The annual meeting of the Society for Neuroscience took place in Washington, D.C. from Nov. 15 through 19. More than 30,000 scientists and physicians from around the world who are active in the field of brain research attended.
An amazingly wide range of topics was presented. For example, in an effort to establish a dialog between neuroscience and society, Mark Morris of the New York City-based Mark Morris Dance Group had been invited to answer questions about “movement in time and space.” At first glance, a choreographer’s ideas might seem far removed from the world of scientists, but many laboratories are working to understand brain circuits that generate rhythmic movement. Another example was Allison Doupe, M.D., Ph.D., professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, who discussed her findings studying finches. She explained that there are striking parallels between birdsong and the development of human speech. Like humans, young songbirds must be taught by adults during a sensitive period of their lives, and they must be able to hear their own vocalization before they can learn to properly speak or sing.
Other lectures discussed the ways synaptic connections are first established, that is, how the neurons in the brain find ways to communicate with neighboring neurons. To achieve this, neurons have to send out long extensions, called axons, which are required to end up in very precise locations in order to pass along a signal. Scientists discussed the chemical clues that are needed to complete such a circuit, as well as novel ways of manipulating and steering the whole process. For example, in recent years, RNA-based methods have gained marked prominence as part of the toolkit to manipulate cells into doing very specific things. RNA is the intermediary between DNA (the genetic material) and proteins (the building blocks of the cell). The sequencing of the human genome, which was completed at the beginning of this millennium, revealed, surprisingly, that only a very small portion of the total human genetic material is translated into protein.
However, the last few years have shown that much of the rest of the genetic material is turned into different “species” of RNA that regulate many processes in the cell. This meeting highlighted the many different ways in which researchers are now taking advantage of various types of RNA to study cellular processes by inhibiting certain pathways or enhancing others. It was even discussed how RNA might eventually be developed into therapeutic agents.
Finally, as might be expected, the latest insights into a multitude of neurological disorders, including schizophrenia, autism, Parkinson’s disease, Alzheimer’s disease, and even addictive and compulsive behaviors were also discussed by experts in the field.
Considering the dazzling array of topics, it was difficult to decide which is more complex, the universe without or the universe within.
