History

Brief History and Current Status of the INA

Koho Miyoshi, M.D.,Ph.D. The INA president.

Summary

The International Organization of Neuropsychiatry (ION) was established by Spanish and American neuropsychiatrists in Seville in the year of 1996.  In conjunction with the 2nd congress in Toronto (1998), the International Neuropsychiatric Association (INA) was established to supersede the ION. Since then, the International Congresses of Neuropsychiatry have been held every two years, namely in Kyoto (2000), Buenos Aires (2002), Athens (2004), Sydney (2006) and Cancun (2008). Here, the brief history and topics of the plenary lectures and symposia in the past congresses are reviewed.  And the current status of the International Neuropsychiatric Association, including Mission Statement, Officers, Committees, and Regional Activities, is also mentioned briefly.

Introduction

International Organization of Neuropsychiatry (ION), currently International Neuropsychiatric Association, was established in 1996.  According to the Mission Statement, the INA aims to prevent or reduce the suffering of the patients with neuropsychiatric disorders by studying the psychiatric symptoms or syndromes in cerebral disorders, and by investigating neurobiological bases of psychiatric disorders.  The INA provides a forum for interaction and exchange of ideas among professionals in neuropsychiatry and endeavors to publicize and disseminate both clinical and academic advances in the field of neuropsychiatry. Here the brief history of the association and current states are mentioned briefly for the introduction of the new INA members.

The International Organization of Neuropsychiatry was originally planned to establish by Spanish and American neuropsychiatrists in Seville 1996. The Organizing Committee consisted of four persons. They were Dr. Barry S. Fogel, Brown University (US), Dr. Moises Gaviria, The University of Illinois at Chicago (US), Dr. Jose Giner, The University of Seville (Spain), and Dr. Robert Green, Emory University School of Medicine (US). The committee proposed to establish the international organization and to hold the congress. In the flyer to call the congress, the intentions were described as follows.

Dear Colleague:

Neuropsychiatry is a burgeoning discipline not only in the United States, but worldwide. Recent bi-national meetings sponsored by the American Neuropsychiatric Association and the British Neuropsychiatric Association not only attest to widespread interest in neuropsychiatry but also to meaningful and interesting differences in neuropsychiatric training, practice, and thinking among countries.

This summer’s World Congress of Psychiatry in Madrid, Spain offers an excellent opportunity to convene neuropsychiatrists from around the world to encourage the development of a world neuropsychiatric community, that could subsequently maintain communications over the Internet. The American Neuropsychiatric Association (ANPA), The University of Illinois at Chicago Department of Psychiatry, and The University of Seville Department of Psychiatry have undertaken to organize an International Congress of Neuropsychiatry, to be held in Seville, Spain for three days immediately following the World Congress. The program includes plenary presentations by major American, British, European and Latin American scientist and clinicians, poster sessions, and round table discussions. All major speakers have agreed to be available on the day of their talk for informal interchanges with participants, and all major speakers will participate in lunch round tables on a variety of topics. Interpreters will be available to facilitate cross-national communications.

The Hotel Alfonso XIII, site for the meeting, is one of the finest hotels in the world, and Seville offers a picturesque venue that is a short flight from other European cities.

We look forward to seeing you at this meeting, the first of many such international gatherings.

Sincerely,

The International Congress of Neuropsychiatry

Organizing Committee

The 1st Congress was held successfully at the Hotel Alfonso XIII in Seville, August 29-31 in 1996. Large numbers of neuropsychiatrists, approximately 400, from Europe, North and South America and Asia-Oceania gathered there and discussed enthusiastically about the new organization of neuropsychiatry.

The Topics in the 1st Congress were as follows;

Creating a World Neuropsychiatric Community, New Developments in Dementia, The Frontal Lobe System, Advances in Brain Imaging, Keynote Lecture: The Past and the Future of Neuropsychiatry, Basic and Clinical Topics in Neuropsychiatry, Round Table Discussion (Education and Training, Organization and Financing of Health Care, Outcome Studies, AIDS Dementia Complex, Aggression, Psychiatric Symptoms in Dementia), The Practice of Neuropsychiatry and System Care, Clinical Perspectives in Neuropsychiatry (Neuropsychiatry in Europe, SPECT and Depression, Schizophreniform Phenomena and the Temporal Lobe, Biology of Melancholia, Laterality and Schizophrenia, Building a World Neuropsychiatric Community)

