CSHL Conference on Channels, Receptors, Synapses

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory Conference on "Channels, Receptors, Synapses," April 18-22, 2006. The meeting on "Channels, Receptors, Synapses" will assemble the leaders in the field, together with junior faculty, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, to discuss new, cutting-edge developments in the molecular control of neuronal excitability and synapse function. This application seeks support for the meeting which will be held at Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory April, 2006 and the subsequent conferences in 2008-2010. Ion channels and receptors are the key molecules that control membrane excitability and mediate signaling at synapses between neurons in the brain. Topics to be discussed for the 2006 meeting include: 1) Modulation of channel and receptor function; 2) The development and regulation of synapse formation; 3) The molecular mechanisms of synaptic plasticity and their roles in brain function; 4) The involvement of ion channels/receptors in human disease. The meeting will embrace diverse technical approaches (including cell biology, genetics, biochemistry, electrophysiology and behavior) and will showcase a range of experimental systems (from mammals to invertebrate model organisms). An important mission of the conference is to span the full spectrum of this field from reductionist studies of the structure-function of ion channels/receptors to in vivo investigations of brain function. The molecular pathogenesis of disease will be highlighted, since it is becoming increasingly apparent that dysfunction of channels, receptors and synapses are often causally or indirectly involved in nervous system disorders. Each session will be chaired by a leading scientist in the field. Oral presentations will be selected from submitted abstracts by the session chairs in consultation with the organizers. Selected speakers will include graduate students, postdoctoral fellows and junior faculty aiming for maximal inclusion of junior investigators. Of special importance are the two poster sessions, where many participants can present their work in an atmosphere conducive to informal discussion. Two special lectures will be presented to highlight important or rapidly moving areas. The meeting will be of moderate size and we expect about 300 people to attend, the vast majority of whom will be presenting a poster or talk. The subsequent biennially conferences will follow a similar format and will include topics that are highly relevant at the time of the meeting.