Conference on Excitatory Amino Acids & Brain Function

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The third Gordon Research Conference on Excitatory Amino Acids and Brain Function will be held in July 2003 at Mount Holyoke College in South Hadley, Massachusetts. This meeting has established itself as one of the most important forums for discussing progress in this rapidly moving field. The conference will bring together approximately 130 active investigators, post-doctoral fellows and students for discussion of recent advances in the area of excitatory amino acids (EAAs) and brain function. The science discussed will be highly interdisciplinary, encompassing genetic, molecular, cellular, biophysical, structural, and behavioral approaches to understanding brain function. Specific topics which will be covered at the conference include, structure and function of excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptors, genetic approaches to EAA receptor function using invertebrate and vertebrate systems, membrane trafficking of EAA receptors, presynaptic function at excitatory synapses, regulation of dendritic and spine structure, EAAs and neuronal development and synaptic plasticity. The chosen speakers include the major leaders in the field as well as promising young scientists near the beginning of their careers. This proposal requests funds to provide partial support for travel and registration fees for participants from North America and overseas. This conference is timely and important, as it will bring together investigators from many scientific disciplines whose common link is the elucidation of the role of EAAs in brain function. The unique Gordon Conference format, which encourages informal and open discussion among the participants, provides an ideal environment for the development of new ideas/approaches, and initiation of new collaborative efforts, which will help shape the future directions of this critical field. EAAs play important roles in most higher brain function and are relevant to affective and behavioral disorders, mental health and drug addiction as well as brain development and plasticity. EAAs also are involved in several neurological disorders and diseases of aging such as Alzheimer's and Parkinson's, and other neurodegenerative diseases. The conference should be of interest to the missions of several institutes at NIH including NIMH, NINDS, NICHD, NIA, NIDA and NIAAA.