The Motor System that Sees the World

The oculomotor system is an ancient and crucial motor system. It is unique among motor control systems in that we know many details of the circuitry underlying the generation of eye movements, and can measure them with a high degree of accuracy. Classical research focused on oculomotor biomechanics and brainstem control mechanisms continues to provide exciting findings. At the same time this extensive body of knowledge has allowed the field to evolve and expand so that it now includes studies of the central mechanisms underlying higher order processing.

The 2013 Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on "Eye Movements: The Motor System that Sees the World", will explore a set of interconnected themes that address how the brain combine information from multiple senses to make decisions on where to look, how the eyes and hands are coordinated, how intrinsic circuits contribute to mediating the interplay between vision and action, and how emerging optogenetic, imaging, and computational techniques continue to advance our understanding of this system. An improved understanding of the oculomotor system promises an improved appreciation and treatment for oculomotor dysfunction, and clinical issues following cortical or subcortical damage will feature prominently throughout the meeting.

The conference will take place in a relaxed and collegial setting, with a schedule designed to facilitate discussions during and after scheduled talks, and during highly interactive posters sessions. All attendees, including invited speakers, are urged to stay for the duration of the meeting. New this year, the GRC will be preceded by a Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) entitled "Eye Movements: Looking in all the Right Places", which is designed by and for the benefit of trainees (graduate students and post-docs). Together, the GRC and GRS provide a superb environment for scientists at all career stages to share their most novel and exciting findings, and learn about the ongoing work of others.