This is an application for partial funding for the conference on """"""""Retinal Neurobiology and Visual Processing"""""""", held under the auspices of the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology (FASEB) in Indian Wells, CA from July 15-20, 2006. This will be the eighth in a series of highly-regarded, 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 neuroscience, ophthalmology and vision research with the goal of applying state-of-the-art techniques to understanding the neurobiological basis of vision in healthy and diseased retinas. A second goal of this conference is to provide opportunities for graduate and postdoctoral students to meet with established investigators to share their ideas and learn more about postdoctoral positions and junior faculty positions. The proposed conference program addresses questions that are of high current interest to the vision community. The major session topics will be: 1) new insights into rod and cone synaptic signaling, 2) mechanisms shaping the visual output of bipolar cells, 3) neuronal plasticity in retinal development, 4) exploring the neural code of visual processing 5) feedback circuitry in outer retina, 6), translational research and models of retinal disease 7). non-visual phototransduction in the retina and 8) novel inhibitory mechanisms that shape the retinal output. There will also be a ninth talk session highlighting the best work from the submitted abstracts. In addition, there will be two poster sessions and a workshop on mathematical and computational models of retinal function. Approximately 200 participants will attend, drawn from scientists actively involved in retinal research and with the goal of stimulating a free and lively exchange of ideas. The speakers will include a large number of graduate students and postdoctoral fellows. This both highlights exciting new topics and also promotes new members of the vision research community. The conference provides a exceptional environment for the critical review of recent, cutting edge research and serves as a guidepost to future research. ? ? ?
