Retinal Neurobiology & Visual Processes FASEB Conference; Indian Wells, CA; July 15-20, 2006

Federation Of Amer Societies For Exper Biology, Rockville MD

Investigators

Abstract

This project requests partial support for the 2006 FASEB Summer Research Conference on "Retinal Neurobiology and Visual Processing, which will be held from July 15th to 20th in Indian Wells, California. This is the eight biennual conference in a series devoted specifically to the structure and function of the retina. It is the preeminent international conference on this topic. Retinal research is in an era of unprecedented growth and achievement. A variety of new imaging, physiological, genetic, and molecular methods are now employed to tackle the basic question of how retinal neurons are organized into functional neural circuits. This conference will address many facets of this question as outlined below. The meeting will fundamentally change the way participants think about retinal structure and function and how they conduct vision research. Furthermore, retinal processing is a key to our understanding of the brain. The retina is at the forefront of neural circuit analysis, so this conference will have far reaching impact on the general study of Neuroscience. This five-day conference will attract approximately 200 participants from around the world. Thirty-six internationally recognized experts will present their work in formal talks in nine thematic sessions and one workshop, chaired by leaders in each field. Planned topics included: contrasting rod and cone synaptic vesicle release mechanisms, phototransduction in ganglion cells and induction of light sensitivity in nonphotoreceptive retinal neurons, plasticity in retinal development, comparing synaptic feedback inhibition mediated by neurotransmitters vs gap junctions, signal transformations at the bipolar cell output synapse, information content of retinal pathways, and models of retinal disease. There will also be a talk session culled from poster presentations and a workshop on mathematical modeling of retinal function. In addition, all participants are invited to present posters during two sessions. The conference format is designed to foster direct scientific exchange among participants. Students and post-doctoral fellows, particularly from under-represented minority groups, are strongly encouraged to attend. Furthermore, emphasis in selecting speakers has been placed on the contributions of younger scientists at early stages of their career. Many young scientists find new positions from contacts made at this meeting and this shapes the future of retinal science. There are several aspects that make this meeting special. One is that the talks are more comprehensive and detailed than is feasible in larger conferences such as ARVO and Society for Neuroscience. Also, the organizers select topics and speakers, so they are both topical and cohesive. The venue is an enormous asset, since participants stay onsite, fostering casual exchanges at communal meals and during "free-time" between sessions. To encourage presenters to discuss their latest efforts and ongoing projects the proceedings are not published. However, abstracts of the talks and posters are collected in a booklet which will be distributed to all attendees and to others in the field who request it. This conference attracts most of the field's investigators and is very successful at disseminating results and affecting the future course of retinal research.