Welcome
latest update: September 2, 2025
Dear colleague,
LaP is a cross-disciplinary meeting that connects psychological and neuroscience research on the mechanisms of learning and brain plasticity. It is organized by the University of Turku, Åbo Akademi University, the Turku Brain and Mind Center, and the Aalto Brain Centre.
The LaP meeting is again organized in Spring 2026. The meeting dates are March 29-April 1, 2026 (Sunday afternoon – Wednesday afternoon). The venue is the same as for the previous annual meetings, namely Äkäshotel at the Äkäslompolo village.
IMPORTANT DEADLINES:
- Deadline for symposium proposals November 14, 2025
- Abstract submission deadline December 5, 2025
- Congress registration via this website will open in December
- Contact the organizers: info.lapmeeting@gmail.com
The special theme addressed by the keynotes as well as by symposium presentations is ‘Cognitive and neural changes across the lifespan: from development to interventions’. Note however that as before, most of the congress program will consist of free papers reflecting the broad spectrum of learning and plasticity research, and does not have to be related to the special theme.
LaP 2026 keynote speakers:
Richard Bethlehem, University of Cambridge: “Braincharts for the human lifespan: from populations to individuals and clinical implications”
NOTE: Unlike in some previous years, the deadline for abstract submission is already December 5th.
Despite of its northern location way above the polar circle, the congress site is easy to reach e.g. by daily flight connections from Helsinki to the nearby airport at Kittilä. The congress program runs from afternoon to evening, enabling one to utilize the excellent possibilities for various winter sports and other outdoor activities during the long days in March-April. Due to auditorium & poster space and to keep the meeting highly interactive, the number of participants is limited to 60.
It is important to make travel arrangements in good time as the night trains and the flights tend to become fully booked due to the large number of tourists coming to enjoy the unique Lappish Spring.
We hope to see you at the Heart of Finnish Lapland in Spring 2026!
The LaP Scientific Committee,
Juha Salmi, Aalto University, Finland (Program Chair)
Minna Lehtonen, University of Turku, Finland (Chair)
Susanne Jaeggi, Northeastern University, USA
Matti Laine, Åbo Akademi University, Finland
Marcus Meinzer, University Medicine Greifswald, Germany
Lauri Parkkonen, Aalto University, Finland
Teppo Särkämö, University of Helsinki, Finland
Jetro Tuulari, University of Turku, Finland
Sari Ylinen, University of Tampere, Finland
