The Inhibition in the Central Nervous System Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) will be held at Bates College in Lewiston, ME from August 15-21, 2015. This international research conference has been held every 2 years since 2005 as part of the GRC conference series. Inhibition is central to all aspects of central nervous system function and represents a major target for therapeutics. The goal of this meeting is three-fold. First, it will increase our understanding of the fundamenta mechanisms contributing to the critical role of inhibition in normal and abnormal brain function. The theme of the 2015 meeting is Inhibitory Synapses and Circuits in accordance with the NIH Brain Initiative that seeks to understand the interactions of individual cells within complex circuits. The majority of sessions will include talks that examine fundamental questions of inhibitory function at the level of discrete brain circuits. Second, the meeting will promote diversity within the field to assure continued vitality of inhibition research in the future. Most speakers have not previously participated in Inhibition GRCs and many new young investigators from around the world have been incorporated into the program. Third, the meeting will provide a high-level training opportunity for graduate students and postdoctoral scientists. Towards this goal, there will be a two-day pre- meeting (GRS) with a program and activities designed to facilitate participation of junior scientists into the field of inhibition and prepare them for the subsequent GRC. In addition, a major focus of the GRC is the daily afternoon poster sessions where students and postdocs present their work in poster format from which some will be selected to present their research in a 'short-talk' sessions during the main program. These goals will be met by convening more than 30 world-class speakers that represent diverse areas of inhibition research for up to 200 participants at a five-day conference in an isolated setting. The format and environment are designed to maximize in depth discussions and sharing of new, unpublished data between researchers from around the world. Thus this meeting provides an innovative means of disseminating information and ideas in a way that cannot be achieved through the usual channels of communication - publications and presentations at large scientific meetings. The Inhibition in the CNS GRC/GRC is a significant meeting that propels research and fosters training in the international community of inhibition researchers. The discussions at this meeting will define the questions that require experimental resolution in areas that affect human development and cognitive function, as well as a host of neurological (e.g. epilepsy, drug addiction, parkinsonism) and psychiatric (e.g. autism, anxiety, depression) diseases that involve dysregulated inhibition and/or treatments with drugs that modulate inhibition. The scientific discussions, research talks, poster sessions, and other informal interactions between the participants of this conference will advance our understanding of fundamental mechanisms involved in CNS function and human disease.
The 2015 Gordon Research Conference on Inhibition in the Central Nervous System will bring together the international community of researchers with the goal of advancing knowledge of how inhibition contributes to brain function. The discussions at this meeting will help define fundamental questions that require experimental resolution in areas that affect human development and cognition, including neurological and psychiatric diseases that involve abnormal inhibition such as epilepsy and autism. Together the scientific program will enhance understanding of fundamental mechanisms involved in CNS function as well as promote international collaboration and training of future leaders in the field.
