C olumbia U niversity RECORD June 11, 2004 12 Top Researchers Convene at ‘Brain and Mind’ Symposium

Rockefeller University’s Roder- BY SUSAN CONOVA ick MacKinnon, the 2003 Nobel Prize winner in chemistry, then dis- esearchers from around the cussed his own basic research, world gathered to discuss which has revealed the structure Rthe latest discoveries on the and function of the ’ ion brain and the mind, spanning the channels, or as MacKinnon called entire spectrum of neuroscience, them, “the brain’s electrical from the atomic level up to higher- impulse generators.” order systems that construct con- The impulses must be sent sciousness, on May 13-14 in Lern- through brain’s highly organized er Hall as part of the Columbia 250 circuits to control movement, cog- symposium series . nition, and consciousness. Al- Organized by , though many circuits are not professor of biochemistry and understood, Jessell said, he out- molecular biophysics, and Joanna lined his progress on circuits that Rubinstein, senior associate dean control movement, showing how for institutional and global initia- the basic circuits are hard-wired by tives at Med- one’s genes, but experiences, for ical Center, the day-and-a-half instance, of learning to walk or PHOTOS BY EILEEN BARROSO symposium was divided into three play the violin refine the circuits. Richard Axel delivered a talk at the “Brain and Mind” conference at Lerner Hall. half-day sessions: “Brain Struc- 2000 Nobel Prize winner Eric ture,” “Brain Function and Dis- Kandel, University Professor of ease” and “Biology of Mind.” Physiology and Psychiatry, showed how new techniques in frontal cortex, which is not nor- decisions are helping researchers In the first session, “Brain Struc- showed the audience just exactly brain imaging are changing the mally believed to be involved in discover which neural circuits are ture,” Gerald Fischbach, executive how those circuits are refined dur- way scientists think about brain addiction,” she said. “The frontal used to calculate value and how vice president for Health and Bio- ing learning. Changes in disorders, which afflict one in cortex weighs the value of one values influence decision-making. medical Sciences and dean of the —which connect all neurons— seven people. thing to another, so in designing Christof Koch of Caltech also Faculty of Medicine at the College occur during learning, he said, and For example, schizophrenia was treatments we need something that employs neuronal recordings in of Physicians & Surgeons, said was even happening while he initially thought to stem from will alter motivation.” conjunction with brain imaging to that despite the brain’s great com- spoke. “You will walk out of the brain changes acquired in adult- In the final session, “Biology of chase down the neural underpin- plexity, research is on the verge of symposium with a different brain hood, said Judith Rapoport of the Mind,” speakers continued to nings of consciousness. “Many translating basic findings on the than you walked in with,” he said. National Institutes of Health. “But explore the power of brain-imag- people think consciousness can’t brain into new treatments for neu- Speakers in the second session, with brain imaging we’re finding ing techniques by addressing ques- be addressed by scientific meth- rological disorders. “Brain Function and Disease,” that children have problems even tions of how the brain constructs ods,” Koch said, “but we should be before the onset of schizophrenia.” the mind. Still, they noted that cautious of that assertion since Her studies show that while the recording from individual neurons we’ve made that mistake several brains of all children lose brain still remains the gold standard of times in history.” mass through childhood, children neuroscience. Philosopher John Searle, from who eventually develop schizo- In the study of decision-making, the University of California at phrenia lose more. have traditionally Berkeley, also thought that con- Nora Volkow, director of the emphasized the effects of sensory sciousness was an accessible prob- National Institute on Drug Abuse, stimuli on the outcome of the deci- lem. Searle drew an analogy with uses a different kind of brain imag- sion process. “But this is an his glass of water: Just as liquidity ing to understand why addicts are impoverished view,” said William is a higher order feature of the

unable to control drug intake. Her Newsome of Stanford. “An organ- behavior of individual H20 mole- PET scans of addicts and non- ism’s prior experience or beliefs cules, the mind is a higher order addicts suggest that high levels of concerning the ‘value’ of the alter- feature of the activity of neurons. dopamine receptors in one part of native choices can influence deci- “The brain causes minds,” he said. the brain can protect people from sions even more than sensory For more information, go to: At the neuroscience symposium were, from left, Columbians Gerald becoming addicted. “What’s sur- input.” Newsome described how www.c250.columbia.edu/c250_no Fischbach, Richard Axel, Thomas Jessell and Eric Kandel. prising is this happens in the recordings from monkeys making w/symposia/brain_and_mind.html. Benefactors of Columbia University Feted in Special Three-Part Event

PHOTOS BY EILEEN BARROSO

he Benefactors of Columbia University, generosity to Columbia. It is the first step in a new the philanthropic leaders of the Universi- initiative to engage more fully the University’s Tty, were feted in a three-part event on May most devoted friends and alumni through special 11. It all began in the late afternoon at the Italian programming and increased communications. Academy, where they were welcomed by Presi- “The event was intended to create a sort of dent Lee C. Bollinger, who addressed a wide esprit de corps,” said Susan K. Feagin, executive range of topics—from the proposed Manhat- vice president for Development and Alumni tanville expansion to genomics, from the arts to Relations. “Most benefactors give to specific athletics—in a lively question and answer ses- schools, and those schools have their own donor sion. The benefactors then moved to a house- events. But this is a unique opportunity to bring warming reception in the newly restored Presi- together donors from across the University and dent’s House (upper left). Finally, the group con- build their relationships with one another and the vened for dinner in the Rotunda of Low Memo- University’s leaders. It gives a real sense of the rial Library (above), where plaques honoring the life of the University.” University’s benefactors were spotlighted for the After dinner, the guests enjoyed original songs special evening. and pop and jazz standards sung by Peter Cin- The event recognized the benefactors for their cotti, CC’05.