Axonal Connections: Cues for Development & Regeneration

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The functioning of the nervous system depends on its complex pattern of connections. Axonal connections are initially set up during development by cues, which guide axons along specific pathways and then specify connection sites within the target region. In recent years, dramatic progress has been made in identifying such cues molecularly. Based on this progress, current studies are elucidating the molecular logic of extracellular signals that set up connectivity, as well as intracellular pathways that interpret these signals. In the adult central nervous system, damaged axonal connections do not regenerate, even though peripheral nerves can regenerate efficiently. This is due at least in part to CNS inhibitors, some of which have now been cloned. This meeting will bring together the fields of development and regeneration, with the goal of facilitating synergistic overlaps in techniques, molecules and biology. Topics will include basic research on molecular cues, and resulting new approaches toward therapeutic axon repair.