World Federation of Neurology (WFN) was formed in Brussels, Belgium, in 1957, as an association of national neurological societies. It is a UK registered charity[1] with a mission[2][3] to foster quality neurology and brain health worldwide through promoting global neurological education and training, with the emphasis on under-resourced parts of the world.
WFN was founded during the Sixth World Congress of Neurosciences, and at the First International Congress of Neurological Sciences, held in Brussels in July, 1957.[4][5][6]
The meetings were attended by 38 national delegates representing 29 national societies from Europe, Latin American (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Cuba, Peru, Uruguay), USA, Africa (South Africa) and Asia (Iran and India):[4][citation needed]
An informal WFN Policy Committee was formed to consider the future policy of the new organisation. It consisted of WFN members from different countries. Among them were Macdonald Critchley, Eddie P. Bharucha (Bombay, India), Russell N. DeJong (Ann Arbor, USA), Georg Schaltenbrand (West Germany), Francois Thiébaut (Strasbourg, France), Oscar Montes Trelles (Lima, Peru), and Semen Aleksandrovich Sarkisov (Moscow, USSR). Because the term policy had different meanings in different countries, the Policy Committee was re-named the Steering Committee in 1969.[11]
WFN Presidents
According to the constitution and bye-laws, the president and the secretary-treasurer general should each serve for four years.[3] Re-election is not allowed.
The concept of World Brain Day was born over a corridor conversation between Tissa Wijeratne , Mohommad Wasay and Vladimir Hachinski in 2010. It was formelly endorsed at the next Council of Delegates meeting with unanimous voting. WFN birthday, 22 July was seleceted as the Day of Brain, World Brain Day.[12]Tissa Wijeratne and Prof David Dodick Co-Chair the World Brain during 2023.
WFN Speciality Groups
Van Bogaert and the leadership of the WFN realised the importance of creating groups of international leaders in various fields of neurology. These groups were called Problem Commissions.[4][5]
During the first years of its existence, the WFN economy of the WFN had been based upon generous support from the NINDB,[5][7][13][14] a part of the U.S. National Institutes of Health (NIH). From 1965, it was clear that no further funding for WFN activities would come from the US Government sources.[15]
At a meeting of the WFN Executive Committee (later re-named the Council of Delegates), past and present officers of the WFN with Chairmen and Secretaries of the Problem Commissions met in Geneva in July 1966.[5] The Problem Commissions were re-named "Research Groups" and organised in the new Research Committee.[4][5] The Secretaries of these Research Groups would now form the Research Committee.[citation needed]
The hope was that each Research Group should bring money to the organisation.[4][16] A few did, but many Research Groups were unable to support WFN financially. John Walton's idea was that some Problem Commissions – now Research Groups – might develop into international societies that could become corporate members of the Research Committee with the payment of an annual subscription that might improve the economy of the organisation.[13] This proved to be a great step forward. But it took several years until it worked. In the meantime, the economic situation remained critical.
By 1969, the income of the Research Committee was only sufficient to support the secretarial and administrative expenses of the Committee. No grants were available to the Research Groups to support their activities.[17]
By 2010[18] the groups were known as "Applied Research Groups" and in 2019 renamed to Specialty Groups.
World Neurology
World Neurology Journal
WFN was not in a position to sponsor meetings of the Problem Commissions, who usually met during international congresses.[4] In order to communicate with neurologists worldwide, an international journal was needed. The Problem Commissions published reports from their meetings in World Neurology, later in the Journal of Neurological Sciences. This formed a backbone of an international network of neurologists.[citation needed]
Charles Poser had suggested to Ludo van Bogaert in March 1959 that WFN needed its own journal, both as a newsletter, for publication of research news, but also as a forum for the Problem Commissions, announcements of their meetings and reports from national and international meetings in neurology.[7] Poser became the Editor-in-Chief, with van Bogaert and Pearce Bailey as Associate Editors. The first issue of World Neurology was published in July 1960.
The new journal had an ambitious program. As the Editor-in-Chief wrote in his first editorial:[19]
Right from the beginning we are emphasising the international and multilingual nature of this publication as well as the variety of the aspects of neurology which we hope to cover. ... World Neurology… requests review papers on current concepts and recent advances in their field of endeavour from authorities in clinical and basic neurology and the allied disciplines. These are then translated into English, French, German, or Spanish, in each case, a language different from the one most often used by the author. An article in any language is followed by comprehensive abstracts in the other three.
