2025 Consciousness, Anesthesia and Evolutionary Biology Gordon Research Conference and Gordon Research Seminar - PROJECT SUMMARY This proposal requests partial support for a conference on Consciousness, Anesthesia and Evolutionary Biology as part of a Gordon Research Conference (GRC) and Gordon Research Seminar (GRS) to be held from January 26-31, 2025. The broad, long-term goal of this conference is to bring together neuroscientists, anesthesiologists, neurologists, psychiatrists, and evolutionary biologists to discuss cutting-edge research related to consciousness, cognition, and mental health. The 2025 conference will include a GRS for graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career investigators, to be held immediately prior to and in conjunction with the GRC. The specific aims of this meeting will be to convene 30 leading experts who will present rigorous, impactful science at scales of study that span from molecular and circuit neuroscience to animal and human imaging and behavior. This conference focuses on cutting-edge and unpublished research, prioritizing time for discussion after each talk, and fostering informal interactions among scientists of all career stages. Afternoon poster sessions will permit all participants to contribute to these topics, and participation by trainees will be strongly encouraged. In addition, the GRS will be specifically aimed at graduate students, postdoctoral fellows, and early career investigators, allowing them to present their research in a relaxed and supportive environment. Every effort will be made to promote diversity and gender parity. The significance of this application lies in a much-needed forum provided by the GRC and GRS to bring together and synergize members of the international research community working on consciousness. The GRS will help to train and inspire the next generation of investigators who will move the field forward. The health relatedness of this application is that our conference will address key topics relevant to human health, including mechanisms of consciousness, unconsciousness, and altered consciousness; novel approaches to prognosticate and treat disorders of consciousness; the potential for anesthetic- and psychedelic-induced states to treat neuropsychiatric disorders; and how to improve cognitive recovery in patients undergoing general anesthesia. We will also explore the evolution of consciousness, sleep, and hibernation across diverse species, which will stimulate multidisciplinary discussions and lead to new insights and approaches to improve brain health in humans.
