Neuro-evo: A Comparative Approach to Cracking Circuit Function
Neural circuits large and small implement transfer functions that combine sensory inputs and prior experience to choose a behavioral response. By studying the most convenient animal models -- from the giant axon of the squid and the lobster's stomatogastric circuits to Aplysia's synapses and C. elegans' circuits -- neuroscientists have stumbled upon some of the operating principles of the nervous system, which were then found to apply broadly across phyla. This meeting will bring together neuroscientists working on a broad diversity of animal models in an effort to compare circuits across phyla as a means to crack their function.
Organizers
Albert Cardona, Janelia Research Campus/HHMI
Melina Hale, University of Chicago
Gáspár Jékely, Max Planck Institute for Developmental Biology
Invited Participants
Detlev Arendt, European Molecular Biology Laboratory (EMBL)
Martha Bagnall, Washington University in St. Louis
Kevin Briggman, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke/NIH
Dan Bumbarger, Allen Institute for Brain Science
Thomas Euler, Centre for Integrative Neuroscience (CIN), Tuebingen
Joe Fetcho, Cornell University
Martyn Goulding, Salk Institute for Biological Studies
Melina Hale, University of Chicago
Volker Hartenstein, University of California, Los Angeles
Ellie Heckscher, University of Oregon
Frank Hirth, King's College London
Harvey Karten, University of California, San Diego
Paul Katz, Georgia State University
Karla Kaun, Brown University
Tzumin Lee, Janelia Research Campus/HHMI
Eve Marder, Brandeis University
Kimberly McArthur, Cornell University
Karen Mesce, University of Minnesota
Katherine Nagel, NYU Neuroscience Institute
Cliff Ragsdale, University of Chicago
David Stern, Janelia Research Campus/HHMI
Scott Sternson, Janelia Research Campus/HHMI
Nick Strausfeld, University of Arizona
Maria Antonietta Tosches, Max Planck Institute for Brain Research
Jim Truman, Janelia Research Campus/HHMI
Gabriella Wolff, University of Washington
Mei Zhen, University of Toronto
Marta Zlatic, Janelia Research Campus/HHMI
Maarten Zwart, Janelia Research Campus/HHMI
Conference Travel Scholarships
Available to grad students and postdocs whose labs do not have travel funding and who would otherwise be unable to attend. Interested applicants must register and note their request for travel support on the registration site.
Top Image: Neurobiotin-Labeled Locomotor Motoneuron (CV Cell in the Leech) that Receives Rhythmic Input from a Central Pattern Generator (CPG) for Crawling Behavior. Courtesy of Morgan M. Newhoff and Karen A. Mesce (University of Minnesota)
Bottom Image: Mosquitoes have evolved a wide range of host preferences, yet possess comparable neural architecture, making them an excellent group for studying the relationship between neuromodulation and olfactory-guided behaviors. Courtesy of Gabriella Wolff (Riffell Lab, University of Washington)