Seen in retrospect, publishing articles in four different languages was too ambitious and time-consuming. The Editor-in-Chief realised that standards for reviewing manuscripts varied considerably over the world. The traditions of the referee systems varied. There were considerable differences in traditions for the presentation of data, and spelling, usage, style and grammar varied. The number of subscriptions was very slow to increase. Conflicts appeared. Charles Poser was replaced with Gilbert Glaser as Editor-in-Chief in September 1961 and World Neurology stopped publication in December 1962. It later reappeared in a different form as the WFN newsletter, while a new international Journal of the Neurological Sciences was founded in 1964.[20]
World Neurology Newsletter
Until Richard Masland's Presidency, the WFN newsletter was found in the Journal of the Neurological Sciences. Masland realised the importance of a separate newsletter with information of the development of the WFN, news from the Research Groups and communication about activities in the neurosciences worldwide. The first Newsletter of the World Federation of Neurology appeared as Highlights of the Meeting of the Council of Delegates and Research Committee WFN Hamburg, November 15, 1983. It contained information not only about the coming World Congress, but it also gave information about the WFN Research Groups and the development of the organisation. It then appeared in June 1984 (second announcement), November 1984 (third announcement) and as the Pre-Congress issue 15 July 1985.[4]
The cost of the four issues, which were circulated to over 18,000 neurologists was underwritten by the Congress Management and the German Organising Committee. Several pharmaceutical companies, Eisai, Hoechst Marion Roussel, Schering Healthcare, Lilly, and Smith Kline Beecham, gave substantial grants to help with the costs of publishing World Neurology in its new format, first with Eldred Smith-Gordon and subsequently with Cambridge Medical Publications.[citation needed]
In January 2013, World Neurology ceased printing in hard-copy and made available only as a new digital edition[21] through Ascend Integrated Media.[22]
Scientific Journals
The WFN scientific journals provides a medium for the publication of original articles in neurology and neuroscience from around the world. The journals places special emphasis on articles that:[23][citation needed]
provide guidance to clinicians around the world (Best Practices, Global Neurology);
report cutting-edge science related to neurology (Basic and Translational Sciences);
educate readers about relevant and practical clinical outcomes in neurology (Outcomes Research); and
summarise or editorialise the current state of the literature (Reviews, Commentaries, and Editorials).
Journal of the Neurological Sciences
The Journal of the Neurological Sciences (JNS) comprised topics from neurology-related fields that are considered to be of interest to practicing physicians around the world. Examples include neuromuscular diseases, demyelination, atrophies, dementia, neoplasms, infections, epilepsies, disturbances of consciousness, stroke and cerebral circulation, growth and development, plasticity and intermediary metabolism.[citation needed]
In 1964, Ludo van Bogaert and Armand Lowenthal negotiated a contract with Elsevier for a new journal, Journal of the Neurological Sciences, as the official bulletin of the WFN, with 6 issues a year. Each issue contained information from the WFN with reports from committee meetings. There were also reports from meetings of national and regional neurological societies. The scientific articles had summaries in English, French and German. Most papers were in English, but manuscripts in French or German were also accepted for publication.[26]
In 1964, Nikolai Graschenko (1901–1965) urged that the journal should also accept Russian as an official language. He pointed out that there were 5-6000 neurologists in the USSR. Van Bogaert was positive to having Russian as an official language, but pointed out that the printing costs would be too high because of the Cyrillian alphabet.[26]
Macdonald Critchley was the first Editor-in-Chief. In 1965, he was elected President of the WFN, and John Walton became the editor. The only financial support the editorial office was an annual grant of US$500 from the funds of the WFN, with no contribution from the publisher.[4][citation needed]
During the first years of its existence, the journal in addition served as a newsletter for the WFN. Reports from Council of Delegates, of Committee meetings and of WFN administrative affairs were published, often occupying several pages, but not always read as thoroughly as hoped. Around 1993, when World Neurology had become the established WFN newsletter and published in more than 20 000 issues, the journal could focus upon its main function, being a scientific journal.[27]
eNeurologicalSci (eNS)
Launched in March 2015,[28]eNeurologicalSci is the WFN Open Access scientific journal.[29]
World Congresses
Before WFN, there was no world organisation of neurology. The idea of an international neurology meeting was born in 1927, when two neurologists, Bernard Sachs (1858–1944) and Otto Marburg (1874–1948) met to discuss the needs for neurologists to come together to discuss neurosciences and progress in neurology.[4][30][31] The following year, Bernard Sachs wrote to key figures in international neurology.[32][33]
The first international neuroscience meeting took place in Berne, Switzerland, in September 1931. Bernard Sachs was the Congress President, Sir Charles Sherrington (1857–1952) Vice-President and Henry Alsop Riley (1887–1966) the Secretary-General. The Congress, which was a result of a generous initiative by the American Neurological Association, brought together individuals from 42 countries of several continents.[31][32][34]
The Berne congress was important because it was the first occasion for neurologists to meet, learn from each other, and exchange views.[32] But the idea of organising a world-wide club of neurological societies was still 25 years forward in time.[32] Before the World War II, a usual journey by sea across the Atlantic took about five days.[35][36][37] Scheduled trans-atlantic flights between the US and London/Europe did not begin until after 1947.[38][39][40][41] Progress in communication would be necessary for the future development of international neurology.
