Brazilian Society for Neuroscience and Behavior

Brazilian Society for Neuroscience and Behavior
Name	Brazilian Society for Neuroscience and Behavior
Native name	Sociedade Brasileira de Neurociências e Comportamento
Abbreviation	SBNeC
Formation	1985
Type	Learned society
Headquarters	São Paulo
Region served	Brazil
Language	Portuguese
Leader title	President

Contents

Brazilian Society for Neuroscience and Behavior is a learned society that promotes research in neuroscience and behavioral sciences across Brazil and Latin America. It serves as a nexus for collaboration among researchers affiliated with institutions such as University of São Paulo, Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, State University of Campinas, Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul, and international partners like Max Planck Society and National Institutes of Health. The society convenes neuroscientists from diverse centers including Instituto Butantan, Fiocruz, D'Or Institute for Research and Education, and links to global networks such as Federation of European Neuroscience Societies and Society for Neuroscience.

History

The society was established in 1985 amid an expansion of neurobiological research in Brazil and a growing cadre of investigators trained at institutions such as Harvard University, University of Cambridge, University of Oxford, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and University of California, San Diego. Early founders included researchers with ties to Instituto de Biologia, Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais, Pontifical Catholic University of Rio Grande do Sul, and visiting scholars from Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory and Max Planck Institute for Brain Research. The society's history reflects broader developments involving partnerships with entities like Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior, Conselho Nacional de Desenvolvimento Científico e Tecnológico, and initiatives connected to Brazilian Academy of Sciences. Milestones include the initiation of national meetings, establishment of regional chapters in cities such as Porto Alegre and Recife, and cooperation agreements with journals and societies including Journal of Neuroscience and European Journal of Neuroscience.

Governance follows a council model with an elected president drawn from faculties at universities like University of Brasília or Federal University of Pernambuco; boards include representatives from research centers such as Brain Institute, Cognitive Neuroscience Laboratory, Neurobiology Department at UFRJ, and clinical hubs like Hospital das Clínicas. Membership encompasses graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, principal investigators, clinicians, and technicians affiliated with institutions such as Albert Einstein Hospital and Hospital Sírio-Libanês. The society coordinates with funding and policy stakeholders including Ministry of Science and Technology (Brazil), FAPESP, CNPq, and international funders like Wellcome Trust, European Research Council, and Gates Foundation. Committees oversee ethics, diversity, and regional outreach with links to organizations such as Brazilian Society for the Advancement of Women in Science and Latin American Brain Health Network.

Programs span research training, capacity building, and translational initiatives. Training workshops are held in collaboration with laboratories at University of Cambridge, Columbia University, University of Toronto, and national centers like ENSP/Fiocruz. Outreach projects partner with museums and cultural centers including Museu de Zoologia da USP and Instituto Moreira Salles to promote public neuroscience literacy. The society runs mentorship schemes for early-career researchers connected to graduate programs at UFRJ Graduate Program in Neuroscience and summer schools with faculty from Johns Hopkins University, Karolinska Institutet, and McGill University. Translational collaborations involve hospitals such as Hospital das Clínicas and institutes like Butantan Institute to bridge basic research and clinical neurology units at Instituto do Cérebro.

The society maintains newsletters and bulletins distributed to members at universities including Universidade Federal da Bahia and Universidade Federal do Ceará. It fosters Brazilian-authored submissions to regional and international journals such as Brazilian Journal of Medical and Biological Research, Frontiers in Neuroscience, Nature Neuroscience, and supports special issues in partnership with publishers like Springer Nature and Elsevier. Communications extend to social media outreach and webinar series featuring speakers from MIT, Stanford University, University College London, and national research centers including LNCC and UNICAMP. The organization also curates position statements on issues involving institutional review boards at hospitals like Hospital Sírio-Libanês and research ethics committees at Fiocruz.

The society organizes biennial national congresses held in host cities such as São Paulo, Rio de Janeiro, Belo Horizonte, and Fortaleza, attracting delegates from institutions like University of Chile, National Autonomous University of Mexico, University of Buenos Aires, and societies including Sociedad Cubana de Neurociencias and Argentine Society for Research in Neuroscience. Meetings feature plenary lectures by invited speakers from University of California, Los Angeles, ETH Zurich, Pasteur Institute, and workshops co-sponsored with entities such as Pan American Health Organization and International Brain Research Organization. The program typically includes symposia on neurodevelopmental disorders, synaptic physiology, computational neuroscience, and psychiatric neuroscience with satellite events for early-career researchers and industry exhibitors representing companies like Roche, Philips, and GE Healthcare.

The society administers awards recognizing scientific achievement, young investigator prizes, and lifetime achievement honors, often named in honor of prominent Brazilian scientists affiliated with University of São Paulo and Federal University of Pernambuco. Awards are adjudicated by committees composed of scholars linked to institutions such as Karolinska Institutet, Yale University, University of Edinburgh, and regional partners like CONICET. Recipients have included investigators who later received national accolades from entities like Brazilian Academy of Sciences and international fellowships from organizations such as Royal Society and European Molecular Biology Organization.

Category:Scientific societies based in Brazil