Neural Plasticity

Organizers: Abdul H. Mohammed and Richard Brown

Experienced induced plasticity is a phenomenon that exists in a wide variety of species. For example insects, fish, birds and mammals show brain changes in response to environmental challenges. The brain retains its plasticity throughout the organisms life span, as studies in mice and rats have shown. Among the key factors known to regulate neural plasticity are neurotrophins, hormones and NMDA receptors. These have been found to impact on plasticity-related phenomena such as Long-term potentiation (LTP), learning and memory. Environmental factors that have an impact on neural plasticity include diet, physical exercise and social and mental stimulation. Sex differences and the effects of aging are also important issues in understanding neural plasticity.

This symposium will address the topic of plasticity from different perspectives.

Speakers and Topics

Experience-dependent changes in old rats
Abdul H. Mohammed, School of Social Sciences , Växjö University , Växjö , Sweden

Neurodevelopmental effects of environmental factors
Sandra Ceccatelli, Department of Neuroscience , Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm , Sweden

Calcium/calmodulin kinase II: A fast Track for memory formation
Peter Giese, MRC Centre for Neurodegeneration Research, Institute of Psychiatry , King's College London , UK

Mechanism driving behavioural change in the Desert Locust
Steve Rogers, Department of Zoology, Cambridge University, UK

Neural plasticity and behavioral state: Sleep for off-line memory consolidation
Susan J. sara, Directeur de Recherche au CNRS, Collège de France, France