6^th September 2016, CDR made a great presence at 14^th Meeting of The Asian-Pacific Society for Neurochemistry (APSN) which was held from 27^th to 30^th August 2016 at Hotel Istana Kuala Lumpur. Dr. Zurina Hassan was selected as one of the 24 recipients of Young Investigator Award. She presented her work on Impaired water maze learning and hippocampal long-term potentiation after Mitragynine (Kratom) treatment in rats. Two CDR PhD candidates – Nurul Hasnida Mohammad Yusoff and Nurul Aqmar Mohamad Nor Hazalin won Postgraduate Travel Awards. Both presented their works on GABA_B receptor system modulates mitragynine-induced conditioned place preference in rats, and Role of TRPM4 on cognitive function and hippocampal long term potentiation in chronic cerebral hypoperfused rats, respectively.

Meanwhile, Dr. Farah Wahida Suhaimi (who recently obtained her PhD), Thenmoly Damodaran (CDR PhD candidate) and Nor Fasihah Azam (CDR MSc candidate) awarded Malaysian Society of Neurosciences - Basic Neuroscience Chapter (MSN-BNC) Education Grants to attend the meeting. Nur Aziah Hanapi (CDR Research Officer), Mahathir Mohd Uzid and Hema Sekaran (CDR PhD candidates) presented their work on blood-brain barrier research. Dr. Siti Rafidah Yusof and Dr. Zurina Hassan whom also part of the multi-institutions Local Organising Committee for APSN 2016 thanked everyone for the supports towards realising the meeting! Photo credit: Nor Fasihah Azam