Neurocognition in an insect model: what we can learn from small brains — Elisa Frasnelli (University of Trento)

25 02 2026

An SYNCC-IN open seminar with prof. Elisa Frasnelli, Head of the Invertebrate Neuroscience Group at the University of Trento

Elisa Frasnelli is a physicist by training and obtained her PhD in Cognitive and Brain Sciences from the Centre for Mind and Brain Sciences at the University of Trento. After ten years of research in Australia, Japan, Austria, and the UK, she returned to Trento, where she is now Associate Professor. She leads the Invertebrate Neuroscience Group and serves as Internationalization Delegate for the University of Trento.

In this lecture, Professor Frasnelli will present how invertebrate animal models such as bees help us understand the evolution and function of neurocognitive systems. She will discuss the advantages of these models and introduce cutting-edge methods ranging from pharmacology and molecular biology to in vivo neuroimaging. The seminar will cover research on the evolution of lateralization, the neuromodulation of pain, and the relationship between gut microbiota, behaviour, and cognition.

📅 Date: Thursday, 5 March 2026
🕒 Time: 15:30
📍 Venue: Room 5.01
Faculty of Psychology, University of Warsaw
Banacha 2D, Warsaw