Gordon Research Conference on Neural Plasticity has been held in alternative years since 1977 in July at Brewster Academy, Wolfeboro, New Hampshire. We are requesting partial support for the Conference planned for June 30- July 5, 1991. Gordon Research Conferences were established to stimulate scientific interchange in an informal setting. Uninhibited discussion is fostered by a rule prohibiting publication of the meetings presentations, or indeed their citation. The format has proved particularly useful for the Conference on Neural Plasticity-a highly interdisciplinary meeting in which the subject of modifiability of the nervous system is examined at the molecular, cellular and systems levels and in which the participants come from quite varied backgrounds (biochemical, pharmacological, anatomical, electrophysiological, behavioral and computational). One evening has been set aside for a keynote speaker who is an expert in a related, and highly relevant field, Developmental Biology. The remaining eight sessions will focus on specific issues of particular current interest, each with only three scheduled speakers so that adequate time is available for discussion. The discussion will continue more informally during the afternoon, when no formal sessions are scheduled. It is the experience of past participants that these informal interactions are particularly useful and are one of the distinct advantages of the Gordon Conference format. The proposed program for 1991 includes sessions on: neurotransmitter regulation of gene expression, steroid hormone mechanisms in the nervous system, structure and function of glutamate receptors, modulation of ionic currents, specification of cell fate during development, development plasticity of invertebrate synapses, information processing in the hippocampus, and an introduction to Computational Neurosciences.
