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Special Lectures
Theme A: Development
AdjustingBrain Circuits for Learning and Memory Pico Caroni, Ph.D., Sunday, Nov. 10, 8:30 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. Brain systems face ever-changing demands for learning and memory throughoutlife. This lecture will cover how system plasticity is adjusted flexibly tospecific behavioral demands, how its regulation in juveniles and adultsinvolves related circuit mechanisms and how the plasticity can be harnessed forcognitive enhancement.
Plasticityin the Adult Brain: Neurogenesis and Neuroepigenetics Hongjun Song, Ph.D., Tuesday, Nov. 12, 1 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. Adult mammalian brains exhibit much more plasticity and regenerative capacitythan previously thought, including generation of functionally integrated newneurons via adult neurogenesis. This lecture summarizes recent work onunderstanding basic properties of adult neural stem cells and molecular,cellular and circuitry mechanisms regulating the sequential adult neurogenesisprocess in vivo. Neuroepigenetics,particularly novel active DNA modifications in the nervous system, also will behighlighted.
Theme B: NeuralExcitability, Synapses and Glia: Cellular Mechanisms
Age-DependentResponses of Synapse Structure to Hippocampal Plasticity Kristen M. Harris, Ph.D., Sunday, Nov. 10, 11:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m.
This special lecture will discussregulation of spines, synapses and subcellular components (polyribosomes, SERand endosomes) by plasticity during maturation.
Glioma: ANeurocentric Look at Cancer Harald Sontheimer, Ph.D., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 10 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. Glioma research has traditionally been inspired by oncology, largelyignoring the tumor's unique interactions with the brain. This lecturechallenges us to take a more neurocentric viewpoint: many of the hallmarks ofthe disease, including vascular dysregulation, edema, gliosis and progressiveneuronal cell death by glutamate excitotoxicity, readily define gliomas as aneurodegenerative disease.
Theme C: Disorders ofthe Nervous System
Blood-BrainBarrier and Neurodegeneration Berislav V. Zlokovic, M.D., Ph.D., Tuesday, Nov. 12, 8:30 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. The blood-brain barrier (BBB) prevents entry of toxic blood products intothe CNS, and the BBB is damaged in neurological disorders such as Alzheimer'sdisease (AD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis. Yet, the role of BBB in thepathogenesis of these disorders is not yet fully appreciated. This lecture willdiscuss the BBB mechanisms causing neurodegeneration includingastrocyte-pericyte-endothelial faulty signal transduction, effects ofAD-associated genes on BBB integrity (APOE4, CLU, PICALM) and effects ofcapillary microbleeds.
Neurocircuitryof Addiction: A Stress Surfeit Disorder George F. Koob, Ph.D., Wednesday, Nov. 13, 11:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. A key component of the pathophysiology of addiction is negativereinforcement set up by negative emotional states hypothesized to derive fromdysregulation of key neurochemical elements involved in the brain stresssystems within the frontal cortex, ventral striatum and extended amygdala.Compelling evidence exists to argue that the brain stress systems play a keyrole in engaging the transition to addiction and maintaining dependence onceinitiated.
Theme D: Sensory andMotor Systems
PuttingSensory Back into Voluntary Control Stephen H. Scott, Ph.D., Monday, Nov. 11, 8:30 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. Optimal feedback control can explain many features of biological movement, suchas success with variability, motor synergies and goal-directed behavior. Thelecture will describe the use of optimal control to interpret motorperformance, highlighting the importance of sensory feedback in this process,and it will also describe how corrective responses to small visual ormechanical perturbations under a broad range of behavioral contexts provide animportant window to probe voluntary control and its neural basis.
SensoryProcessing in Drosophila: Synapses, Circuits and Computations Rachel I. Wilson, Ph.D., Monday, Nov. 11, 11:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. Many of the basic computations involved in sensory processing are sharedacross sensory modalities and species. Understanding sensory processingrequires identifying these canonical computations, why they might be useful tothe organism and how they are implemented at the level of cells, synapses andcircuits. The lecture will discuss recent work investigating these problems inthe fly Drosophila melanogaster,using in-vivo whole-cell recordingsfrom genetically identified neurons.
