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MEEP – Heidelberg Summer School on Memory and Sleep

The Central Institute of Mental Health (CIMH) in Mannheim and Marsilius Kolleg Heidelberg are hosting a summer school on memory, sleep, and neural replay from May 31st to June 3rd at the historic Marsilius Kolleg in Heidelberg, Germany. This intensive program brings together master and PhD students with an interest in understanding the complex interplay between sleep-dependent memory consolidation, synaptic plasticity, and neural replay mechanisms.

Participants will explore how memories are selectively strengthened during sleep, with particular emphasis on reward-related processing, and will develop approaches to apply these insights to their own research.

Keynote Speakers

Prof Maria Wimber

Professor, Centre for Cognitive Neuroimaging, University of Glasgow

Research Focus
Professor Wimber's research investigates how the human brain reconstructs and adaptively modifies memories. Her work focuses on tracking the neural dynamics of memory recall using multivariate neuroimaging approaches (fMRI, EEG, MEG, iEEG), examining how memories are reactivated step-by-step and how they qualitatively change over time. A key interest is the dual nature of remembering: while retrieval strengthens memories, it can also induce adaptive forgetting of competing information. Her research is supported by an ERC Starting Grant.

To the research profile of Prof Maria Wimber

Prof. Mona Garvert

Junior Professor for Neuroscience, Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg

Research Focus
Professor Garvert investigates how the brain builds and uses cognitive maps to represent abstract knowledge structures and guide decision-making. Her work combines computational modeling with neuroimaging to understand how the hippocampus and prefrontal cortex represent value spaces, enable reward generalization, and adapt to complex learning environments. Key research areas include spatial and non-spatial cognitive maps, reinforcement learning, and the neural mechanisms underlying flexible decision-making in naturalistic contexts.

To the research profile of Prof. Mona Garvert

More speakers will be announced.

Heidelberg also has a lot to offer in terms of sightseeing. Photo: stock.adobe.com © eyetronic

Program and Objectives

Date: May 31st - June 3rd, 2026

The four-day summer school offers an intensive and interactive program combining theoretical foundations with hands-on learning opportunities. The schedule includes:

  • Three keynote lectures by leading international experts on memory consolidation, neural plasticity, and replay mechanisms
  • Nine thematic sessions covering core topics in sleep and memory research, including experimental methods, computational approaches, and clinical applications
  • Interactive formats such as poster presentations, short talks by participants, panel discussions, and method-focused workshops
  • Networking opportunities including a social evening and opportunities to connect with local researchers from the Mannheim and Heidelberg neuroscience community
  • Practical components potentially including lab tours and demonstrations of state-of-the-art techniques in sleep and memory research

The program is designed to foster exchange between participants and experts, encourage critical discussion of current research questions, and provide practical skills for investigating sleep-dependent memory processes.

Organizers

Sponsors

To be announced


Zentralinstitut für Seelische Gesundheit (ZI) - https://www.zi-mannheim.de