โ Scribed by Bram Ongerboer de Visser; Majid Aramideh; Hans Speelman; Frans VanderWerf
No coin nor oath required. For personal study only.
The symposium was organized under the auspices of the Movement Disorder Society, which was also the main sponsor of the conference. The principal objectives of the meeting were to provide a forum for sharing information on and understanding of brainstem physiology and pathophysiology, which may lead to involuntary movements of muscles innervated by cranial nerves. Research in brainstem reflexes, functional anatomy and pathophysiology of the trigeminal, the oculomotor, and the vestibular system relevant to cranial pain, bruxism, cranial hyper-and hypokinesias, startle syndrome, dysphasia, palatal tremor with their treatment modalities, as well as neurosurgery in Parkinson's disease were covered by experts from Europe and the United States. The meeting was attended by approximately 100 participants from 17 countries and 4 continents.
The brainstem is a crossroad of central nervous system functions and a perfect model for the study of cerebral, cerebellar, and spinal cord routing signals and the control from these structures on the confined brainstem interneuronal networks. The latter in turn controls either motor behavior of cranial nerve nuclei or spinal cord interneurons involved in motor and sensory gating systems. The complexity of these systems necessitates a multidisciplinary approach of scientists from neuroanatomical, neurophysiological, neuropharmacological, neurosurgical, neurological, and other medical fields of interest to gain insights into mechanisms underlying normal and disordered movements in which function of brainstem structures is involved. Participants discussed actively the scientific developments and new strategies for further explorations. Due to this active and lively participation, it was unanimously decided, on the initiative of Dr. Valls-Sole ยด, to found a new society for serving the promotion of international exchanges of progress in brainstem research, the Brain Stem Society (B.S.S.).
The organizers of this conference gratefully appreciate the financial assistance of the Movement Disorder Society, SmithKline Beecham, Eli Lilly Nederland, Medtronics, Ipsen, the 4th May Foundation, and the R.A. Laan Foundation, to help defray the costs for holding the symposium and for publishing this supplement.
We hope these articles will stimulate further research in brainstem functions and in endeavors to eradicate the cause of the disabling movement disorders discussed in this symposium.
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