Technological advances in the last decade strongly suggest that bringing the fields of Cell Biology and Evolutionary Biology together into an integrated field of Evolutionary Cell Biology (ECB) will dramatically increase our understanding of cell biological structures, functions, and processes, while also providing deep insights into the mechanisms of evolutionary change.  This meeting brought together experts in evolutionary biology, cell biology, and a range of other disciplines to address 1) the application of evolutionary perspectives and methodology to aid in elucidating the structure, function and mechanisms of cellular processes, and 2) the study of cell biological diversity to gain insight into the mechanisms of evolution and the history of life on earth.

This meeting was a follow-up to the first one held at Janelia in 2008, and the second in Berlin in 2012.  Force-gated ion channels, activated by direct mechanical force, have been found to be involved in both mechanosensation (hearing, touch, proprioception) and osmosensation.  Many questions still remain as to the molecular identities of the proteins that form these channels, the nature of the accessory proteins that help convey energy to the channels, channel interaction with plasma membrane lipids, and the molecular events by which force leads to channel opening.  This small workshop brought together experts from around the world working in various model systems to address these questions, with the goal of better understanding the gating mechanism and identifying channel linking proteins and enabling lipids.  Building on the current momentum in the field, we participated in vigorous discussions and presentations on recent progress, including newly identified channels and their structural and functional properties.

The neural circuits underlying motivation have been an important question in neuroscience for over 100 years. Multiple approaches have been applied to study motivation, focusing on circuits for both natural and learned behaviors.  This conference brought together researchers with diverse perspectives on this topic.  We discussed different approaches and outlooks on motivation in order to better understand the circuits underlying behavioral intent and intensity.

Topics for this next conference included (but were not limited to) computational mechanisms, color vision, development, motion vision, navigation, and attention, predominantly in insects. Within each topic, talks investigated the function of the insect visual system at a computational, neural and behavioral level, with a focus on the relationship between structure and function. We also brought in a number of talks providing historical and comparative perspectives. The meeting brought together leading scientists working in these areas to provide an open forum for vigorous discussion of novel approaches and recent results, providing insights into visual system function.

Thalamus and cortex form a closely interacting functional unit. Continuous information transfer between thalamus and cortex underlies sensory, motor and cognitive function. Thalamus also controls the interactions of cortex with the cerebellum and basal ganglia. The flow of information through thalamus is adjusted to meet behavioral needs. Despite these facts, cortex and thalamus have mostly been studied in isolation and in behaviorally impoverished situations.  This meeting brought together researchers working on corticothalamic interactions at the level of synapses and circuits during behavior. We expected to arrive at a set of testable hypotheses about thalamic function, and perhaps even a hint of a unified view.

Multisensory integration provides an ideal model system in which to examine neural computations underlying statistical inference, and to understand how computations performed at the level of single neurons and neural populations mediate behavior.  This conference covered many of the latest advances in our understanding of the principles by which information from multiple modalities is combined in a range of model organisms.  We brought together researchers who are tackling this problem using behavioral, computational, neurophysiological and anatomical (connectomics) approaches.  Talks covered a range of topics, including: behavioral strategies underlying cue integration and causal inference, structural basis of multimodal integration, functional properties of multimodal neurons, computations performed by multisensory neurons and circuits, and models for probabilistic computation by populations of neurons.

Cell survival depends on molecular trafficking.  Transport of macromolecules within neuronal axons and dendrites is one of the most remarkable examples of intracellular trafficking in biology, but many of the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Besides informing the logic of intracellular trafficking in general, an in-depth understanding of neuronal trafficking may also uncover vital clues related to human disease mechanisms. This meeting brought together aficionados of neuronal trafficking from around the world to share recent and unpublished insights into transport mechanisms, stimulating scientific discussions and collaborations. Additionally, we conveyed our collective enthusiasm for this topic to students, postdoctoral fellows, and other junior investigators.

