Behavioral Epigenetics

描述（由申请人提供）：纽约科学院、布朗大学Warren Alpert医学院和马萨诸塞大学波士顿分校正在计划一个具有里程碑意义的国际项目“行为表观遗传学”，旨在探索环境因素如何在不影响基本基因结构的情况下，通过生物化学方式改变基因功能或基因表达来影响行为的改变。这项拨款的首席研究员是巴里·莱斯特博士，布朗大学沃伦·阿尔珀特医学院精神病学和人类行为学教授和儿科教授，布朗高危儿童研究中心主任。该项目是行为表观遗传学的首批主要会议之一，将包括为期两天的cme认证会议（2010年10月29日至30日，波士顿）和高质量的持久材料，以传播参与者交换的科学信息。作为背景，与会者将回顾和描述表观遗传学的历史和领域，在正常胚胎和胎儿发育中的作用，基本机制和过程，包括生化，细胞，基因转录和表达，以及与胎儿编程和神经可塑性的关系，他们还将讨论表观遗传学过程的医学结果和行为影响的研究。然而，主要的焦点将是表观遗传功能和行为结果，包括学习、记忆、精神疾病、正常发育和发育性精神病理学。产前和产后因素，产生表观遗传变化的行为，代际转移和这些影响的可逆性也将被考虑。参与者还将就悬而未决的问题和未来的步骤进行头脑风暴。预计本次研讨会的多学科讨论，通过持久材料的传播，以及本次论坛产生的合作将促进行为表观遗传学领域的进步，并将提高对以下方面的理解：1)塑造行为的基本机制，其发展和表观遗传学调节；2)个体对不良行为结果的脆弱性和恢复力；3)表观遗传调控功能障碍的靶向治疗进展。为了实现这些目标，会议议程将包括每天两次全体会议（每次会议三名发言者）和充足的小组讨论和听众讨论时间，以鼓励建立联系和听众参与。届时将有交流休息时间，包括一个晚间招待会，同时还有一个海报会议，让年轻的科学家展示他们的工作。会议将吸引来自神经科学、正常和/或病理胚胎、胎儿、儿童、青少年和生殖发育、行为科学、心理健康、药物添加、细胞和分子生物学、遗传学、基因组学、蛋白质组学和药物发现等领域的高级研究人员、医生、博士后和临床研究员、学生和行业科学家的广泛参与（250-300名与会者）。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The New York Academy of Sciences, the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and the University of Massachusetts, Boston are planning a landmark international program, "Behavioral Epigenetics", to explore how environmental factors can affect alterations in behavior by biochemically changing the function of genes or gene expression without affecting the basic gene structure. The principal investigator for this grant is Dr. Barry Lester, Professor of Psychiatry and Human Behavior and Professor of Pediatrics at the Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University, and Director of the Brown Center for the Study of Children at Risk. The program, one of the first major meetings focused on Behavioral Epigenetics, will include a 2-day CME-accredited conference (October 29-30, 2010, Boston) and high-quality enduring materials to disseminate the scientific information exchanged by participants. For background participants will review the history and describe the field of epigenetics, role in normal embryological and fetal development, basic mechanisms and processes including biochemical, cellular, gene transcription and expression, and relations to fetal programming and neural plasticity and they also will discuss medical outcomes and research on behavioral effects of epigenetic processes. However the primary focus will be on epigenetic functioning and behavioral outcomes including learning, memory, mental illness, normal development and developmental psychopathology. Prenatal and postnatal factors that produce epigenetic changes in behavior, and the intergenerational transfer and reversibility of these effects will be also considered. Participants will also brainstorm about pending questions and future steps. It is anticipated that the multidisciplinary discussions originating from this symposium, their dissemination through enduring materials, and the collaborations emerging from this forum will foster advancements in the field of Behavioral Epigenetics, and will improve the understanding of 1) the fundamental mechanisms that shape behavior, its development and epigenetic modulation, 2) individual vulnerability and resilience to adverse behavioral outcome; and 3) development of targeted therapies for malfunctions in epigenetic modulation. To achieve these goals, the conference agenda will incorporate two plenary sessions per day (three speakers per session) and ample time for panel and audience discussion to encourage networking and audience participation. Networking breaks will be available, including an evening reception concurrent with a poster session that will allow young scientists to showcase their work. The conference will attract wide participation (250-300 attendees) among senior investigators, physicians, post-doctoral and clinical fellows, students and industry scientists working on neuroscience, normal and/or pathological embryonic, fetal, childhood, adolescent and reproductive development, behavioral sciences, mental health, drug addition, cell and molecular biology, genetics, genomics, proteomics, and drug discovery, among others. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The two-day CME-accredited scientific conference will provide a neutral forum to discuss recent advancements, challenges, and future steps in research exploring how environmental factors affect behavioral outcomes (learning, memory, mental illness, normal development and developmental psychopathology) via epigenetic modulation. The cross-disciplinary discussions among participants, their dissemination through enduring materials, and the new research and collaborations generated at the meeting will help delineate the field of Behavioral Epigenetics, and foster advancement in our understanding of mechanisms shaping epigenetic changes on gene function and expression, and individual vulnerability and resilience to adverse behavioral outcome. It is anticipated that this symposium will explore possibilities for new therapeutic applications of epigenetics to treat patients with depression, addiction, schizophrenia, and other neuro-developmental disorders which may in part result from malfunctions in epigenetic modulation.