Theme E: IntegrativeSystems: Neuroendocrinology, Neuroimmunology and Homeostatic Challenge
InteractingInfluence of Sleep and Circadian Clocks on Human Physiology and CognitivePerformance Charles A. Czeisler, M.D., Ph.D., Saturday, Nov. 9, 2 p.m. to 3:10 p.m. Mammalian circadian clocks regulate the timing and duration of sleep. Inhumans, sleep and circadian clocks interact to affect many aspects of bothphysiology (including endocrine, metabolic, cardiovascular, immune andrespiratory physiology) and behavior (including activity, alertness,performance, mood, vigilance, attention and eating). As a consequence, theinteraction of sleep and circadian clocks has major implications for not onlyhealth and disease but also safety and productivity.
TransgenerationalEpigenetics: Programming Behavior in a Dynamic Landscape Tracy L. Bale, Ph.D., Sunday, Nov. 10, 1 p.m. to 2:10 p.m. The epigenome has become a highly investigated and important area ofneuroscience in connecting the environment with changes in neurodevelopment andbehaviors. The complexity of mechanisms at play stem from points ofvulnerability, including key developmental windows and the involvement ofmaternal or paternal germ cell lifetime exposures. This lecture will discussthe latest knowledge on epigenetic mechanisms and transgenerational outcomesassociated with the reprogramming of the brain and behaviors, thus promotingdisease risk or resiliency.
Theme F: Cognitionand Behavior
When GoodNeurons Go Bad: Dopamine Neuron Regulation and its Disruption in PsychiatricDisorders Anthony A. Grace, Ph.D., Sunday, Nov. 10, 10 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. Midbrain dopamine neurons have been implicated in a broad variety ofpsychiatric disorders, ranging from schizophrenia to drug abuse and depression.These disorders appear to result not from pathology within the dopamine neuronsthemselves, but from a disruption in their normal regulation. This lecture willdescribe how limbic and cortical afferents regulate baseline tonic activity andphasic activation of dopamine neurons to salient stimuli, and how disruption ofthese inputs may lead to pathological states.
FreeEnergy and Active Inference Karl J. Friston, FRS, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 8:30 a.m. to 9:40 a.m. This lecture provides an overview of theoretical approaches to functionalbrain architectures using the free energy formulation of active inference andpredictive coding. Its focus is on basic concepts and how they can be used tounderstand functional anatomy and the intimate relationship between action andperception. The underlying ideas will be described heuristically and theirapplication will be illustrated using simulations of perceptual synthesis,action observation and visual searches.
Theme G: NovelMethods and Technology Development
HowSynthetic and Chemical Biology Will Transform Neuroscience Bryan L. Roth, Ph.D., M.D., Tuesday, Nov. 12, 10 a.m. to 11:10 a.m. One of the grand challenges for neuroscience research is to understand howbiologically active small molecules (e.g. neurotransmitters, neuromodulatorsand drugs) exert their actions at successive levels ranging from the atomic toensembles of neuronal networks. This lecture will demonstrate how recentadvances in chemical and synthetic biology technology have catalyzed newinsights into bioactive small molecule actions. The lecture will show howatomic-level discoveries have ultimately led to transformative insights at thelevel of neuronal systems.
