Molecular, Cellular, Circuit and Behavioral Actions of Ethanol

The 2014 Alcohol and the Nervous System Gordon Research Conference is a forum for discussion at the frontiers of alcohol research. The widespread problem of alcohol use disorders results from a combination of susceptibility to alcohol abuse/addiction and the pharmacological actions of alcohol itself. Thus, conference participants will focus on research addressing alcohol actions during development and in adulthood that contribute to excessive drinking and alcohol addiction. The scope of the presentations will include basic science as well as clinical studies involving alcohol and the nervous system. The conference will cover a broad range of alcohol-related studies at the genetic, molecular, cellular, circuit/systems and behavioral levels, with particular emphasis on multidisciplinary work. Participants will include established investigators from disciplines both within and outside the alcohol research field, with emphasis on neuropharmacology, neurophysiology, optogenetics, behavioral pharmacology, clinical studies and human neuroimaging. Participation by young investigators from around the world will be strongly emphasized, with the aim of attracting new prospective leaders to this exciting research area. With ample time built in for formal and informal discussions, the emphasis on presentation of unpublished data will ensure the newest and most exciting developments in the field are discussed. Poster presentations will take place on each day of the meeting, allowing for widespread participation of conference attendees at all career stages. Speakers will also be selected from the abstracts submitted for poster presentations, to provide opportunities for presentation of the very newest findings. In the opening keynote lecture, Dr. George Koob of the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism will discuss the newest developments in addiction research, including the latest animal models of excessive alcohol drinking. We envision that this highly interactive GRC will facilitate discussion of cutting edge research and will foster collaborations that will help to drive the field forward.