When most people think of Montana, they think of a perfect day casting in the river, skiing in deep powder, or hiking for beautiful views. It might come as a surprise that Montana has become a first class place for neuroscience too, as shown last weekend when over 70 neuroscientists gathered for a retreat at Seeley Lake. The 11th annual Montana Neuroscience Retreat was a mecca for brain researchers across the state, including attendees from the Center for Structural and Functional Neuroscience at the University of Montana, the McLaughlin Institute, the Department of Cell Biology and Neuroscience at Montana State University and representatives from companies that develop products for brain research. Dr. Matthew Ames, Director of Molecular Pharmacology from the Mayo Clinic said, "They've established a world-class neuroscience research program in Montana. It's brought a whole new scope of outstanding science to the universities in Montana, and added to the economic climate."

The highlight of the meeting was the Saturday night poster session. Awards were given for the best posters. April Johnston, a Research Specialist and recent graduate of MSU Cell Biology and Neuroscience, was one of the award winners. "My poster is about research I did while working in Charlie Gray's lab at MSU, where I learned how to record electrical activity in neurons. The techniques I learned at MSU gave me the skills I needed to land my first job as a scientist. I'm excited to be learning more electrophysiology techniques to study the brain, including patch clamping." April's new boss, Josh Lawrence said, "I can't believe I was able to find a person right out of college with April's skills. I am so lucky to have April in the lab. She's already getting some great results!" Drago Guggiana-Nilo, a Cell Biology and Neuroscience student from MSU and Alana White, a graduate student from University of Montana also won awards for their posters. Winners took home Apple ITouch prizes donated by Leeds Instruments, a corporate sponsor of the annual event.

The primary goals of the retreat are to bring Montana neuroscientists together to share research results and to foster collaborations that will advance neuroscience research in the state. Mike Kavanaugh, the University of Montana Director of Neuroscience said, "I think scientists really love to share their data, and when a discovery is made, that's almost what we live for, to find something that is going to have an impact on the field especially if it is something that might potentially impact human health."

The meeting featured seminars on Saturday and Sunday. Deb Cabin reported on the expansion at the McLaughlin Institute, and plans to recruit new neuroscientists. Thom Hughes, from MSU spoke about the numerous biotech companies that impact neuroscience research in Bozeman, including Neuralynx, Gray Matter, Montana Molecular, Resonon, AdVR and Fluorescence Innovations. He pointed out the important role these companies play in providing job opportunities for students graduating from the University of Montana and MSU neuroscience programs. Chris Comer, a neuroscientist and the incoming Dean of Arts and Sciences at the University of Montana, presented his work showing how sensorimotor integration in the brain of naked mole rats can provide clues about how to build the next lunar explorer. Sensorimotor integration translates sensory information in the brain into behavioral responses, and can potentially inform the development of new robotics for brain-operated prosthetic devices too. Keynote addresses were given by Jeffrey Rothstein from Johns Hopkins University and Randy Blakely, the Allan D. Bass Professor of Pharmacology and Psychiatry from Vanderbilt University. Dr. Blakely talked about his recent discoveries that provide new insights into the molecular mechanisms of ADHD and the drugs used to treat this disorder. Phil Beske, a graduate student at the University of Montana who studies the underlying effects of stroke on the brain, explained how the enzyme NADPH oxidase plays a key role in learning and memory and described his discovery that overactivity of the enzyme, that occurs after a stroke, can contribute to cell death.

Rain fell over the weekend but did not dampen the enthusiasm for brain research or the camaraderie. New ideas were hatched, collaborations were formed and everyone left the meeting looking forward to the next discovery and the opportunity to share it.