Basal Ganglia Cells and Circuits in Health and Disease

The basal ganglia are a richly interconnected set of forebrain, diencephalic and mesencephalic nuclei that control movement and thought. Parkinson disease, Huntington disease, Tourette's Syndrome and schizophrenia are widely viewed as disorders of the basal ganglia. This clinical linkage and the recent and rapid expansion of molecular tools to probe circuit function have led to an explosion in basal ganglia research in the last decade.

The goal of this GRC is to create a forum for discussing key advances in the understanding of the major basal ganglia nuclei as well as new insights into the operation of the network as a whole. An emphasis will be placed on developments arising from recent methodological advances and developments that have translational significance.

The program will include a diverse collection of investigators from around the world. We hope to continue the tradition of the highly interactive and cutting-edge nature of GRC conferences to provide an opportunity for scientists of diverse backgrounds, career stages, and approaches to gather and achieve new and synthetic views of this field of neuroscience, define the major challenges, and build cross-cutting collaborations that could lead to breakthroughs.