Retinal Neurobiology & Visual Processes FASEB Conference; Indian Wells, CA; July 15-20, 2006

本项目请求部分资助将于7月15日至20日在加利福尼亚州印第安威尔斯举行的关于“视网膜神经生物学和视觉处理”的2006年FASE B夏季研究会议。这是专门研究视网膜结构和功能的系列会议中的第八个双年度会议。这是关于这一主题的卓越的国际会议。视网膜研究正处于一个前所未有的增长和成就的时代。各种新的成像、生理学、遗传学和分子方法现在被用来解决视网膜神经元如何组织成功能神经回路的基本问题。这次会议将讨论这个问题的许多方面，如下所述。这次会议将从根本上改变与会者对视网膜结构和功能的看法，以及他们进行视力研究的方式。此外，视网膜处理是我们理解大脑的关键。视网膜处于神经回路分析的前沿，因此这次会议将对神经科学的一般研究产生深远的影响。这次为期五天的会议将吸引来自世界各地的约200名与会者。36名国际公认的专家将在九个专题会议和一个由每个领域的领导人主持的研讨会的正式会谈中介绍他们的工作。计划中的主题包括：对比视杆细胞和视锥突触小泡释放机制，神经节细胞中的光转导和非感光视网膜神经元的光敏诱导，视网膜发育中的可塑性，比较神经递质介导的突触反馈抑制和缝隙连接，双极细胞输出突触的信号转换，视网膜通路的信息内容，以及视网膜疾病的模型。还将有一个从海报演示中挑选出来的演讲环节，以及一个关于视网膜功能数学建模的研讨会。此外，还邀请所有参与者在两次会议期间赠送海报。会议形式旨在促进与会者之间的直接科学交流。强烈鼓励学生和博士后研究员参加，特别是来自代表性不足的少数群体的学生和博士后研究员。此外，在选择发言者时，重点放在年轻科学家在其职业生涯早期的贡献上。许多年轻的科学家从这次会议上的接触中找到了新的位置，这塑造了视网膜科学的未来。有几个方面让这次会议变得特别。其中之一是，与ARVO和神经科学学会等更大规模的会议相比，这些会谈更加全面和详细。此外，组织者选择主题和演讲者，因此他们既有主题又有凝聚力。会场是一项巨大的资产，因为参与者留在现场，在公共用餐和会议间隙的“空闲时间”促进随意的交流。为鼓励演讲者讨论他们的最新努力和正在进行的项目，会议记录未予公布。然而，演讲摘要和海报收集在一本小册子中，将分发给所有与会者和外地提出要求的其他人。这次会议吸引了该领域的大多数研究人员，在传播成果和影响未来视网膜研究进程方面非常成功。

This project requests partial support for the 2006 FASEB Summer ResearchConference on "Retinal Neurobiology and Visual Processing, which will be held from July 15th to 20th in Indian Wells, California. This is the eight biennual conference in a series devoted specifically to the structure and function of the retina. It is the preeminent international conference on this topic. Retinal research is in an era of unprecedented growth and achievement. A variety of new imaging, physiological, genetic, and molecular methods are now employed to tackle the basic question of how retinal neurons are organized into functional neural circuits. This conference will address many facets of this question as outlined below. The meeting will fundamentally change the way participants think about retinal structure and function and how they conduct vision research. Furthermore, retinal processing is a key to our understanding of the brain. The retina is at the forefront of neural circuit analysis, so this conference will have far reaching impact on the general study of Neuroscience. This five-day conference will attract approximately 200 participants from around the world. Thirty-six internationally recognized experts will present their work in formal talks in nine thematic sessions and one workshop, chaired by leaders in each field. Planned topics included: contrasting rod and cone synaptic vesicle release mechanisms, phototransduction in ganglion cells and induction of light sensitivity in nonphotoreceptive retinal neurons, plasticity in retinal development, comparing synaptic feedback inhibition mediated by neurotransmitters vs gap junctions, signal transformations at the bipolar cell output synapse, information content of retinal pathways, and models of retinal disease. There will also be a talk session culled from poster presentations and a workshop on mathematical modeling of retinal function. In addition, all participants are invited to present posters during two sessions. The conference format is designed to foster direct scientific exchange among participants. Students and post-doctoral fellows, particularly from under-represented minority groups, are strongly encouraged to attend. Furthermore, emphasis in selecting speakers has been placed on the contributions of younger scientists at early stages of their career. Many young scientists find new positions from contacts made at this meeting and this shapes the future of retinal science. There are several aspects that make this meeting special. One is that the talks are more comprehensive and detailed than is feasible in larger conferences such as ARVO and Society for Neuroscience. Also, the organizers select topics and speakers, so they are both topical and cohesive. The venue is an enormous asset, since participants stay onsite, fostering casual exchanges at communal meals and during "free-time" between sessions. To encourage presenters to discuss their latest efforts and ongoing projects the proceedings are not published. However, abstracts of the talks and posters are collected in a booklet which will be distributed to all attendees and to others in the field who request it. This conference attracts most of the field's investigators and is very successful at disseminating results and affecting the future course of retinal research.