2022 Optogenetic Approaches to Understanding Neural Circuits and Behavior Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar

项目摘要 许多神经生物学家的目标是了解大脑中细胞和回路的活动如何与 行为、学习和疾病症状。在光遗传学之前，几乎不可能建立 特定细胞中的活动对行为的产生或改变的充分性和必要性。 光遗传学指的是一套快速发展的工具，使研究人员能够用光读出和 操纵基因定义的脑细胞的活动。有了光遗传学，现在就有可能利用光 监视细胞在行为过程中的活动，然后增加或减少这些细胞的活动，以建立 它与行为之间的因果关系。尽管光遗传学几乎被普遍使用，但适当的 基于光遗传学的实验的设计和解释仍然具有挑战性。2022年戈登的目标 研究会议和戈登研究研讨会：“光遗传学方法理解神经 电路和行为“会议是为了聚集来自不同学科和背景的科学家，他们可以 共同介绍使用光遗传学工具的最佳方法和光遗传学的最新发现 给一群对揭示电路活动和行为之间的关系感兴趣的科学家。 我们将汇集在光遗传方法方面提供新创新的专家，例如新的 传感器、效应器和显微镜，科学家使用这些方法来发现神经 行为的基础。我们的希望是通过提供的多种机会(即，口头陈述， 互动海报会议、社区聚餐和自由时间)高级和初级科学家(即受训人员和 初级教员)将能够建立联系并相互学习。我们请求资金帮助抵消 演讲者和与会者出席本次会议的旅费、住宿费和登记费。

Project Summary A goal of many neurobiologists is to understand how the activity of cells and circuits in the brain relate to behavior, learning, and disease symptoms. Prior to optogenetics, it was nearly impossible to establish the sufficiency and necessity of activity in specific cells to the generation or modification of a behavior. Optogenetics refers to a rapidly progressing set of tools that allow researchers to use light to read out and manipulate the activity of genetically defined brain cells. With optogenetics, it is now possible to use light to monitor the activity of cells during behavior and then add or subtract activity from these cells to establish the causal relationship between it and behavior. Although optogenetics is nearly universally used, the proper design and interpretation of optogenetics-based experiments is still challenging. The goal of the 2022 Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar on “Optogenetic Approaches to Understanding Neural Circuits and Behavior” meeting is to gather scientists from different disciplines and backgrounds who can collectively present best methods for use of optogenetic tools and recent discoveries made with optogenetics to a diverse group of scientists interested in uncovering the relationship between circuit activity and behavior. We will bring together experts who are providing new innovations in optogenetic approaches, such as new sensors, effectors, and microscopes, with scientists using these approaches to discover the neural underpinnings of behavior. Our hope is through the multiple opportunities provided (i.e., oral presentations, interactive poster sessions, community meals and free-time) both senior and junior scientists (i.e., trainees and junior faculty) will be able to build connections and learn from each other.We request funds to help offset the cost of travel, accommodation and registration for speakers and participants to attend this meeting.