And, Principal Speakers in the 1st Congress were;

A Ardila (US), S Cervera (Spain), J Cook (US), E Costa (US), J Cummings (US), A David (UK), B Dubois (France), L Farrer (US), B Fogel (US), J Giner (Spain), P Gorelick (US), P Grasby (UK),R Green (US), J Guimon (Switzerland), T Jobe (US), C Leal (Spain), A Lishman (UK), H Markowitsch (Germany), M Mesulam (US), M Rasenick (US), S Rauch (US),J Vallejo-Ruiloba (Spain), M Spitzer (Germany),N Vokow (US) ,P Whitehouse (US),etc

Soon after the congress in Seville, Dr. Colin Shapiro (Toronto) and Dr. Koho Miyoshi (Kyoto) expressed their intentions to the organizing committee to hold the coming neuropsychiatric congress in their countries. The arrangement of the future congress was discussed in Orlando, Florida, where the 8th Annual Meeting of American Neuropsychiatric Association was held, in 1997. Dr. Moises Gaviria attended the meeting on behalf of the organizing committee of the 1st Congress in Seville. And, it was decided to hold the 2nd Congress in Toronto.

Dr. Shapiro, Dr. Gaviria and Dr. Miyoshi gathered to discuss about the financial issues of the INA in Hawaii, where the 9th Annual Congress of American Neuropsychiatric Association was held in January 1998, and decided to manage the organization temporarily by their financial contributions.

The 2nd International Congress of Neuropsychiatry, which was called formally as “International Neuropsychiatry Congress (INC) and American Neuropsychiatric Association (ANPA) 1998 Joint Meeting, was held May 31 in Toronto, Canada. The INA sessions and the ANPA sessions were held in the meeting. In conjunction with the Toronto meeting, the International Neuropsychiatric Association (INA), dedicated to promoting the study of the brain and behavior from a neuropsychiatric perspective, was established to supersede the ION. Twenty-four countries from Europe, North and South America, Asia, and Australia were represented. It was decided that the association would hold biennial meeting.

As the 1st president of the association, Dr. Colin Shapiro (Canada) was elected. Dr. Koho Miyoshi (vice president) and Dr. Moises Gaviria (secretary general) were elected as the officer. And, Drs. RH Belmaker (Israel), EYH Chen (Hong Kong), DD Dikeos (Greece), M Robertson (UK), P Sachdev (Australia), and P Sandor (Canada) were elected as the members of the Executive Committee. The office of the INA was decided to locate in the office of the president in Toronto. Dr. Paul Sander (Canada) was elected as a newsletter editor, and Dr. Sharon Chung (Canada) was appointed as the secretariat in the INA office.

The Mission Statement was proposed and accepted in the executive committee.

Mission Statement of the International Neuropsychiatric Association (1998)

  1. The INA aims to prevent or reduce the suffering of people with brain-behavior disorders by increasing, integrating, and disseminating knowledge and understand the relationships between brain function and human behavior.
  2. The INA aims to accomplish this objective by providing a forum for interaction and exchange of ideas among a variety of professionals with an interest in neuropsychiatric issues.
  3. The INA endeavors to publicize and disseminate both clinical and academic advances in the field to bring about improved health for people throughout the world. Although rapidly advancing medical technology has greatly expanded the frontiers of neuropsychiatry, the INA will strive to preserve the humanistic values of medicine.
  4. The IN endeavors to raise awareness of neuropsychiatry particularly in those countries where it is not well known or recognized.

The scientific topics and principal speakers in the 2nd Congress were;

Neuropsychiatry of Tourettes’ Syndrome [M Robertson (UK), EC Miquel (Brazil), BJM van de Wetering (the Netherlands)], The Epidemiology of Hallucinations [M Ohayon (Canada)], Neuropsychiatry and Neuroimaging[L Farde (Sweden), P Martin(US), R Dolan (UK)],Genetics and Psychobiology of Personality (Keynote Lecture)[CR Cloninger (US)],Genetics of Neuropsychiatry[K Kidd (US), D Black (US),M Lepper (US), B Clementz (US), P Propping(Germany)] and Art and the Mind[H Walton (UK)]

The executive committee was held in New Orleans, where the 10th Annual Congress of American Neuropsychiatric Association took place, on January 31, 1999. The proposed by-laws of the INA was examined and accepted by the executive committee.

