CTW: Mathematical Neuroendocrinology (August 9-13, 2010)
Organizers: Richard Bertram, Arthur Sherman, Mary Lou Zeeman, Gareth Leng and Stanko Stojilkovic
- Description
- Schedule
- Participants
- Titles & Abstracts
- Apply for Event
Neuroendocrinology is at the intersection of neuroscience and endocrinology. Of the many endocrine glands in the body, the one that is under the most direct neural control is the pituitary gland, which is located adjacent to the brain region called the hypothalamus. The anterior portion of the pituitary consists of several cell types, each of which is electrically excitable (like neurons) and which secretes a hormone when activated. Neurons within the hypothalamus act on pituitary cells to evoke hormone secretion at the proper times and under the proper physical stimuli. The pituitary hormones then act on other endocrine glands (like pineal, adrenal, ovaries, and testes) to influence secretion of hormones. All of the hormones influence neuron activity within the hypothalamus, closing the loop. Mathematical neuroendocrinology is a new field that uses mathematical modeling and analysis to help interpret neuroendocrine data and design new experiments. Models have been developed at the cellular and systems level.
This workshop is the second in a series (the first was held at AIM) and will continue dialogues and collaborations between mathematicians and experimentalists begun at AIM. One goal is to discuss problems in neuroendocrinology that can be addressed using mathematics. These discussions took place during the first meeting, but we now have a better feel for the types of problems of interest. Another goal is to bring young mathematicians and experimentalists who have never worked with mathematical biologists into the mathematical biology community to spur its growth.
