We are requesting NINDS support for a first-time Gordon Research Conference on Mechanisms of epilepsy and neuronal synchronization to be held Aug 6-11, 2006 at Colby College in Maine. The main goal of the study of seizures is to identify the mechanisms underlying synchronous electrical discharges in neuronal networks in order to develop more effective and less toxic treatments and cures for epilepsy. A unique, intellectually challenging aspect of epilepsy research arises from the fact that it encompasses virtually all major levels of biological organization, from genes and ion channels to circuits and behavior. The major purpose of this Gordon conference is to bring together geneticists, molecular biologists, developmental neuroscientists, neuroanatomists, electrophysiologists and computational neuroscientists working on basic mechanisms related either directly or indirectly to seizure generation to synthesize current advances and to set the stage for future discoveries. Topics to be covered include Gene expression profiling in epilepsy, Epileptogenic ion channels, Epileptogenic dysgenesis, Homeostatic plasticity, Structural reorganization in epilepsy, Hypersynchrony and non-linear dynamics, Gap junctions, Key events underlying epileptogenesis, and Entorhinal-hippocampal interplay in epilepsy. Our goals are to disseminate the latest scientific advances, foster productive new insights and collaborations, and set the stage for new translational studies that will bring the newest discoveries to the bedside in the shortest possible time. ? ? ?