The 3rd Congress was held in Kyoto, Japan, April 9-13 in the year of 2000. The venue of the Congress was The Kyoto International Conference Hall at Takaragaike, Kyoto. At the Kyoto meeting, approximately 700 people participated. Thirty one countries and districts, including Australia, Belgium, Canada, Croatia, Egypt, France, Germany, Greece, Hong Kong, India, Israel, Italy, Japan, Lithuania, Macedonia, the Netherlands, the Philippines, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, the United Arab Emirates, the United Kingdom, the United States, Uruguay, and Venezuela, sent the delegates.

The topics of the plenary lectures in the 3rd Congress were;

Dementia with Lewy Body [I McKeith(UK)], Tourette Syndrome[MM Robertson (UK)]. Neuropsychiatry in the Elderly [JL Cummings(US)], Zen and the Brain[JH Austin(US)]. Functional Neuroimaging[H Shibazaki(Japan)],Sex Differences in Brain Aging[CE Coffey (US)],Biological Substrate of Late Life Depression [J Schweitzer (Australia)], Neuropsychiatry of Stroke [RG Robinson(US)], Neuropsychiatry of Limbic and Subcortical Disorders [SP Salloway(US)],Neuroimaging and Neurobiology of Schizophrenia [N Andreasen(US)], Brain Laterality and Psychopathology [G Gainotti (Italy)], Behavioral and Psychological Symptoms of Dementia [SI Finkel (US)], Neuropsychiatry in 21 Century[C Shapiro (Canada)], Positron Emission Tomography Studies in Schizophrenia [JJ Lopez-Ibor (Spain)], Neuropsychiatric Aspects of Sleep Disorders[C Soldatos (Greece)],Brain Pathology of Dementia [K Kosaka (Japan)], Non-Alzheimer Type of Dementia [L Gustafson(Sweden)], New Trends of Pharmacological Treatment of Dementia [K Miyoshi(Japan)], and Schizophrenia-like Psychoses and Epilepsy[P Sachdev (Australia)].

And, the topics of the symposia and workshop in the 3rd Congress were; Worldwide Collaborations in Neuropsychiatry, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Advances in Psychooncology and Psychoimmunology, Behavioral Genetics of Personality, Vulnerability Markers of Schizophrenia, Vascular Dementia, Biology of Eating Disorders, Dementia in Asian Countries, Brain and Behavior, Molecular Genetics of Stimulant-Induced Psychosis, Neuropsychaitric Disorders and Related Conditions, Clinical Aspects of Dementing Disorders, Fronto-Temporal Lobe Dementia, Genetics of Schizophrenia and Affective Disorders, Alzheimer’s Disease, Neuropharmacology, Neuropsychiatric Aspects of Schizophrenia, Anticonvulsants, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorders and Personality Disorders, Diffuse Lewy Body Disease, Lithium and Signal Transduction, Genetics of Personality, and Post-Mortem Brain Specimens to Study Affective Disorders.

The monograph; Contemporary Neuropsychiatry, consists of selected papers from the 3rd Congress, was edited by K Miyoshi, C Shapiro, M Gaviria and Y Morita, and published by Springer Verlag Tokyo in 2001.

The 4th Congress, chaired Dr. Marquez (Buenos Aires), was held in Buenos Aires in 2002. The venue was Hotel Crown Plaza Panamericano in Buenos Aires.

Approximately, fifteen hundred people participated in the Congress. The topics of the meeting covered the neuropsychiatric field almost completely. As the 2nd INA president, Dr. Moises Gavira(US) was elected for two years term. Treasurer [G Tortora (Argentina)] and the members of Executive Committee [R Belmaker(Israel), K Miyoshi (Japan), A Kanner (US), ES Krishnamoorthy (India), M Marquez(Artentina), S Shi(China), J Tellez(Columbia), D Dikeos (Greece) and C Soldatos (Greece)] were elected in the Executive Meeting.

The issues of the official journal and committees, such as education committee and membership committee were discussed in the Executive Meeting.