The first international congress of neurosciences in which WFN was involved, took place in Rome in September 1961.[4][42] The six first congresses have since been included in the sequence of World Congresses of Neurology (WCN), although they took place before WFN had been founded.[43]
President: Dr António Flores; Secretary-General: Dr Almeida Lima); Honorary Presidents: Sir Gordon Holmes, Dr Georges Charles Guillain, Dr André-Thomas, Dr Théophile Alajouanine, Dr Egas Moniz
6th
1957
Brussels, Belgium
7th
1961
Rome, Italy
President: Mario Gozzano; Vice President: H. Houston Merritt; Secretary: Giovanni Alema
8th
1965
Vienna, Austria
President: Hans Hoff; Vice-President: Franz Seitelberger; Secretary: Helmuth Tschabitscher
Neurochemistry is the study of chemicals, including neurotransmitters and other molecules such as psychopharmaceuticals and neuropeptides, that control and influence the physiology of the nervous system. This particular field within neuroscience examines how neurochemicals influence the operation of neurons, synapses, and neural networks. Neurochemists analyze the biochemistry and molecular biology of organic compounds in the nervous system, and their roles in such neural processes including cortical plasticity, neurogenesis, and neural differentiation.
Myerson's sign or glabellar tap sign is a clinical physical examination finding in which a patient is unable to resist blinking when tapped repetitively on the glabella, the area above the nose and between the eyebrows. It is often referred to as the glabellar reflex. It is often an early symptom of Parkinson's disease, but can also be seen in early dementia as well as other progressive neurologic illness. It is named for Abraham Myerson, an American neurologist.
Hiram Houston Merritt Jr. was a renowned academic neurologist. Serving as chair of the Neurological Institute of New York and Neurologist-in-Chief at NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital/Columbia University Medical Center in Manhattan's Washington Heights from 1948 to 1967, Merritt played a pivotal role in the training of numerous neurologists, with 35 of his students ascending to department chair positions in universities across the US. He also held the deanship of the Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons from 1958 to 1970.
The Decade of the Brain was a designation for 1990–1999 by U.S. president George H. W. Bush as part of a larger effort involving the Library of Congress and the National Institute of Mental Health of the National Institutes of Health "to enhance public awareness of the benefits to be derived from brain research".
Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyneuropathy (CIDP) is an acquired autoimmune disease of the peripheral nervous system characterized by progressive weakness and impaired sensory function in the legs and arms. The disorder is sometimes called chronic relapsing polyneuropathy (CRP) or chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy. CIDP is closely related to Guillain–Barré syndrome and it is considered the chronic counterpart of that acute disease. Its symptoms are also similar to progressive inflammatory neuropathy. It is one of several types of neuropathy.
Sir Gordon Morgan Holmes, was an Anglo-Irish neurologist. He is best known for carrying out pioneering research into the cerebellum and the visual cortex.
Piroheptine is an anticholinergic and antihistamine used as an antiparkinsonian agent.
Mark S. Gold is an American physician, professor, author, and researcher on the effects of opioids, cocaine, tobacco, and other drugs as well as food on the brain and behavior. He is married to Janice Finn Gold.
Frank Clifford Rose was a British neurologist, active in several journals and societies related to the specialty of neurology and its history, whose research contributed to the understanding of motor neurone disease, stroke and migraine. He developed an emergency stroke ambulance service with early neuroimaging, allowing for the detection of early reversible brain damage. In 1974, he established what would later be known as the Princess Margaret Migraine Clinic, a specialist clinic for headache at Charing Cross Hospital, where in 1965 he became their first appointed consultant neurologist.
