EXCITATORY AMINO ACIDS AND BRAIN FUNCTION CONFERENCE

The 1999 Gordon Research Conference on Excitatory Amino Acids and Brain Function will be held at Plymouth State College from 27 June 1999 - 2 July 1999. 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). Specific topics which will be covered at the conference include 1) ultrastructure of excitatory synapses and organization of excitatory amino acid (EAA) receptors, 2) synaptic targeting of EAA receptors and interaction with anchoring and clustering proteins, 3) genetic approaches to EAA functions, 4) role of EAAs in physiological processes, 5) role of EAAs in learning and memory, 6) EAA transporter proteins and their physiological and pathophysiological roles, and 7) EAAs in pathophysiological diseases such as Rasmussin's Encephalitis, epilepsy, brain injury, stroke and ischemic damage to brain cells. This proposal request funds to provide partial support for travel and subsistence expenses for invited participants from North America and overseas. This conference will be timely and important as it will bring together investigators from many scientific disciplines whose common link is the elucidation of the role and mechanisms of EAAs in brain function. The interdisciplinary nature of the conference, coupled with the unique Gordon Conference format, which encourages informal and open discussion among the participants, provides an idea 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.