Conference on Excitatory Amino Acids & Brain Function

描述（由申请人提供）：第三届戈登兴奋性氨基酸和脑功能研究会议将于2003年7月在马萨诸塞州南哈德利的霍利奥克山学院举行。本次会议已成为讨论这一迅速发展领域进展情况的最重要论坛之一。会议将汇集约130名活跃的研究人员，博士后研究员和学生，讨论兴奋性氨基酸（EAA）和脑功能领域的最新进展。讨论的科学将是高度跨学科的，包括遗传，分子，细胞，生物物理，结构和行为的方法来理解大脑功能。会议将讨论兴奋性氨基酸（EAA）受体的结构和功能、利用无脊椎动物和脊椎动物系统研究EAA受体功能的遗传学方法、EAA受体的膜运输、兴奋性突触的突触前功能、树突和棘结构的调节、EAA和神经元发育以及突触可塑性。选定的演讲者包括该领域的主要领导者以及即将开始职业生涯的有前途的年轻科学家。该提案要求提供资金，为北美和海外与会者的旅费和登记费提供部分支助。这次会议是及时和重要的，因为它将汇集来自许多科学学科的研究人员，他们的共同联系是阐明EAA在大脑功能中的作用。独特的戈登会议形式鼓励与会者之间进行非正式和公开的讨论，为发展新的想法/方法和发起新的合作努力提供了理想的环境，这将有助于塑造这一关键领域的未来方向。EAA在大多数高级脑功能中起重要作用，并与情感和行为障碍，心理健康和药物成瘾以及大脑发育和可塑性有关。EAA还涉及几种神经系统疾病和衰老疾病，如阿尔茨海默氏症和帕金森氏症，以及其他神经退行性疾病。这次会议应该是感兴趣的几个机构在NIH的使命，包括NIMH，NINDS，NICHD，NIA，NIDA和NIAAA。

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.