Charles Marcel Poser (1923-2010) was an American neurologist. He was a Fellow of the Royal College of Physicians of Edinburgh (FRCPE).
Svetlana Dambinova is a Russian neuroscientist, Doctor of Biological Sciences, Distinguished Professor at Laboratory of biomarkers at Medical Center "DeKalb", Atlanta, USA. Dambinova was awarded as Honored Worker of Science of the Republic of Buryatia (1996) and Russian Federation (1998). Known in the world for research of glutamate receptors. The Head of the project of the International Department of Neurology SPBGMU them. Acad. Pavlov's.
Baldev Singh was an Indian neurologist. He was best known for collaborative works with neurologists Jacob Chandy, Balasubramaniam Ramamurthi and S. T. Narasimhan and together they have been credited to be pioneers in development of epilepsy surgery in India. They also helped in establishing the Neurological Society of India in 1951 at Madras. After training in the United States of America, he returned to India and established himself at Delhi. He was presented with the Padma Bhushan in 1972 for his contributions in the field of medicine.
Michael Jeffrey Aminoff is a clinical neurologist and neurophysiologist whose later clinical work focused on treating Parkinson's disease and related movement disorders. He retired in 2022 and lives in San Francisco, California.
Dame Ingrid Victoria Allen, was Professor Emerita of Neuropathology at Queen's University Belfast. She is mostly known for her research in pathology, neurodegeneration, neurovirology and demyelinating diseases, such as multiple sclerosis.
Elizabeth Roboz-Einstein was a biochemist and neuroscientist known for purifying and characterizing myelin basic protein (MBP), investigating its potential role in the neurodegenerative disease multiple sclerosis (MS), and helping pioneer the field of neurochemistry.
Anti-neurofascin demyelinating diseases refers to health conditions engendered by auto-antibodies against neurofascins, which can produce both central and peripheral demyelination. Some cases of combined central and peripheral demyelination (CCPD) could be produced by them.
Dr. Basant Kumar Misra is a neurosurgeon specialising in treating brain, spine, cerebrovascular and peripheral nervous system disorders, injuries, pathologies and malformations. He is the Vice-President of the World Federation of Neurosurgical Societies, and the former President of the Asian Australasian Society of Neurological Surgeons, and the Neurological Society of India. He is a recipient of Dr. B. C. Roy Award, the highest medical honour in India.
David Gardner-Medwin was a British physician who worked as a paediatric neurologist in Newcastle upon Tyne, serving as the only neurologist for children for a population of 3.5 million. He is credited with introducing multidisciplinary care to the management of boys with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). When he retired at the age of 60, four consultants were appointed to replace him.
Vimla Virmani, also seen as Vimala Virmani, was an Indian neurologist. In 1978, she became the first woman to serve as president of the Neurological Society of India.
Raad Shakir CBE is Professor of Neurology at Imperial College London and a Consultant Neurologist at Charing Cross Hospital.
1 2 3 4 5 Kertesz, Andrew; Gainotti, Guido (2010). "Historical notes on the World Federation of Neurology Research Group on Aphasia and Cognitive Disorders (RGACD)". Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 298 (1–2): 132–135. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2010.08.020. PMID20850794. S2CID38654733.
↑ "Minutes of the Executive Committee of the World Federation of Neurology, 21 September 1969". Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 10 (5): 504–516. 1970. doi:10.1016/0022-510x(70)90029-8.
↑ "Minutes of the meeting of the secretaries of the WFN problem commissions (Institut Bunge, Berchem-Antwerp, December 12, 1964)". Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 2 (6): 575–588. 1965. doi:10.1016/0022-510x(65)90004-3.
↑ Critchley, M (1967). "WFN-news: Meeting of the Research Committee (formerly World Association of Neurological Commissions) Geneva, 1-2 July 1966". Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 4 (2): 365–368. doi:10.1016/0022-510x(67)90116-5.
↑ Riley M.D., Henry Alsop. "Bernard Sachs – The Founder of the International Neurological Congresses". Journal of the Mount Sinai Hospital. 9 (4): 249–255.
1 2 Mount Sinai Hospital (New York, N. Y. ) (1942–1943). Journal of The Mount Sinai Hospital. Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. Mount Sinai Hospital.
↑ Casper, S. (2015). "Making neurology global: the first international neurological congress in Berne, Switzerland 1931". Journal of the Neurological Sciences. 357: e506. doi:10.1016/j.jns.2015.09.322. S2CID54228817.
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