The topics of the lectures in the 4th Congress were;

Psychopathology in Epilepsy [A Kanner (US)], G-Protein Signaling in Anti-depressants[M Rasenick (US)], Tau Changes and Deficit in Episodic Memory[L Binder(US)], Concussion in Sports [R Bornstein(US)], New Trends in the Treatment of Dementia[K Miyoshi(Japan)], Cognitive Impairment in Parkinson’s Disease[ O Gershanik(Argentine)], Organic Psychosis as a Model for Schizophrenia[P Sachdev(Australia)], Thyroid Hormone and Affective Disorders[ R Bunevicius(Lithuania)],Neuropsychological and Neuropsychiatric Aspects of Electric Trauma[ N Pliskin(US)], Mechanism and Action of mu-Opioides[ J Lemos(US)], Cognitive Therapy[ R Baber(US)], Towards an Early and Presymptomatic Diagnosis of Primary Degenerative Dementia[C Mangone(Argentine)],Prion Disease[ AL Taratuto (Argentine)], Sleep Disorders [C Shapiro(Canada)], Cognitive-motor Disorder in Psychiatric Diseases[ RLeiguarda(Argentine)], Functional MRI in Neuropsychiatry [G Stebbens(US)],Neurogenesis in Adult Hippocampus[ A Schinder(Argentine)], Current Status and Future Directions in Psychiatric Neurosurgery[K Slavin(US)], Music Brain and Culture[ M Gaviria(US)], A Genetic Approach to the Conceptual Nosological Continuum of Schizophrenia and Mood Disorders [D Dikeos(Greece)], Vascular Dementia an Overview[ G Roman(US)],Cronobiology and Affective Disorders[ D Cardinali (Argentine)], Attention Deficit[J Gutierrez(Mexico)], Brain Damage and Recovery[ M Gaviria(US)], ECT in Neuropsychiatric Disorders[C Campillo (Mexico)], Neuropsycho immunology[ R Espaillat (Dominica)],Neuropsychology of Memory[ J Medina(Argentine)], Neuronal Networks in OCD[ M Marquez(Argentine)], Inflammation Transcription Factors[ Gderausquin(US)].

The topics of the symposia in the 4th Congress were;

Neuropsychiatry and Primary Care, Organic Bases of Psychopathology in Epilepsy, Neuroimaging in Neuropsychiatry, Cognitive Assessment Tools for Iberoamerica, Psychic Handicapped Condition, Pharmacological Management of Tourette’s Syndrome and Associated Disorders, Alzheimer’s Disease, Diagnostic Challenges in Neuropsychiatry, Frontal Lobe and Executive Function, Stress, New Neuropsychiatrics Approaches, New Trends in Depression, Neuropsychiatric Issues of Autism Spectrum, and Spectrum of the Frontotemporal Dementia.

In this conference, the Lishman Award and the Ramon Y Cajal Award were established. The Lishman Award was established to honour the modern pioneer of Neuropsychiatry, Professor Alwyn Lishman of London. It is presented every 2 years to an individual who has made a notable contribution to clinical neuropsychiatry at the international level. The awardee will be a distinguished clinician and practice, teaching and/or service delivery of neuropsychiatry beyond the boundaries of his or her own country. The Ramon Y Cajal Award was established to honour the Father of Neuroscience. This award is presented every 2 years to an individual who has made a distinguished contribution to neuroscience with an application to Neuropsychiatry. The awardee will be an eminent neuroscientist who has made salient contribution resulting in a paradigm shift or the development of novel diagnostic or management strategies.

Dr. Julio Vellejo Ruiloba (Spain) presented a lecture, titled as “Issues of Current Neuropsychiatry” as the first awardee of Ramón y Cajal Award, and Dr.Gustavo Roman (US) gave a lecture on “Vascular Dementia. An Overviews” as the first awardee of Alwyn Lishiman Award.

The 5th International Congress, in conjunction with the 1st Mediterranean Congress of World Federation of Societies of Biological Psychiatry, was held in Athens, October 14-18, in the year of 2004. The venue of the meeting was the International Conference Center at Megaron. Dr. Constantin Soldatos chaired the Congress. The possibilities to stimulate activities of the INA by collaborating with closely related scientific societies were clearly shown in this meeting.

