FASEB Summer Conference on Retinal Neurobiology and Visual Processing

描述(申请人提供)：这是美国实验生物学学会联合会(FASE B)举办的“视网膜神经生物学和视觉处理”会议的部分资金申请，将于2008年7月20-25日在美国科罗拉多州斯诺马斯举行。这是一系列广受欢迎的两年一度的会议中的第九次，这些会议为不同背景的研究人员建立了一个讨论愿景的独特论坛。参与者来自神经生物学、计算生物学和视觉研究的许多领域，目的是应用最先进的技术来了解视网膜视觉的神经生物学基础。这次会议的另一个独特目标是为博士后和博士后实习生提供机会，让他们与知名研究人员见面并分享他们的想法。拟议的会议计划解决了愿景社区高度感兴趣的及时问题。主要议题包括：1)带状突触的机制和功能，2)缝隙连接和视网膜功能，3)视网膜嵌合体的发展，4)视网膜输入的中央处理，5)视网膜无长突细胞的功能，6)视网膜信号通路的多样性，7)离子，离子通道和视网膜功能，8)适应和视网膜信息处理。将有第九个讲座环节，从海报投稿中挑选出令人兴奋和及时的工作。此外，还计划举办一个研讨会，主题是“用行为、电生理和光学测试评估健康和患病的视网膜”。最后，将有一个开幕之夜的“数据闪电战”和两个海报会议。大约200名参与者将参加，他们来自积极参与视网膜研究的科学家，目的是促进自由和活跃的思想交流。演讲者包括相当数量的研究生、博士后研究员和年轻的研究人员，他们强调了令人兴奋的新主题，并促进了视觉研究社区的新成员。会议为研究生提供了了解博士后职位的机会，并为博士后研究员提供了探索初级教师职位的机会。会议对最近的研究进行了批判性的审查，并为未来的研究提供了指南。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is an application for partial funding for the conference on "Retinal Neurobiology and Visual Processing", run by the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB), to be held in Snowmass, CO from July 20-25, 2008. This is the ninth in a series of popular biennial conferences that have established a unique forum for researchers with varied backgrounds to discuss vision. The participants are drawn from many areas of neurobiology, computational biology and vision research with the goal of applying state-of-the-art techniques to understanding the neurobiological basis of retinal vision. Another unique goal of this meeting is to provide opportunities for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees to meet and share their ideas with established investigators. The proposed conference program addresses timely questions that are of high interest to the vision community. The major session topics will be: 1) machinery and function of ribbon synapses, 2) gap junctions and retinal function, 3) the development of retinal mosaics, 4) central processing of retinal inputs, 5) functions of retinal amacrine cells, 6) the diversity of retinal signaling pathways, 7) ions, ion channels and retinal function, 8) adaptation and retinal information processing. There will be a ninth talk session featuring exciting and timely work, drawn from the poster submissions. In addition a workshop on "assessing the healthy and diseased retina with behavioral, electrophysiological and optical testing" is planned. Finally, there will an opening night "data blitz" and two poster sessions. Approximately 200 participants will attend, drawn from scientists actively involved in retinal research, with the goal of stimulating a free and lively exchange of ideas. The speakers include a significant number of graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and young investigators highlighting exciting new topics and promoting new members of the vision research community. The conference offers opportunities for graduate students to learn about postdoctoral positions and for postdoctoral fellows to explore junior faculty positions. The conference provides a critical review of recent research and a guidepost to future research.