Historically, many of the most important advances in cellular neurobiology have been made studying mollusks, such as squid and snails, as model systems because mollusks have exceptionally large nerve cells. The giant nerve cells of squid enabled the analysis of the mechanism of the action potentials found in nerve cells and the mechanisms by which neurotransmitters, such as serotonin, are released at synapses. Snails, with their very large nerve cells and simple neural circuitry, have enabled major advances in our understanding of molecular mechanisms of learning and memory. Many key cellular and molecular discoveries in mollusks have proved generalizable to the brains of mammals, because these mechanisms have been conserved throughout evolution.
This meeting will bring together neurobiologists who work on two important molluscan groups, the simpler gastropods (e.g. snails) and the more complex cephalopods (e.g.squid and octopus) to freely discuss their latest findings. Octopus and squid represent advanced forms of intelligence that evolved entirely independently from vertebrates. These distinct forms of intelligence have the potential for providing influential models for developing artificial intelligence and computer-controlled precise motion of artificial appendages.
The meeting will generate novel collaborations among attendees, particularly because this is a unique venue for discussions between leaders in gastropod and cephalopod neuroscience. Cellular, molecular and genomic advances in gastropods have the potential for greatly benefiting research in more complex cephalopods. Abstracts of talks will be available on an open website, along with new methodologies presented. This will accelerate the pace of research, leading to new discoveries that can provide insights into the basic functioning of the brain. Graduate students and postdoctoral fellows will present their research to senior scientists in the field, and interact with them at mentoring sessions, which will benefit their development as researchers.
Molluscan Neuroscience Meeting May 2012 NSF funds were used to support a meeting of neuroscientists who work on molluscan nervous systems. Although mollusks are evolutionarily far from humans, the cellular and molecular properties of their nerve cells are extremely similar. In fact, much of our understanding of the functional properties of nerve cells in mammals and the changes in synaptic connections that contribute to learning come from pioneering studies in snails and squid. These simpler brains provide advantageous experimental systems; their nerve cells are exceptionally large, and it is possible to directly relate cellular and molecular changes in these nerve cells to behavior. The meeting, which was attended by approximately 80 scientists and students, was held at the Scripps Research Institute in Jupiter, FL, during May 16-19, 2012. The attendees included senior and junior scientists, as well as postdoctoral fellows and graduate students. The animals studied by the scientists at the meeting ranged from gastropod mollusks, such as Aplysia (Fig. 1) and other snails to cephalopods, such as octopus (Fig. 2) and squid (Fig. 3). The meeting comprised scientific slide sessions, in which investigators presented the results of recent studies to the general group of participants; a discussion of recent efforts to sequence the genome of Aplysia; and mentoring sessions. In these mentoring sessions, junior scientists, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students, received important career advice from senior neuroscientists, and were able to have frank discussions of topics of concern. Important outcomes of the meeting included: A book of abstracts, available online (www.molluscanneuroscience.org/?page_id=8), that contains summaries of the scientific presentations. Improved strategies for sequencing the Aplysia genome, as well as a novel strategy for the assembly of the Aplysia transcriptome, which codes for all proteins expressed in the nervous system. Results from the new transcriptome assembly are available at (http://aplysiagenetools.org/), sponsored by NSF. Better integration of the community of cephalopod researchers into the larger community of gastropod molluscan neuroscientists. Enhancement of the careers of junior scientists, postdoctoral fellows and graduate students.
