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Chapter 2.

REPORTS ON PAST MEETINGS

SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE, PRAIRIE REGIONAL CHAPTER, THIRD ANNUAL MEETING

Place/Date: Saskatoon, September 30 - October 1, 1978. Scientific Program: Three mini-symposium were devoted to the following topics: - Biochemistry in mental retardation (5 contributions) - Brain dysfunctions (4 contributions) - Development and plasticity of the CNS (4 contributions) Further information: Professor J. W. Phillis, Dept. of Physiology, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada S7N OWO

7TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE SOCIETY FOR NEUROSCIENCE

Place/Date: Anaheim, CA, November 6-10, 1977. The 1977-1978 Officers of the Society for Neuroscience are: W. M. Cowan, President, T. N. Weisel, President-Elect, F. E. Bloom, Past-President, D. H. Cohen, Secretary, B. Grafstein, Treasurer. The Scientific Program consisted of 22 special sessions: 15 symposia and 7 workshops. Among the topics discussed were:

- Facilitating creative communication in the neurosciences - The Neurophysiology of self-stimulation: A tribute to James Olds - What do glia do? -Neural correlates of behavioral state - What regulates the ACH receptor? - Enzymatic isotopic micromethods for biogenic amines: state of the art - Blood-brain barrier: regulation of cerebral function and metabolism The two public lectures were: - The brain's own morphine and its receptor, S. H. Snyder -A cell biological approach to behavior and learning, E. R. Kandel About 50 sessions had topics of direct interest to neuro-psychopharmacology, e.g. Psycho- pharmacology (4); Epilepsy and antiepileptics (4); Narcotics and drug abuse (6); Neuro- transmitters, Monamines, Synaptic transmission (17); Neuropeptides (2); Receptors (4); Basal ganglia (4); Neuroimmunology (4); Neurochemistry (5); Neuroendocrinology (5). The figures between parentheses respresent the number of sessions. The next meeting will be held in St. Louis from November 5 to 9, 1978. Further information: Society for Neuroscience annual meeting office, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20014, USA.

SYMPOSIUM ON DRUG DISPOSITION IN MAN

Place/Date: Sarasota, FL, November 6-11, 1977. Scientific Program: Among the various topics, two are of particular interest for neuropsycho- pharmacologists: - Drug metabolism in disease states - Addictive drugs Further information: Frederick J. Di Carlo, College of St. Elizabeth, Convent Station, NJ 0791, USA.

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SYMPOSIUM ON THE MECHANISMS OF ACTION OF ANTIEPILEPTIC DRUGS

Place/Date: St. Louis, Missouri, November 17-19, 1977. The Symposium has been sponsored by NIH Epilepsy Advisory Committee and National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke (NINCDS). Scientific Program: The main topics were: - Neurobiology: general principles related to epilepsy. The 12 contributions have been devoted

to morphological correlates of epilepsy, neuronal membranes, synapses, receptors, glial and neuronal interaction, bioelectric events, drug transport etc.

- Phenytoin and Phenobarbital. 15 contributions have been presented on the following subjects: biopharmacology, binding, electrophysiological effects, cyclic nucleotides, side effects, mechanisms of action, etc.

- Other antiepileptics. The 7 presentations were devoted to: Carbamazepine and the bensodia- zepines; Oxazolidinediones; Succinimides; Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors; Sodium valproate; Hormones;

- Sunxoation: The mechanism of action of antiepileptic drugs. About 40 speakers have participated to the meeting. Further information: Federal Building, Room 114, National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, Maryland 20014.

ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION FOR RESEARCH IN NERVOUS AND MENTAL DISEASE (ARNMD) \

Place/date: New York, December 2 and 3, 1977. Scientific Program: The meeting has been devoted to congenital and acquired cognitive dis- orders. Chairman: Dr. Robert Katsman. A group of scientists reviewed the diseases that produce amentias in the young and dementias in the adult and the elderly. The biochemical basis of amentias and the biochemical and morphological changes that occur in Alsheimer's disease/senile dementia have been discussed. The role of genetic factors and latent viral dis- eases in the etiology of amentias and dementias have also been considered. Further information: Dr. Roger Devoisin, Annenberg Building, Suite 14-02, 100th Street at Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10029.

16TH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN COLLEGE OF NEUROPSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY (ACNP)

Place/Date: San Juan, Puerto Rico. December 14-16, 1977. Scientific Program: The 1977 annual meeting consisted in about 20 sessions: 18 study groups, a plenary session and a froe communications session. No formal papers citing new findings were presented. The purpose of the study groups was to evoke maximal interactive discussion as to the direction that research in these areas should take and techniques or methods that may be employed. The topics were selected either a) in relatively ignored or infrequently studied areas or b) in new areas of investigation, or c) in areas where research is needed. The topics of the study group were: - Neurochemical pharmacology: Neuropeptides of psychiatric interest - Diagnosis and treatment in geriatric psychopharmacology - Markers of vulnerability to mental disorders - Doctor and patient ratings in evaluating clinical change in outpatients - Uses of acetycholine precursors in the diagnosis and treatment of neurological and psychia-

tric disease - Neurological pharmacology - Pharmacokinetics and clinical response - Biological and behavioral prediction of treatment response - Hydroxylase cofactor: biochemistry and potential use as an index of aminergic activity - Treatment of affective disorders - New approaches in childhood psychopharmacology - Tardive dyskinesia - basic issues - Tardive dyskinesia - clinical aspects - Active transport of lithium by erythrocytes - Human behavioral pharmacology: methods and issues - Behavioral toxicology - heavy metals affecting behavior - Biogenic amine hypotheses methods and issues -New ways of using computers in research In the plenary session after the greetings of M. Lipton, president of ACNP the following tW0

reports have been presented:

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-The role of psychopharmacology on the national scene, by G. L. Klerman, administrator of ADAMHA, Washington, D.C.

