2011 Cerebellum Gordon Research Conference

描述（由申请人提供）：本提案寻求对小脑会议的部分支持，作为2011年8月在新罕布什尔州新伦敦的科尔比索耶学院举行的新戈登研究会议系列的一部分。小脑是执行协调运动的主要功能的大脑结构。它的功能障碍导致运动障碍，这些运动障碍总是表现为共济失调和运动障碍，并且它还涉及认知障碍，如自闭症和诵读困难。小脑戈登研究会议（GRC）的目的是促进具有共同小脑的非常不同的学科和领域之间的积极对话。有充分的证据表明，各种小脑领域已经成熟到一定程度，促进它们之间的思想交流将转化为它们的增长速度的显着增加，并最终转化为对健康小脑功能的更完整的理解，以及疾病的功能障碍。这一进展将进一步加深我们对重要大脑结构的基础科学知识，也可能为小脑诱导的运动和认知障碍的治疗干预提供明确的目标。为了实现这些目标，小脑GRC将为与会者提供机会，让他们从最好的小脑科学家和临床医生提供的关于小脑前沿研究的40多个口头报告中受益。此外，所有与会者将有机会在四个海报会议之一介绍自己的工作。结合教育讲座计划告知小脑社区小脑在各种神经和精神疾病中的作用，小脑GRC将是小脑科学家交流思想和建立合作的非常宝贵的机会。 公共卫生相关性：小脑参与运动协调和平衡，其功能障碍与许多运动障碍有关。它也被认为是其功能障碍有助于认知障碍，如阅读障碍和自闭症谱系障碍。小脑的解剖学回路很简单，它作为某些形式的运动学习的神经基质的作用也得到了确认。类似地，小脑的输入-输出通路也被详细描述过。它的结构简单，已知的功能和相对的可访问性促进了来自广泛学科的神经科学家的审查。因此，许多科学家认为小脑是破译高级大脑功能的最佳候选者也就不足为奇了。然而，到目前为止，我们还缺少一个不同学科的小脑科学家收集和交换信息的场所。因此，虽然许多神经科学家参加了专门的会议，如那些专注于突触传递，神经回路和可塑性，计算神经生物学，甚至运动障碍的临床会议，但很少有机会（如果有的话）讨论小脑作为负责运动协调和认知的大脑结构从分子到行为。小脑GRC旨在提供一个场所来填补这一空白。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This proposal seeks partial support for a meeting on the Cerebellum as a part of a new Gordon Research Conference series to be held in Colby-Sawyer College in New London, New Hampshire in August of 2011. The cerebellum is the brain structure that carries out the primary function of coordinating movement. Its dysfunction leads to movement disorders which invariably manifest as ataxia and dyskinesia and it has also been implicated in cognitive disorders such as autism and dyslexia. The purpose of the Cerebellum Gordon Research Conference (GRC) is to foster an active dialogue between the very different disciplines and fields that have the cerebellum in common. There is ample evidence that the various cerebellar fields have matured to the extent that facilitating cross-fertilization of ideas amongst them will translate into a significant increase in their rates of growth, and ultimately into a more complete understanding of cerebellar function in health, and dysfunction in disease. Such an advance will further our basic science knowledge of an important brain structure, and is also likely to provide clear targets for therapeutic interventions in cerebellar-induced movement and cognitive disorders. To achieve these goals the Cerebellum GRC will provide the opportunity for the attendees to benefit from over 40 oral presentations on cutting-edge research on the cerebellum given by the best cerebellar scientists and clinicians. In addition, all the attendees will have the opportunity of presenting their own work during one of the four poster sessions. Combined with the educational talks planned to inform the cerebellar community of the role of the cerebellum in various neurologic and mental disorders, the Cerebellum GRC will be an extremely invaluable opportunity for cerebellar scientists to exchange ideas and forge collaborations. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The cerebellum is involved in motor coordination and balance, and its dysfunction is implicated in numerous movement disorders. It is also thought that its dysfunction contributes to cognitive disorders such as dyslexia and autism spectrum disorders. The elegant anatomical circuit of the cerebellum is simple and its role as the neural substrate for certain forms of motor learning is identified. Similarly, cerebellar input-output pathways have been described in detail. Its architectural simplicity, known function and relative accessibility has fostered its scrutiny by neuroscientists from a wide range of disciplines. It is thus not surprising that many scientists believe that the cerebellum presents the best candidate for deciphering higher order brain function. What has been sorely missing to date, however, is a venue where cerebellar scientists from various disciplines gather and exchange information. Thus, while many of the neuroscientists have attended specialized meetings such as those focusing on synaptic transmission, neural circuits & plasticity, computational neurobiology, and even clinical meetings on movement disorders, there have been few (if any) opportunities to discuss the cerebellum as a brain structure responsible for motor coordination and cognition from molecules to behavior. The Cerebellum GRC aims to provide a venue to fill this void.