UCL Synaptopathies Symposium

Thursday October 6th 2016

Epilepsy, migraine and related paroxysmal neurological disorders affect over 15% of the population, and account for an enormous burden to the individual and to society. Progress in managing these diseases is slow, with many patients failing to respond to available medication. Understanding the mechanisms will be an essential step not only towards improved diagnosis, but also towards the development of rational therapies.

Epilepsy and migraine both exhibit strong heritability. Mendelian inheritance is however very uncommon, and only a few genes have been identified in the rare families where monogenic inheritance can be demonstrated. These genes overwhelmingly point to disorders of synaptic transmission. Polygenic variability of synaptic genes is highly likely to contribute to common sporadic forms of these diseases.

The Synaptopathies initiative brings together complementary expertise in (i) clinical genetics and deep phenotyping of people affected by epilepsy, migraine and paroxysmal movement disorders, (ii) biophysics of presynaptic vesicle trafficking and exocytosis, (iii) the interaction of postsynaptic receptors, ion channels and perisynaptic neurotransmitter transporters, and (iv) vertebrate, invertebrate and human-derived cellular models of synaptic disorders.

• Programme
• Please register via Eventbrite
• Further information: Juliet.solomon@ucl.ac.uk

Poster abstracts

The symposium offers the opportunity to present research posters.  Please submit an abstract by 16 September. 

Priority will be given to posters that report original research using cellular, molecular, genetic and circuit methods relevant to neurological and psychiatric disorders. Poster submitters will be notified by 23 September to confirm whether their abstracts have been accepted. 

Abstracts should be structured as follows:

• Title
  
• Authors and affiliations
  
• Abstract (200 words)

Abstracts to be sent to: Juliet.solomon@ucl.ac.uk

Supported by the Wellcome Trust through a Strategic Award on Synaptopathies www.ucl.ac.uk/ion/synaptopathies