 
The School Program:
The problems of pain, in particular, chronic pain, are an increasing burden on healthcare systems and society at large. Population-based epidemiological studies suggest 20-30% people over the globe suffer from chronic pain and/or pain-associated morbidities, such as insomnia, amnesia, cognitive decline, disabilities, and even depression. Now, it has become apparent that some neurochemical changes at the molecular (ion channels, neurotransmitters and receptors, protein kinases, etc.) and cellular (synapses, neurons, astrocytes, microglia, myelinating cells) levels initiated and maintained by the persistence of pain might be tightly associated with the pathophysiological processes of chronic pain and development of its morbidities, leading to dysfunction of the nervous system, especially the neural networks in the brain that result in abnormal behaviors of the sufferers. To bridge the gap of changes between neurochemical substrates and neural networks / behaviors associated with pain, the main objective of the ISN School (Xi’an 2012) is to provide a platform enabling junior researchers, postdoctoral fellows, and graduate students from fields of both neurochemical research and pain research to meet and exchange ideas and experiences. Meanwhile, we will invite world renowned researchers from both fields to teach the updated knowledge of pain and advanced behavioral, molecular and neurochemical techniques so as to enable participants to acquire new ideas and to learn new techniques and methods that may be beneficial to their future research. This School will provide a 5-day program including both comprehensive lectures and hands-on techniques associated with neurochemical, electrophysiological and behavioral correlates of pain. The Scientific Program Committee is inviting proposals for symposia and young investigator colloquia. Sunday, February 12th，2012: AM8 :00-PM12 :00 registration & Hotel check-in
| Day 1 : Monday, February 13th，2012 | 8 :20- 8 :30 | Photo-taking | 8 :30- 9 :00 | Opening ceremony | 9 :00-10 :00 | Lecture 1 : Overview of advances in neurobiology of pain | 10 :00-11 :00 | Lab orientation followed by coffee/tea break | 11 :00-12 :00 | (1) Interactions between school faculties and students (2) Hands-on grouping (3 hours per unit, 5 participants/group, only one module for each participant) Module 1: Behavioral + Neurochemical (5 units) Group 1 - Preparation of animal models of pain (1 unit) Group 2 - Behavioral assays of pain (1 unit) Group 3 - 32-channel multi-electrode-array recordings of somatosensory cortex in behaving rats suffering from acute pain (only demo, 1 units) Group 4 – Immunocytochemistry+Confocal microscopy, Western blot, RT-PCR assays of brain tissues of rats (3 units) Module 2: Behavioral + Electrophysiological 1 (5 units) Group 1 - Preparation of animal models of pain (1 unit) Group 2 - Behavioral assays of pain (1 unit) Group 3 - 32-channel multi-electrode-array recordings of somatosensory cortex in behaving rats suffering from acute pain (only demo, 1 units) Group 5 - Preparation of culture cell samples for whole cell patchclamp recordings and Ca2+ imaging (2 units) Module 3: Behavioral+ Electrophysiological 2 (5 units) Group 1 - Preparation of animal models of pain (1 unit) Group 2 - Behavioral assays of pain (1 unit) Group 3 - 32-channel multi-electrode-array recordings of somatosensory cortex in behaving rats suffering from acute pain (only demo, 1 units) Group 6 - In vitro 64-channel (8x8) multi-electrode array or patchclamp recordings of synaptic plasticity (2 units) | 12 :00-14 :00 | Lunch | 14 :00-17 :00 | Group 1 - Preparation of animal models of pain (1 unit) Group 2 - Behavioral assays of pain (1 unit) Group 3 - 32-channel multi-electrode-array recordings of somatosensory cortex in behaving rats suffering from acute pain (only demo, 1 units) Group 4 – Immunocytochemistry+Confocal microscopy, Western blot, RT-PCR assays of brain tissues of rats (3 units) Group 5 - Preparation of culture cell samples for whole cell patchclamp recordings and Ca2+ imaging (2 units) Group 6 - In vitro 64-channel (8x8) multi-electrode array or patchclamp recordings of synaptic plasticity (2 units) | 17 :00-18 :00 | Technical lecture 1: Advances in in vivo multi-electrode-array recording techniques | 18 :00-20 :00 | Welcome dinner (sponsored by IBSP) | | Day 2 : Tuesday, February 14th, 2012 | 9 :00-10 :00 | Lecture 2 : Brain imaging of pain in humans | 10 :00-12 :00 | Practical groups1 – 6 switch over | 12 :00-14 :00 | Lunch | 14 :00-17 :00 | Practical groups1 – 6 switch over | 17 :00-18 :00 | Technical lecture 2: Advances in in vitro multi-electrode-array recording techniques | 18 :00-21 :00 | Dinner and city night seeings (organized by IBSP) | | Day 3 : Wednesday, February 15th, 2012 | 9 :00-10 :00 | Lecture 3 : Animal studies of pain | 10 :00-12 :00 | Practical groups1 – 6 switch over | 12 :00-14 :00 | Lunch | 14 :00-17 :00 | Practical groups1 – 6 switch over | 17 :00-18 :00 | Technical lecture 3: Brain slice patchclamp recordings in pain research | 18 :00-21 :00 | Dinner | | Day 4 : Thursday, February 16th，2012 | 9 :00-10 :00 | Lecture 4 : Pain-related synaptic plasticity in the brain | 10 :00-12 :00 | Practical groups1 – 6 switch over | 12 :00-13 :00 | Lunch | 13 :00-14 :00 | ISN featured lecture : ‘How to prepare a 10 min talk’ | 14 :00-17 :00 | Practical groups1 – 6 switch over | 17 :00-18 :00 | Technical lecture 4: Molecular approaches used in pain research | 18 :00-21 :00 | Farewell dinner (organized by IBSP) | | Day 5 : Friday, February 17th，2012 | 9 :00-10 :00 | Presentation by school participants | 10 :00-15 :00 | Optional social activities (Transportation provided by IBSP free but need to pay the entry ticket) : visiting Emperor Qin’s Museum of Terra Cotta Warriors and Horses (110.00 RMB Yuan/each)
| 15 :00 | Oversea faculties and students can arrange flights according to this schedule |
Comments by faculties and students:
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School Program Faculties & Organisers |
