I am very pleased to present this years proceedings of
the M.R. Bauer Foundation Colloquium Series, Annual Scientific
Retreat, and Distinguished Guest Lecturer Series at Brandeis
University's Volen National Center for Complex Systems.
Now in its twelfth year, the generous support of the M.R.
Bauer Foundation has enabled the Volen Center to showcase
emerging knowledge in the quickly moving field of neuroscience
to a broad audience in the scientific community. Indeed,
in the past academic year the Volen Center has mounted
an impressive series of lectures and informal interactions
that reflect innovative research in neuroscience. My colleagues
and I would like to express our deep appreciation to the
M.R. Bauer Foundation for its abiding support, which has
facilitated learning and communication among the faculty
and students with many of the most highly regarded practitioners
of neuroscience.
The 2005-2006 M.R. Bauer Colloquium Series again
featured talks by some of the most outstanding neuroscientists
at universities, medical schools, and research institutes.
Stephen R. Williams, PhD, from the Neurobiology
Division of the Medical Research Council Laboratory of
Molecular Biology in Cambridge, United Kingdom, spoke
on the topic "Distributed Synaptic Integration in Cortical
Pyramidal Neurons."
Dr. Williams's research involves single neuron computation
and focuses on the ways neurons compute patterns of synaptic
input to form a neuronal output. Robert Desimone,
PhD, from the McGovern Institute of Brain Research at
the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, delivered a
talk on "Neural Synchrony and Selective Attention." Dr.
Desimone's research centers on disorders of perception,
attention, and memory that frequently accompany the major
mental diseases. To understand the neural mechanisms of
these mental processes, his laboratory is recording the
activity of neurons in the extrastriate and prefrontal
cortex of nonhuman primates engaged in tasks requiring
visual discrimination, attention, and memory. Anne
B. Young, MD, from the Department of Neurology at
Massachusetts General Hospital, addressed "Huntington's
Disease from Bench to Bedside." Dr. Young's laboratory
has focused on two primary areas of research: the functional
anatomy of the mammalian basal ganglia; and the role of
excitatory amino acids in neurodegenerative diseases such
as Alzheimer's disease, Huntington's disease, and Parkinson's
disease. Carol Mason, PhD, from the Center for
Neurobiology and Behavior at Columbia University Medical
Center, examined the topic "The Genes, Guidance Factors,
and Cells that Pattern the Optic Chiasm." The primary
aim of Dr. Mason's research is to understand the mechanisms
that underlie axon growth and the formation of specific
synaptic connections. Her laboratory uses a battery of
static and dynamic microscopic approaches in vivo and
in cell culture to dissect the molecular mechanism's development
of neural circuits. Xandra Breakefield, PhD, from
the Department of Neurology at Massachusetts General Hospital,
spoke about "Following a Twisted Path: From Dystonia to
the Endoplasmic Reticulum." Dr. Breakefield's work is
currently focused on the development of vectors for gene
delivery to the nervous system; use of virus vectors for
experimental therapy of brain tumors; and elucidation
of the molecular etiology of torsion dystonia.
Now in its eighth year, the M.R. Bauer Distinguished
Guest Lecturer Series brought three well-known scientists
to campus for extended visits. Marcus E. Raichle,
MD, PhD, from the Departments of Radiology and Neurology
at the Washington University School of Medicine, is a
leader in using positron emission tomography (PET) and
functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRl) to study
aspects of human brain organization and function in health
and disease. His current research focuses on the intrinsic
functional activity of the brain as distinct from evoked
responses related to behavioral events. In his presentation,
"Spontaneous Activity and the Brain's Dark Energy," Dr.
Raichle shared evolving ideas in the area of cognitive
psychology, describing background information from an
imager's perspective and offering a sense of perspective
on the "dark energy" of the brain. The program brought
together for the first time a team of scientists whose
work has affected the entire field. Louis Ptacek,
PhD, a Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigator and
professor of Neurology at the University of California,
San Francisco, School of Medicine, is interested in identifying
genes that can cause diseases of the nervous system and
studying both the normal and mutant proteins encoded by
some of these genes. His goal is to understand normal
brain function, including human sleep behavior, and the
molecular basis of diseases such as epilepsy and migraine
headaches. His presentation, "Channelopathies: Molecular
Basis of Episodic Nervous System Disorders," considered
episodic nervous system disorders- including epilepsy
and periodic paralysis-and analyzed their similarities
and precipitating factors. Ying-Hui Fu, PhD, also
from the Department of Neurology at the University of
California, San Francisco, School of Medicine, is interested
in understanding the mechanisms of various diseases involving
the nervous system. In particular, there are two classes
of neurodegenerative diseases that Dr. Fu's laboratory
is focusing on: polyglutamine diseases and demyelinating
degenerative diseases. Dr. Fu's lab is also researching
human circadian rhythmicity, which was the focus of her
presentation. "Molecular and Genetic Basis of Human Circadian
Rhythmicity." Dr. Fu explained how we can understand human
circadian rhythms, considering genetic, social, and familial-cultural
influences, and looked closely at the pattern of early
morning awakening in aging Advanced Sleep Phase Syndrome
(ASPS).
Highlighting "Diseases as Complex Systems," the 2006
Volen Center Scientific Retreat sponsored by the M.R.
Bauer Foundation, was held at the Shapiro Campus Center
at Brandeis University on May 24. The event was attended
by some 110 faculty, staff, and students, including visitors
from other institutions. This year's retreat featured
talks by four university scientists, as well as the previously
mentioned presentation by Xandra Breakefield, PhD.
Each scientist focused on presenting information and leading-edge
research about the central nervous system and neurodegenerative
diseases that affect it. Gina Turrigiano, PhD,
professor of Biology, Volen National Center for Complex
Systems at Brandeis University, discussed "The Self- Tuning
Neuron: Homeostatic Plasticity of Neocortical Synapses."
In addition, Pengyu Hong, PhD, assistant professor
of Computer Science, Volen National Center for Complex
Systems, presented a talk on "Mining Biological Data."
Jeff Agar, PhD, assistant professor of Chemistry,
Volen National Center for Complex Systems. spoke about
"Cause and Consequence of Protein Aggregation in Familial
ALS." The final talk was given by Jozsef Fiser,
PhD, assistant professor of Psychology, Volen National
Center for Complex Systems. His talk was on "The Role
of Spontaneous Activity in the Primary Visual Cortex."
Over the past twelve years, the M.R. Bauer Colloquium
and Scientific Retreat have promoted the exchange of ideas
and methods to advance the study of neuroscience. In the
past eight years, the MR. Bauer Distinguished Guest Lecturer
Series has brought highly regarded neuroscientists to
the university to speak about their groundbreaking research.
The publication of these Bauer proceedings is an essential
part of the Volen Center's effort to encourage scientific
collaboration and discussions. On behalf of our colleagues
and the many participants in these Foundation-sponsored
programs, we would like to express our sincere appreciation
to the M.R. Bauer Foundation.
Arthur Wingfield, D.Phil.
Nancy Lurie Marks Professor of Neuroscience and Director,
Volen National Center for Complex Systems
