This UCLA Symposium will address The Cell and Molecular Aspects of The Developing Nervous System. Developmental neurobiology is concerned with organization, function, and disorders in the nervous system. Understanding the mechanisms underlying memory, pain, movement, pleasure and immunity, as well as a wide array of developmental (cerebral palsy, mental retardation, autism, spina bifida, cancer) and adult (Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, multiple sclerosis) dysfunctions may be dependent, to one degree or another, on comprehending the complexity and origin of nervous system-localized macromolecules. The principles of neurobiological development, and their relationship to disorders of the nervous system, both in early and later life, have been a goal of basic and clinical neuroscientists. The advent of powerful techniques, largely derived from cellular and molecular biology, has opened up new vistas for studying the mechanisms of neuro-ontogeny and developmentally related diseases. The major goals of this meeting are to (1) exchange and critically appraise new and exciting information related to the cellular and molecular biology of neural development, (2) encourage the organization of this material into a coherent framework, (3) formulate an agenda for future basic and clinical inquiry, and (4) serve as a forum for graduate, postgraduate, and junior faculty to present and discuss their work with senior scientists.
