Aberrant Plasticity and Circuit Mechanisms in Neurological and Psychiatric Disorder

The University of Chicago Center in Beijing
20th floor, Culture Plaza
No. 59A Zhong Guan Cun Street
Haidian District Beijing 100872

Neuroscience is going through an extraordinary phase of transformation. With the development of many new tools, it is finally possible to directly manipulate neural circuits in specific ways and to elucidate circuit function. At the same time, it is also increasingly recognized that many of the neurological and psychiatric disorders can be characterized as aberrant synaptic connections in specific circuits that lead to specific and predictable behavioural abnormalities based on circuit functions. These new advancements will have important implications for therapy as preventing and reversing such aberrant synaptic plasticity could be used as effective therapeutic approaches. With treatment of most neurological and psychiatric disorders still relying on decades old medications, new therapeutic approaches are urgently needed. However, there is still a vast gap between modern neural circuit research and translational research that mainly focuses on molecular targets. The purpose of the meeting was to close such a gap.

ORGANIZERS

Xiaoxi Zhuang

Department of Neurobiology, University of Chicago

Chenjian Li

School of Life Sciences

McGovern Brain Institute

PKU-Tsinghua Center for Life Sciences

Peking University

SCHEDULE

AUGUST 29, 2016

New promises in treating neurological disorders: Beyond molecular/cellular mechanisms

10:00  Co-organizers
Welcome and Introductions

◈Moderator: Xiaoxi Zhuang, University of Chicago
10:15  Tao Xie, University of Chicago
Effect of low or high frequency subthalamic nucleus stimulation on parkinsonism in Parkinson patients.

10:45  Nicho Hatsopoulos, University of Chicago
Emergence of functional connectivity associated with long-term brain machine interface exposure.

11:15  Lunch

12:45  Un Kang, Columbia University
Cholinergic neurons in Parkinson’s disease and dyskinesia.

13:15  Jeff Beeler, CUNY Queens College
Silent synapses and synaptopathy in Parkinson’s disease.
 
 
13:45  Zhuan Zhou, Peking University
Impaired dopamine signaling in PFC of a Parkinson’s disease mouse in vivo.

14:15  Break

◈Moderator: Chenjian Li, Peking University
14:45  Xuejun Song, Peking University
WNT Signaling: A new target for treating neuropathic and bone bancer pain.

15:15  Yousheng Shu, Beijing Normal University
Enhancement of asynchronous GABA release in epileptic neocortex and its role in regulating network activity.

15:45  Break

16:00  Bill Dauer, University of Michigan
Selective neuronal vulnerability: Lessons from dystonia.

16:30  William Yang, UCLA
Integrating genetic and systems biology approaches to study cortico-striatal interactions in Huntington’s disease.

AUGUST 30, 2016

Appetitive and aversive pathways in addiction, depression and anxiety: Seeking common ground

◈Moderator: Christian Hansel, University of Chicago
09:00  Paul Frankland, University of Toronto
Medial prefrontal cortex parvalbumin-positive interneurons modulate spindle/ripple coupling and fear memory consolidation.

09:30  Lorna Role, Stony Brook University
Cholinergic signaling in fear and forgetting.

10:00  Break

10:30  Rene Hen, Columbia University
Harnessing hippocampal neurogenesis to improve mood and cognition.

11:00  Mazen Kheirbek, UCSF
Deconstructing the hippocampal circuits that control emotional behavior.

11:30  Lunch

◈Moderator: Jeff Beeler, CUNY Queens College

13:00  Josh Berke, UCSF
Dopamine and adaptive decision-making.

13:30  Dan McGehee, University of Chicago
Neural mechanisms underlying the rewarding and aversive effects of nicotine.

14:00  Minmin Luo, National Institute of Biological Sciences, Beijing
Role of dorsal raphe 5-HT neurons in reward processing.

14:30  Break

15:00  Lin Lu, Peking University
The memory retrieval-extinction procedure to erase drug memory and prevent drug craving.

15:30  Ming Xu, University of Chicago
Reconsolidation and extinction of cocaine-seeking.

16:00  Break

◈Moderator: Dan McGehee, University of Chicago

16:30  Hailan Hu, Zhejiang University
Neural mechanism of social hierarchy.

17:00  Lin Xu, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Ins of Zoology
Reverse translational study for understanding major depressive disorder and action of antidepressant.

17:30  Tony Grace, University of Pittsburgh
Depression and amphetamine withdrawal act via amygdala-driven dopamine down-regulation.

AUGUST 31, 2016

Synaptic and dendritic mechanisms making the connection: From molecular signaling to circuit to behavior

◈Moderator: Mazen Kheirbek, UCSF

08:30  Yan Dong, University of Pittsburgh
Opposing mechanisms mediate common circuitry remodeling by cocaine and morphine.

09:00  Stephanie Borgland, University of Calgary
How palatable food and obesity can induce plasticity in the mesolimbic system.

09:30  Bill Green, University of Chicago
Upregulation of nicotinic receptors: New mechanisms and links to smoking cessation.

10:00  Break

10:30  Christian Hansel, University of Chicago
Synaptic abnormalities in the Dup15q mouse model of autism.

11:00  Anis Contractor, Northwestern University
Rectification of synaptic and network alterations in Fragile X mice.

11:30  Lunch

◈Moderator: Bill Green, University of Chicago

13:00  Yulong Li, Peking University
Spying neuronal communication by new genetically-encoded indicators.

13:30  J. Julius Zhu, University of Virginia
Visualizing cholinergic transmission.

14:00  Xiang Yu, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Shanghai Neuroscience Ins
Oxytocin and cortical synaptic plasticity: What we do and do not know.

14:30  Break

15:00  David Talmage, Stony Brook University
Neuregulin 1 signaling and dysregulation of nicotinic plasticity in schizophrenia.

15:30  Hui Zhang, Thomas Jefferson University
Altered excitation-inhibition balance upon dopamine modulation in schizophrenia.

16:00  Break

◈Moderator: Meera Patel, University of Chicago

16:30  Peter Penzes, Northwestern University
Synaptodendritic function of ANK3: Implications for psychiatric disorders.

17:00  Jessica Koranda, University of Chicago
m6A RNA methylation profoundly affects postmitotic neuronal function.

17:30  Yi Zuo, UCSC
Stress induces synaptic and circuit reorganization in the mouse cerebral cortex.