Symposia
Saturday, Nov. 9
FredKavli Public Symposium on Creativity Antonio Damasio, Ph.D., 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
MultilevelAnalysis of Pattern Separation and Completion: A Role for Subregions of theHippocampus Craig Stark, Ph.D., 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
TheNeuronal Code(s) of the Cerebellum Detlef H. Heck, Ph.D., 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Sunday, Nov. 10
EmpiricalApproaches to Neuroscience and Society Symposium: Gender Bias: Facing the Factsfor the Future of Neuroscience Jennifer L. Raymond, Ph.D., 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Mechanismsof Deep Brain Stimulation Efficacy in Neuropsychiatric Disorders Dennis L. Glanzman, Ph.D., 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
TheBrain-Blood Connection: Brain Control Over Its Own Blood Flow in Normal andDysfunctional States Ron D. Frostig, Ph.D., 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
5-Hydroxymethylcytosineand Active DNA Demethylation in Experience-Dependent Neural Function andPsychiatric Disorders Timothy Bredy, Ph.D., 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
NovelAdvances in Understanding Mechanisms of Habituation Catharine Rankin, Ph.D., 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Monday, Nov. 11
NeuropeptideSignaling in Cellular Interactions Illana Gozes, Ph.D., 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
TheEmotion Triad: The Role of Interactions Between the Amygdala, Hippocampus andMedial Prefrontal Cortex in Mood and Anxiety Joshua A. Gordon, M.D., Ph.D., 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
The Roleof Transposable Elements in Health and Diseases of the Central Nervous System Matthew Reilly, Ph.D., 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
All forOne and One for All: Progress in Single Cell Neurobiology James Eberwine, Ph.D., 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Maps andMeters for Sound Location Jennifer M. Groh, Ph.D., 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Neuro-Epigeneticsin Neural Development, Plasticity and Brain Disorders Hongjun Song, Ph.D., 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Tuesday, Nov. 12
Brain,Cognition, and Genetics in Healthy Aging Apostolos P. Georgopoulos, M.D., Ph.D., 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Epigeneticsin Epilepsy: Epiphany or Epiphenomenon? Tallie Z. Baram, M.D., Ph.D., 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
SensoryEnd Organs: Signal Processing in the Periphery Stephen D. Roper, Ph.D., 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
How theLateral Hypothalamus Links Energy Status with Motivated Behaviors Alan G. Watts, D.Phil., 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
Wednesday, Nov. 13
EphReceptors and Ephrins: Therapeutic Targets for Neural Injury andNeurodegenerative Diseases Ann Turnley, Ph.D., 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Law andNeuroscience Owen Jones, J.D., 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
Neocortex:Why So Many Layers and Cell Types?
Randy M. Bruno, Ph.D., 8:30 a.m. to 11 a.m.
How DoImmune Cells Shape the Brain in Health, Disease and Aging?
Michal Schwartz, Ph.D.,1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.·
The HumanConnectome in Health and Disease
Andrew Zalesky, Ph.D, 1:30 p.m. to 4 p.m.
PHOTOS OF THE HOST CITY (SAN DIEGO):
San Diego, known for its usually lovely and mildweather, is located on the coast of the Pacific Ocean some 120 miles south ofLos Angeles and immediately adjacent to the U.S.-Mexico border. CREDIT: JoanneDiBona
The San Diego Convention Center will be host toan expected 30,000 or more attendees of Neuroscience 2013. CREDIT: San DiegoConvention Center
Pictured here is the Dolphin Discovery Show, butSeaWorld San Diego also features such attractions as the Shamu show, namedafter the famous orca, and such rides as Journey to Atlantis, Shipwreck Rapidsand Wild Arctic. Another notable draw is Turtle Reef, an attraction featuring a280,000-gallon aquarium with some 60 threatened sea turtles, an interactivegame that teaches kids about the threats turtles face in the wild, a map thattracks rehabilitated turtles and a ride called Riptide Rescue. CREDIT: SeaWorldSan Diego
The San Diego Trolley provides service from keylocations downtown, including the Santa Fe Depot and the San Diego ConventionCenter, crisscrossing through downtown but also out to locations like Old Townand Mission Valley. Pictured here is the 12th Street Station. CREDIT:Joanne DiBona
The San Diego Zoo in the Balboa Park neighborhood,just north of downtown San Diego, is home to more than 3,700 animals representingmore than 650 species and subspecies. The zoo also features a prominentbotanical collection with more than 700,000 exotic plants. CREDIT: San DiegoZoo
The Gaslamp Quarter is considered by many to be theheart of San Diego and is a center of downtown night life in the city. Manydining and shopping options fill the historic district, and more can be foundin the nearby Horton Plaza mall. CREDIT:Joanne DiBona
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As global regulations shift toward animal-free testing, how can researchers develop more biologically relevant in vitro models to advance drug discovery?
