Cellular neurobiology has emerged as one of the most exciting and rapidly moving fields in contemporary biology. The individual neuron and the synapse are the basic units for complex and integrative functions of the nervous system. The goal of this conference is to facilitate interdisciplinary and integrative approaches to uncovering basic cellular mechanisms in the neuron. In this conference, we will unite leading representatives in traditional areas including ion channels, receptors, exocytosis, and cytoskeleton with leaders in emerging areas advanced by neuron cell biology including circuitry and functional plasticity. Microscopy, the classic tool of cell biologists, is becoming sufficiently advanced as to allow dynamic visualization of cellular structures and signaling in neuronal circuits in the intact brain. With the advent of modern tools of genome sequences, proteomics, and genomics, the principles of cell biology can now be applied to increasingly higher order problems in the brain. Topics of medical relevance are not segregated in a specialized session but rather will be covered throughout the conference as an integral part of the presentation.

Along with the tentative speakers listed below, poster sessions and informal gatherings during meals and unscheduled afternoons will allow ample time for discussions. To ensure that the latest and most exciting results are presented, 8 speakers will be selected from the submitted abstracts.