Conference on Excitatory Amino Acids & Brain Function

描述（申请人提供）：第三届戈登兴奋性氨基酸与脑功能研究会议将于2003年7月在马萨诸塞州南哈德利的Mount Holyoke学院举行。这次会议已成为讨论这一迅速发展领域进展的最重要论坛之一。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（EAAs）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、结构和行为方法来理解大脑功能。会议将涵盖的具体主题包括：兴奋性氨基酸（EAA）受体的结构和功能，利用无脊椎和脊椎动物系统研究EAA受体功能的遗传方法，EAA受体的膜运输，兴奋性突触的突触前功能，树突和脊柱结构的调节，EAA与神经元发育和突触可塑性。被选中的演讲者包括该领域的主要领导者以及即将开始其职业生涯的有前途的年轻科学家。本提案要求资金为来自北美和海外的与会者提供旅费和注册费的部分支助。这次会议是及时而重要的，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在脑功能中的作用。独特的戈登会议形式鼓励参与者之间进行非正式和公开的讨论，为发展新思想/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。EAAs在大多数高级脑功能中发挥重要作用，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。EAAs还与一些神经紊乱和衰老疾病有关，如阿尔茨海默氏症和帕金森病，以及其他神经退行性疾病。会议应该是NIH的几个研究所的任务感兴趣的，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.