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，该会议将作为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，运动障碍总是表现为共济失调和运动障碍，它也与认知障碍如自闭症和阅读障碍有关。小脑戈登研究会议（GRC）的目的是促进具有小脑共同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生长速度的显著增加，并最终转化为对小脑健康功能和疾病功能障碍的更全面理解。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，也可能为小脑诱发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，让他们受益于由最好的小脑科学家和临床医生提供的40多个关于小脑前沿研究的口头报告。此外，所有与会者都将有机会在四个海报环节中的一个环节展示自己的作品。小脑GRC将为小脑科学家提供一个非常宝贵的机会，让他们交流思想，建立合作关系，并计划举办教育讲座，向小脑界介绍小脑在各种神经和精神疾病中的作用。

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.