- Biomedical monitoring in clinical investigations, by F. 0. Kelsey, Director, Division of Scientific Investigations, Bureau of Drugs, Washington, D.C.

Further information: Dr. A. DiMascio, ACNP Secretariat, 591 Morton Street, Boston, MA, USA.

14TH NATIONAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION FOR THE ADVANCEMENT OF SCIENCE (AAAS)

Place/Date: Washington, February 12-17, 1978. Scientific Program: The program is dedicated to all aspects of science. A section has been devoted to "Behavioral Science". Further information: American Association for the Advancement of Science, Dept. R., 1515 Massachusetts Ave., NW Washington DC., 20005.

HUNTINGTON'S DISEASE SYMPOSIUM

Place/Date: La Jolla, CA, March 26-29, 1978. Scientific Program: The meeting dealed with research on genetics, epidemiology, early detec- tion, anatomy, pathology, biochemistry, virology, immunology, pharmacology, psychology, socio- logy and therapeutics. Further information: Dr. T. N. Chase, NINCDS, Bldg 36, Rook 5A05, Bethesda, MD 20014, tele- phone (301) 496 4297.

NEUROLOGICAL CONFERENCE

Place/Date: University of Sussex, April 6-7, 1978. Scientific Program: The main topics of the Conference were: Viral disease of CNS; Neuro- biology of gliomas; Basal ganglia disorders; Degenerative disease of the nervous system; Multiple sclerosis; Neurophysiology of pain; Epilepsy; The physiology of behavior and in- telligence. Further information: S. Nurick, Dept. of Neurology, Hurstwood Park Hospital, Haywards Heath, West Sussex RH17 7SJ. England.

62ND ANNUAL MEETING OF THE FEDERATION OF AMERICAN SOCIETIES FOR EXPERIMENTAL BIOLOGY (FASEB)

Place/Date: Atlantic City, April 9-14, 1978. Scientific Program: Four FASEB Societies met in Atlantic City namely: American Physiological Society (APS), American Society of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (ASPET), Ameri- can Association of Pathologists (AAP) and American Institute of Nutrition (AIN). Six guest societies have also participated to the Scientific program. Dr. H. W. Kosterlitz, Director of the "Unit for Research on Addictive Drugs", University of Aberdeen, Scotland, was the FASEB general session speaker. The topic was "Biological significance of the enkephalins and endor- phins". Several Symposia have some interest for neuro-psychopharmacologists: - Peptides in neurobiology. Chairmen: M. J. Brownstein and H. Gainer. - Neural antigens: Potential probes for neurophysiology. Chairman: W. G. Shain, Jr. - Pharmacokinetics: Chairman: H. E. Hart. -Diseases of receptor sites: Chairman: J. Roth. - Cyclic nucleotides and synaptic function: Chairman: F. G. Standaert. - Biochemical and morphological aspects of cholinergic pharmacology. Chairman: A. J. Trevor; - Neurochenrical mechanism of narcotic actions. Chairman: H. H. Loh. - Pharmacology and aging. Chairman: E. J. Cafruny. -Pharmacology of central motivational systems: A tribute to James Olds. Chairman: C. Kometsky The programming for the meeting has been integrated. Representatives of the four societies generated the "FASEB" unified topic category list". In this category "about 50 sessions are also of interest for neuro-psychopharmacologists namely: - Neuropharmacology (6) -Analgesics (5) - Alcohol; Alcoholism (4) - Drug abuse (3) - Neuropeptides (2) - Biochemical pharmacology (7)

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- Isnuunopharmacology (2) - Drug disposition (2) - Monoamines and monoaminergic pharmacology (8) - Cyclic nucleotides (4) - Prostaglandines (3) - Calcium (2) -Toxicology (5) The figures between brackets represent the number of the sessions. The abstracts of papers regarding the topic sessions have been published as usually in Federation Proceedings (March Issue, 1978, z, no. 3: 213-1100) Further information: FASEB Office of Scientific Meetings, 9650 Rockville Pike, Bethesda, MD 20014, USA.

INTERNATIONAL SYMPOSIUM ON CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM EFFECTS OF HYPOTHALAMIC HORMONES AND OTHER PEPTIDES

Place/Date: Montreal, May l-3, 1978. Scientific Program: The topics of the Symposium were: a) Effects of hypothalamic hormones on behaviour; b) Extra pituitary endocrin effects of hypo- thalamic hormones; c) Effects of hypothalamic hormones on CNS biogenic amines; opioid peptides; e) Effect of ACTH, MSH and vassopressin on CNS.

d) Endogenouq-

Further information: R. Collu, HGpital Sainte-Justine, 3175 chemin de la C8te Sainte-Catherine, Montrdal QuL., H3T ICS, Canada.