2026 Annual Meeting (@cnsmtg.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 12:29 PM
Get your coffee if you haven’t yet and join us for Poster Session B, on now!
#CNS2026— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 12:16 PM
We’re at Invited Symposium 1, Cognitive neuroscience in infants, being kicked off by Nick Turk-Browne
#CNS2026 1/— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 1:05 PM
Next up: Heather Kosakowski discusses facial perception in babies
(And yes,any more baby photos!)
@kosakowski.bsky.social
#CNS2026— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 1:32 PM
Next, Cameron Ellis discusses patterns of infant brain development, to better understand changes that occur from 2 to 12 months
@camerontellis.bsky.social
#CNS2026 6/— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 1:56 PM
Preliminary analyses show a continuous trajectory of brain volume growth and show the value of precise and dense longitudinal neuroimaging.
@camerontellis.bsky.social
#CNS2026 7/— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 2:17 PM
Ghislaine Dehaene-Lambertz closes out this fascinating session on infant cognitive neuroscience by discussing how babies organize speech in the brain
#CNS2026 9/— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 2:27 PM
At Invited Symposium 2 on precision mapping of prefrontal cortex (PFC), @moatazassem.bsky.social shares striking evidence of functionally distinct multiple-demand patches in PFC track category-selective images of objects vs faces vs letters vs other types of visual stimuli! #CNS2026
— Mohith M. Varma (Mo) (@mohithvarma.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 2:06 PM
On now: Beyond biomarkers: Comprehensive approaches to brain resilience in aging and dementia, chaired by @ar0mcintosh.bsky.social
First up, Brianne Kent discusses the Brain Resilience Study, which is creating an open resource for studying resilience to dementia
#CNS2026 1/— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 4:42 PM
Next, Natasha Rajah presents a blueprint for conducting more inclusive brain resilience research on aging and dementia
@mnrajah.bsky.social
#CNS2026 2/— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 4:56 PM
Now, Karen Campbell gives us an optimistic view of aging, presenting new data about how older brains appear more resilient under naturalistic conditions, compared to more controlled settings
@karampbell.bsky.social
#CNS2026 3/— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 5:20 PM
Audrey Duarte begins her talk, which will present new work on depression and resilience to age-related memory impairments, by discussing individual differences in aging
@audreyduarte.bsky.social
#CNS2026 6/— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 5:46 PM
Amazing work!
Learn more about the research presented at this aging symposium in our new press release via @eurekalert.bsky.social
www.eurekalert.org/news-release…
#CNS2026 8/— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 6:07 PM
Second symposium of the day, and one I’ve been most excited about: how our brains track emotions!
Kicking things off, Kevin LaBar shows how machine learning can decode discrete emotions from fMRI data while people watch movie clips! #CNS2026 🧵👇
— Mohith M. Varma (Mo) (@mohithvarma.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 4:51 PM
Ajay Satpute closed the symposium with a philosophy-of-science mic drop: if we go looking for neat, discrete emotions in the brain, we may just find what we assumed. He offered a constructivist twist by presenting evidence for variability in brain activations for the construct “fear” #CNS2026
— Mohith M. Varma (Mo) (@mohithvarma.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 6:56 PM
Join us now in the Ballroom for the George A Miller Prize lecture by Joseph LeDoux, who will talk about fusing the science of emotion with the science of consciousness.
Intro by Kevin LaBar
Congratulations @theamygdaloid.bsky.social
#CNS2026 1/— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 7:05 PM
Learn more about LeDoux’s unexpected start and path in cognitive neuroscience, with some inspiration from the Beatles thrown in, in our exclusive Q&A: www.cogneurosociety.org/from-an-outs…
@theamygdaloid.bsky.social
#CNS2026 7/ end— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 8:09 PM
What’s better than science posters?
Science posters + ice cream! 🍦
Join us now for both at Poster Session C, happening now
#CNS2026— Cognitive Neuroscience Society (@cogneuronews.bsky.social) March 8, 2026 at 8:08 PM
Best part of today’s #CNS2026 (and there were many to choose from) this glorious picture of Dr. Joe LeDoux and my little lab (sans Miguel who we couldn’t find!)
— the tiniest doomwook (@drdebah.bsky.social) March 9, 2026 at 4:41 AM
-Lisa M.P. Munoz
