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Optogenetic Approaches to Understanding Neural Circuits and Behavior

Gordon Research Conference

Biological Insights Derived from Optogenetic Approaches

July 21 - 26, 2024

Chair

Vice Chairs

and

Renaissance Tuscany Il Ciocco

Via Giovanni Pascoli

Lucca (Barga), Lucca, Italy

Venue and Travel Information

Conference Description

ATTENTION: The GRC bus picks up and drops off at the Florence Airport (FLR) only. GRC no longer has bus service to / from the Pisa Airport.

The Optogenetic Approaches to Understanding Neural Circuits and Behavior GRC is a premier, international scientific conference focused on advancing the frontiers of science through the presentation of cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. The conference program includes a diverse range of speakers and discussion leaders from institutions and organizations worldwide, concentrating on the latest developments in the field. The conference is five days long and held in a remote location to increase the sense of camaraderie and create scientific communities, with lasting collaborations and friendships. In addition to premier talks, the conference has designated time for poster sessions from individuals of all career stages, and afternoon free time and communal meals allow for informal networking opportunities with leaders in the field.

Related Meeting

This GRC will be held in conjunction with the "Optogenetic Approaches to Understanding Neural Circuits and Behavior" Gordon Research Seminar (GRS). Those interested in attending both meetings must submit an application for the GRS in addition to an application for the GRC. Refer to the associated GRS program page for more information.

