Ninth annual ECU Neuroscience Symposium to be Nov. 29

GREENVILLE, N.C.  —   The possibility of regrowing nerve cells following neurological injuries or illnesses will be the topic of the ninth annual East Carolina University Neuroscience Symposium Nov. 29 in Greenville.

The daylong event will be at the Willis Building at 300 E. First St. It’s free and open to the public. The first speaker begins at 8:30 a.m.

Speakers will cover the latest information regarding molecular mechanisms promoting nerve growth and future directions for treatment of neurological diseases such as Alzheimer’s, schizophrenia, AIDS-related neurological disorders and substance abuse.

Dr. Alex L. Kolodkin, Howard Hughes Investigator and professor at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, will deliver the keynote address, “Molecular Mechanisms of Neuronal Growth Cone Guidance.”

Faculty members from ECU, Duke University, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of South Carolina and others will also speak.

“We’re covering all the bases with this symposium,” said Dr. Alex Murashov, president of the Eastern Carolina Neuroscience Chapter and an associate professor of physiology at the Brody School of Medicine at ECU. “We have five internationally recognized speakers. This ought to be interesting to just about anyone.”

The program is jointly sponsored by the 2007 Grass Traveling Scientist Program, a chapter grant from the Society for Neuroscience and the North Carolina Biotechnology Center.

For information about the event or to register, e-mail neuroscience@ecu.edu or visit http://www.ecu.edu/neurochapter.

Individuals with disabilities requesting accommodations under the Americans with Disabilities Act should contact the Department for Disability Support Services at 252-328-6799 (V) or 252-328-0899 (TTY).