This conference brought together leading researchers interested in the molecular, cellular, behavioral and clinical roles of epigenetic mechanisms in the nervous system.  There has been a rapid pace of discovery in the new scientific sub-discipline referred to as Behavioral Epigenetics.  The time was perfect to gather a foundational group to discuss and debate emerging themes concerning the role of epigenetics in neural, glial, cognitive and behavioral function and dysfunction.  Thus, we assembles a group of principal researchers covering this area comprehensively, but with great scientific depth, including both established and early-career investigators.  The meeting focused on recent breakthrough advances in the field of behavioral and neural epigenetics, current challenges and future directions.  Presentations described the biological characteristics and role of molecular epigenetic processes in a diverse array of model systems and in various research areas, including epigenomics, molecular neurobiology, development, cellular physiology and biochemistry, synaptic and neural plasticity, and behavioral models.  We enjoyed generating a unified synthesis of information concerning the broad role of epigenetic mechanisms in nervous system function.

The hypothalamus plays a critical role in the regulation of essential behavioral processes, such as appetite, circadian, sexual, aggressive, and social behaviors. Consistent with the survival role of these behaviors, invertebrate brains have similarities in brain structures and neuropeptide usage. This conference brought together researchers investigating the role of hypothalamic neural circuits in mammals, rodents, and fish, along with related structures in invertebrates to advance understanding of relationship between brain structure, function, and evolutionarily conserved behaviors.

Advances in light sources and other instrumentation over the last 20 years have pushed the limits of what can be studied by various structural biology methods. Larger, much more challenging molecular ensembles have been studied at unprecedented resolutions, and with ever-smaller crystal specimens.  Computational developments, particularly in data reduction and modeling, contribute critically to this work.  The main goal of this meeting was to highlight the current challenges in structural biology broadly and crystallography in particular, and to stimulate cooperation between theory and experiment.  Talks focused on challenges in crystallography including crystal growth, data collection, processing, and structural dynamics and will span the full gamut of nanocrystallography including XFELs and MicroED, as well as single particle electron cryomicroscopy and complementary methods.

In the last few years, optical techniques have emerged that allow near-simultaneous acquisition of neuronal activity at the whole-brain level and with single-cell resolution for small model organisms. Given the enormous density of interconnectivity of neurons in the brain, these techniques bear great potential for advancing our understanding of how the information underlying behavior is represented and processed by neuronal networks in a dynamic fashion and at the whole-brain level.  At the same time, these new tools have transitioned neuroscience into the field of “Big Data”, where terabytes of data are produced per microscope and day. It is expected that major breakthroughs in coming years will result from making sense of these data sets. This calls for the application of advanced machine learning, statistics tools and mathematical modeling as well as an IT infrastructure capable of handling such data sets efficiently. This meeting brought together experts and pioneers in these fields to identify synergies and new opportunities and to discuss the main challenges moving forward.

The role of the hippocampal-entorhinal system in encoding space, time and memories is reflected in striking patterns of neural activity at the single-cell and population levels.  A wide range of approaches has been taken to understand the complex nature of this activity in terms of cellular and circuit features, as well as link it to cognition and behavior.  This conference aimed to present these different approaches, with an emphasis on unraveling the complexities of the system, allowing researchers to discuss how this may ultimately lead to a comprehensive picture of hippocampal-entorhinal function.

Recent advances in molecular genetics, optogenetics, neuroimaging and brain-machine interfaces puts us at the verge of major breakthroughs in understanding the neural basis of somatosensation.  We've seen unprecedented progress in our understanding of the molecules, cells and circuits of touch and itch, and how they interface with proprioceptive and nociceptive circuits.  As a follow up to the 2013 Touch Sensation Conference held at Janelia, this conference highlighted these advances in the context of our current understanding of peripheral, spinal and supraspinal mechanisms of somatosensation, with the goal of revealing the logic and function of neural circuits that underlie the perception of touch, and that integrate touch, itch, proprioceptive and nociceptive inputs to guide complex behavioral outputs.  This meeting brought together molecular geneticists, physiologists, behavioral scientists, and bioengineers using rodent, human, and non-human primates model systems.  Presentations and discussions focused on mammalian cutaneous afferents and their associated neural circuits within the spinal cord, brain stem and cortex that underlie tactile perception, object and form recognition, and pruritic behaviors.