2024 Hypothalamus Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar - PROJECT SUMMARY We are organizing the second Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on the topic of “The Hypothalamus,” (referred to hereafter as the Hypothalamus GRC) scheduled to take place July 28 - August 2, 2024 at Bates College in Lewiston, ME. This GRC will be held in conjunction with an associated Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) from July 27-28, 2024 at the same location. The hypothalamus is a highly complex vertebrate brain structure composed of numerous small populations of neurons that collectively regulate important biological functions necessary for survival. Dysregulation of the hypothalamus causes a number of diseases including neuropsychiatric conditions, disorders of sleep, eating, and metabolism, deficits in growth, development, and fertility, and more. Because of its importance for organismal survival, the hypothalamus is the subject of extensive investigation across multiple disciplines and multiple levels of investigation. Scientists who study the hypothalamus use diverse classical and cutting-edge techniques in a variety of model organisms. In recent years, scientists have made surprising advances in understanding the structure and function of the hypothalamus, generating many new questions and areas of investigation that require cross-disciplinary approaches. The ultimate goal of the Hypothalamus GRC is to bring a diverse group of scientists together from a variety of disciplines to share and discuss novel insights, experimental approaches, and therapeutic potential of recent findings. Our program will have sessions on the role of the hypothalamus in a variety of health-related behaviors including ingestive behaviors, thermoregulation and metabolism, sleep and circadian rhythms, stress and anxiety, and social interactions. Other sessions will focus on hypothalamic regulation of the neuroendocrine system, the brain body interface, and competing homeostatic demands. Taken together, this GRC will allow for extraordinary interaction between scientists who study the hypothalamus across many biological disciplines. The associated GRS will allow graduate student and postdoctoral trainees additional opportunities to share their work and interact with a diverse group of peers. As for all GRCs, the guiding principle of this meeting will be the presentation of new, unpublished results with free, unencumbered discussion. We will emphasize participation of scientists at all career levels, especially PhD students, postdocs, and early career scientists, with a particular focus on promoting diversity and inclusion.