Conference Program

Sunday
2:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Arrival and Check-in
6:00 pm - 7:00 pm	Dinner
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	Introductory Comments by GRC Staff / Welcome and Introduction from the Chairs
7:40 pm - 9:30 pm	Keynote Session: Gene Delivery and Miniature Microscopy for Functional Circuit Interrogation Discussion Leader:
7:40 pm - 7:50 pm	Introduction by Discussion Leader
7:50 pm - 8:30 pm	"Mapping Learning Algorithms onto Brain Circuitry"
8:30 pm - 8:40 pm	Discussion
8:40 pm - 9:20 pm	"Memory Stability and Flexibility Across the Lifetime"
9:20 pm - 9:30 pm	Discussion
Monday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Optics, Genetics, and Optogenetics Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:15 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:15 am - 9:35 am	"The Development of Channelrhodopsin-Based Inhibitory Optogenetic Tools"
9:35 am - 9:45 am	Discussion
9:45 am - 10:05 am	"Chromophore-Independent Channel Activity of Channelrhodopsins"
10:05 am - 10:15 am	Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am	Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:05 am	"Aberration Correction in GRIN Microendoscopes through Three-Dimensional Printed Polymer Microlenses"
11:05 am - 11:15 am	Discussion
11:15 am - 11:35 am	"A New Look at an Old Concept: Optogenetic Investigation of Brain Stem-Driven Pupil Dynamics"
11:35 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 12:05 pm	"Manipulating and Observing Neural Activity with Scanless Two-Photon Illumination"
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm	"Voltage-Seq: All-Optical Postsynaptic Connectome-Guided Single-Cell Transcriptomics"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm	The GRC Power Hour™ The GRC Power Hour™ is designed to address diversity and inclusion in the scientific workplace by providing a safe environment for informal and meaningful conversations amongst colleagues of all career stages. The program supports the professional growth of all members of our communities, including ethnicity, race and/or gender identity by providing an open forum for discussion and mentoring. Organizers: and
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Optical Readouts of Neural Activity Discussion Leader:
6:00 pm - 6:20 pm	"Next-Generation Optical Tools to Probe Neuromodulators In Vivo"
6:20 pm - 6:30 pm	Discussion
6:30 pm - 6:50 pm	"Molecular Probes for Activity-Dependent Protein Tagging in the Brain"
6:50 pm - 7:00 pm	Discussion
7:00 pm - 7:20 pm	"Imaging and Manipulating Synaptic Plasticity"
7:20 pm - 7:30 pm	Discussion
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	"New Molecular Tools for Scalable Recordings of Neuronal Activity"
7:40 pm - 7:45 pm	Discussion
7:45 pm - 7:55 pm	"Reward Experiences Shape Norepinephrine Release During Task-Learning and Consolidation During Sleep"
7:55 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Tuesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Group Photo
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Brain-Body Optogenetics Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:15 am	Introduction by Discussion Leader
9:15 am - 9:35 am	"Non-Invasive Gut Optogenetics Reveal Interoceptive Sensations and Predictions"
9:35 am - 9:45 am	Discussion
9:45 am - 10:05 am	"Heartfelt Emotions: How Cardiac Sensations Influence Affective Behavior"
10:05 am - 10:15 am	Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am	Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:05 am	"How Does Ingestion Rapidly Shape Motivation?"
11:05 am - 11:15 am	Discussion
11:15 am - 11:35 am	"Neuromodulation in the Visceral Insular Cortex Gates Fear Extinction Balance"
11:35 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 12:05 pm	"Insular Cortex Circuits Mediating Flexible Feeding Behaviors"
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm	"Mapping the Gut-Brain Neural Circuitry in Larval Zebrafish"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Interpreting Neural Manipulations Discussion Leader:
6:00 pm - 6:20 pm	"Quantity Has a Quality All Its Own: On Developing Quantitative Predictive Models of Perturbations with Feedback"
6:20 pm - 6:30 pm	Discussion
6:30 pm - 6:50 pm	"Attractor Dynamics and Neural Sequences: Understanding the Mechanisms of Flexible Temporal Memory"
6:50 pm - 7:00 pm	Discussion
7:00 pm - 7:20 pm	"Direct Neural Perturbations Reveal a Dynamical Mechanism for Robust Computation"
7:20 pm - 7:30 pm	Discussion
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	"Causal Evidence of a Line Attractor Encoding an Affective State"
7:40 pm - 7:45 pm	Discussion
7:45 pm - 7:55 pm	"Causal Inference for Optogenetics Behavioral Experiments"
7:55 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Wednesday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Neural Circuits for Complex Behavior Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:20 am	"Love, Death, and Oxytocin: The Challenges of Mouse Maternity"
9:20 am - 9:30 am	Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am	"Distinctiveness of Neuroendocrine Cells Revealed by Optogenetics: Oxytocin Neuron as an Example"
9:50 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:10 am	"Interbrain Circuits of Emotion Recognition"
10:10 am - 10:15 am	Discussion
10:15 am - 10:45 am	Coffee Break
10:45 am - 11:05 am	"Dissecting the Role of Ventral Striatum in Social Threat Avoidance"
11:05 am - 11:15 am	Discussion
11:15 am - 11:35 am	"State-Dependent Regulation of Nutritional and Social Needs by Inputs from Prefrontal Cortex to the Lateral Hypothalamus"
11:35 am - 11:45 am	Discussion
11:45 am - 12:05 pm	"Prefrontal Cortical Neuropeptidergic Control of Threat Processing"
12:05 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm	"Neural Circuits of Fear Memory-Driven Actions"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Precision Optogenetics Discussion Leader:
6:00 pm - 6:20 pm	"Shedding Light on the Functional Wiring of the Hippocampus"
6:20 pm - 6:30 pm	Discussion
6:30 pm - 6:50 pm	"Recurrent Networks of the Cerebral Cortex: Patterned Inputs, Computations, and Sequences"
6:50 pm - 7:00 pm	Discussion
7:00 pm - 7:20 pm	"Probing Perception with Optogenetics"
7:20 pm - 7:30 pm	Discussion
7:30 pm - 7:40 pm	"Engram Cell Dynamics before and after Learning"
7:40 pm - 7:45 pm	Discussion
7:45 pm - 7:55 pm	"Singing in the Brain: A Window into Motor Control Using In Vivo Holography"
7:55 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Thursday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
8:30 am - 9:00 am	Business Meeting Nominations for the Next Vice Chair(s); Complete the GRC Evaluation Forms; Election of the Next Vice Chair(s)
9:00 am - 12:30 pm	Circuit Dynamics Transforming Moments to Engrams Discussion Leader:
9:00 am - 9:20 am	"Memory Engram Dissection Reveals Distinct Ensembles Recruited at Encoding"
9:20 am - 9:30 am	Discussion
9:30 am - 9:50 am	"Temporal Evolution of Cortical Ensembles Promoting Remote Memory Retrieval"
9:50 am - 10:00 am	Discussion
10:00 am - 10:20 am	"Astrocytes in High Brain Function"
10:20 am - 10:30 am	Discussion
10:30 am - 11:00 am	Coffee Break
11:00 am - 11:20 am	"Heterogeneous Representations in the Hippocampus"
11:20 am - 11:30 am	Discussion
11:30 am - 11:50 am	"A Neurofeedback Approach to Manipulating Hippocampal Replay"
11:50 am - 12:00 pm	Discussion
12:00 pm - 12:10 pm	"Cold Sensitive Engrams Control Whole-Body Thermoregulatory Responses"
12:10 pm - 12:15 pm	Discussion
12:15 pm - 12:25 pm	"Role of Neuronal and Dendritic Plasticity within Retrosplenial Cortex in Memory Organization"
12:25 pm - 12:30 pm	Discussion
12:30 pm - 1:30 pm	Lunch
1:30 pm - 4:30 pm	Free Time
4:30 pm - 6:00 pm	Poster Session
6:00 pm - 8:00 pm	Keynote Session: Clinical Applications of Optogenetics Discussion Leader:
6:00 pm - 6:40 pm	"Restoring Vision Using Optogenetics"
6:40 pm - 7:00 pm	Discussion
7:00 pm - 7:20 pm	"Deciphering Brainstem Synaptic Mechanisms Underlying Prepulse Inhibition of Startle Relevant to Schizophrenia"
7:20 pm - 7:30 pm	Discussion
7:30 pm - 7:50 pm	"Toward Optogenetic Hearing Restoration"
7:50 pm - 8:00 pm	Discussion
8:00 pm - 9:00 pm	Dinner
Friday
7:30 am - 8:30 am	Breakfast
9:00 am	Departure

Contributors

Funding for this conference was made possible (in part) by (NS137716-01) from the National Institute Of Neurological Disorders And Stroke of the National Institutes of Health The views expressed in written conference materials or publications and by speakers and moderators do not necessarily reflect the official policies of NIH; nor does mention by trade names, commercial practices, or organizations imply endorsement by the U.S. Government.

Conference Links

Conference History Optogenetic Approaches to Understanding Neural Circuits and Behavior (GRS)

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