Dissecting Epilepsy from Genes to Circuits

The 2014 Gordon Research Conference on Mechanisms of Epilepsy and Neuronal Synchronization will present state-of-the-art, unpublished findings related to basic mechanisms of epilepsy, current translational studies and synchronization of neuronal activity in cerebral networks. The meeting will bring together prominent investigators, graduate students, and postdoctoral fellows for 5 days in an intensive, interactive environment. The conference itself, the 4th in this highly successful series, is designed to stimulate extensive discussion, and is geared towards fostering interactions between students and established researchers, and to facilitate in-depth discussions and collaborations between investigators in the interest of furthering the field. Addressing how basic science findings can someday be translated into new therapies for the nearly 3 million Americans suffering with epilepsy is an important goal. A unique, intellectually challenging aspect of epilepsy research arises from the fact that it encompasses virtually all major levels of biological organization, from circuits and behavior to stem cells and neurodevelopment. Thus a major purpose of this Gordon Research Conference is to bring together geneticists, molecular biologists, developmental neuroscientists, neuroanatomists, electrophysiologists, clinician-scientists and computational neuroscientists working on basic mechanisms related either directly or indirectly to seizure generation to synthesize current advances and to set the stage for future discoveries.

This Gordon Research Conference will offer a collegial atmosphere with substantial time for interactions among scientists and trainees during the multiple Poster Sessions and informal gatherings in the afternoons and evenings. Trainees will also have an informational session on funding with an NINDS representative. Together, this setting aims to promote interactions among investigators in diverse areas of basic epilepsy research, highlight outstanding work related to the field, and stimulate new investigator interest in epilepsy research.