The focus of this small meeting was to discuss the intrinsic and extrinsic factors and influences which determine the specific identities of neural cells.

This meeting focused on standardizing the nomenclature and the basis for defining the borders of brain regions, their subdivisions as computational entities, the definition of tracts and other pathways in the adult Drosophila brain and thoracic ganglia, drawing on a wide range of anatomical imaging techniques, functional approaches, and developmental studies. Comparisons with other insect central nervous systems will suggest how some of the limitations of what can be addressed in the fly might be resolved. Discussion included the extent of stereotypy at the level of circuits, neurons, axons, and synapses. We hope to establish ways to archive and share images between labs and expand the reference resources available to orient new people to what is known about insect brain anatomy with reference to Drosophila melanogaster.

This meeting focused on central brain and ventral ganglion functions of insects in bringing about adaptive behavior. It included methods and tools needed from neurogenetics to the simulation of circuits to assess behavior quantitatively and to unravel the underlying neuronal circuits. The meeting omitted many aspects of peripheral visual and olfactory processing, countless important molecules, and olfactory learning and memory—all topics that can fill specialized meetings by themselves.

Topics for this meeting included new and emerging genetic techniques and approaches for studying the nervous system in the mouse.

The main foci for this conference were the anatomical and functional components that form the neural circuits connecting sensory input with behavioral output in the worm.

There is a wealth of information on the functional anatomy of insect visual systems which can provide deep insights into visual behavior. This meeting brought people with this expertise into contact with molecular geneticists who think about the anatomy of the brain circuits underlying vision, more specifically how the visual system works for motion detection, color vision or polarized light detection.

The goal of this meeting was to discuss the challenges facing the reconstruction of complete circuit diagrams of neuronal processing units, such as vertebrate cortical columns and hippocampal circuits as well as entire invertebrate nervous systems. This meeting discussed, in multiple formats, these problems along with strategies to solve them rather than formal presentation of past research results.

This meeting focused on new genetic methods that are needed to facilitate modern fly research and how these methods might be developed, including:

• new ways to control gene expression in time and space;
• new deletion/duplication collections;
• new two element systems like Gal4/UAS;
• new recombination systems like cre and flp; and
• new genomic resources like ORF and antibody collections.

The meeting focused on recent advances in our understanding of the regulation of protein synthesis at the neuronal synapse. We are interested in your latest work and in understanding how this mechanism contributes to learning and memory.

This meeting showcased the development of cutting-edge tools and technology for in vivo imaging. Sessions covered the design and discovery of new fluorescent proteins and synthetic dyes, and their incorporation into sensors for signaling molecules and cellular states. Innovative imaging modalities making use of such reagents were presented. It is our hope that the meeting presented a clear picture of how far these tools have come in recent years, and what additional reagents and capabilities are required to advance imaging into the twenty-first century.

The focus was on recent advances in phosphoinositide and inositol phosphate signaling networks. In the past decade the field has been reshaped by the identification and imaging of many new inositide messenger pathways. The goal of this meeting was to present the latest discoveries and to provide a forum for critically assessing outstanding questions and future directions as they pertain to understanding signaling specificity.