This award will provide partial support for a new Gordon Research conference on the topic of Dendrites: Molecules, Structure and Function. Dendrites are the structures responsible for integrating synaptic inputs in almost all neurons and thus serve a critical role in information processing in the nervous system. The meeting will bring together researchers studying dendrites from different perspectives, including computational, molecular and cell biological, anatomical, and elctrophysiological. There is a specific emphasis on the role that dendrites play in synaptic plasticity. A range of new techniques has recently been applied to the study of the structure and function of dendrites, with a consequent increase in information about the structure and function of these essential components of neurons, and this conference will bring together many of the experts in the field to assimilate this new wealth of information. Topics to be covered include the molecular determinants of dendritic shape, the role that protein synthesis and molecular trafficking play in dendritic function, structural plasticity of dendrites, signal integration in dendrites, computational characteristics of dendrites, the role of dendrites in synaptic plasticity, dendrites as presynaptic elements, and the mechanisms governing intrinsic plasticity of dendrites. The conference is designed to facilitate interaction among graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and more senior investigators. The funds requested are to be used to provide support for students and post-docs to attend the conference, and to encourage faculty from underrepresented groups to participate in the meeting by supporting their travel costs. A graduate symposium will also be held that is associated with the meeting. This symposium will provide a setting for these young scientists to present their data and discuss scientific developments in an environment that is less stressful and more nurturing than the main meeting itself. It will also provide a way for the participants to gain valuable background knowledge about the techniques and concepts presented in talks at the main meeting, which are expected to be both wide-ranging and at a relatively high level and thus quite demanding for graduate students.