This was the first Congress in European countries, and approximately 1,000 people participated in this meeting. And the scientific topics covered very widely in the field of neuropsychiatry as well as biological psychiatry. Since then, the regional INA meeting, named European Congress of the International Neuropsychiatric Association has been held every two years. Dr. Perminder Sachdev (Sydney) was elected as the 3rd INA president, and the INA office was moved to Sydney. Dr. M Trimble (UK), the awardee of Alwyn Lishman Award, presented the lecture on “The Evolution of the Limbic System and Epilepsy as a Clinical Model of Dissolution”. And, Dr.VS Ramachandran(US), the awardee of Ramon y Cajal Award, gave a lecture, titled: “Art and Brain”.

The topics of the lectures in the 5th Congress were;

Vascular Dementia [M Gaviria(US)]. Schizophrenia as Disorder of Consciousness[CR Hojaij (Australia)], Ethical Issues in Biological Psychiatry Research [A Okasha (Egypt)], Long-Term Outcome of Schizophrenia[ HJ Möller (Germany)], The Psychopathology of Fatigue[C Shapiro(Canada)], The Evolution of the Limbic System and Epilepsy[M Trimble(UK)], Art and Brain[ VS Ramachandran (US)], Bipolar I and II Disorders [ L Judd(US)], What Causes the Onset of Psychosis ?[ RM Murray(UK)], Can Stress Cause Depression?[ HM van Praag (the Netherlands)], Catatonia[ M Fink(US)], Neuropsychiatry of Traumatic Brain Injury[ RG Robinson(US)], Brain INA President Dr.C Soldatos (2006-2008) Mechanisms of Cognitive Processes [ A Georgopoulos(US)], Towards New International Classification and Diagnostic Systems[ JE Mezzich( US)], Biological Correlates of Obsessive Compulsive Disorders[JJ López-Ibor(Spain)],Genetics of Mood Disorders[ J Mendlewicz (Belgium)], Agitated Depression in Bipolar Disorder [M Maj (Italy)], Biological Perspectives in Psychiatric Prevention[ G Christodoulou( Greece)], Neuropsychiatric Aspects of Mental Disorders in Old Age[ K Miyoshi(Japan)], Impulsivity and Aggression[ JL Ayuso-Gutiérrez ( Spain)] and Whither Neuropsychiatry ? [ PS Sachdev (Australia)].

And, the topics of the symposia in the 5th Congress were;

Cognitive Declines and Behavioral Changes in neuropsychiatric Disorders, Methodological Approaches in Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Psychopharmacology for Children and Adolescents, Basic and Clinical Aspects on Hippocampus in Depression, Management of Post Stroke Depression, ECT, Emerging Pharmacological and Neuroimaging Strategies in the Evaluation and Treatment of Dementia,Neuroimaging, Clinical and Experimental Europsychopharmacology, Clinical Responses and Ethnopsychopharmacology, Neuropathological Vistas in Neuropsychiatry, New Developments in Event-Related Potential Methodology, Prise en Charge au long cours dans la schizophrenie (in French), Neuropsychiatry and Beyond, Updates from Clinical Research in Bipolar Disorders, Cognitive Functional and Structural Changes in First-Episode Schizophrenic Children and Adults, The Contribution of New Tools to the Comprehension of Schizophrenia, Nuevos avances en la enfermedad de Alzheimer (in Spanish), Themes and Variations in Neuropsychiatry, The Neuropsychiatry of Epilepsy, Neuroendocrinology of Stress-Related Psychiatric Disorders, Genetics of Cognitive and Eye Tracking Dysfunctions in Major Psychoses, Depression and Aging, Sleep Disorders in Neuropsychiatry and Biological Psychiatry, Neuropsychiatric Disorders in Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, Alzheimer’s Disease and Lewy Body Dementia, Biological Correlates of Learning Disabilities, Research in Neuroscience, Evidence of Schizophrenia as a Systemic Disease, Depression and Late Life Cognitive Disorders, Homocysteine and MTHER Polymorphism in Psychiatry, Thyroid-Brain Interaction across the Life Cycle, Continuing Challenges in Bipolar Disorders and its Treatment, Neurobiology of Eating Disorders, Neuropsychiatric Aspects of Traumatic Brain Injury, Psychopoathology in the Era of Neuroscience, Biological Aspects of Suicidal Behaviour, Animal Models of Schizophrenia, Magnetoencephalography in Psychiatry, Cholinesterase Inhibitors in Neuropsychiatry, The Link Between Experimental Studies and Clinical Practice, Neurocognitive Functions in Schizophrenia, Decision-Making Process in Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Utility of Quantitative EEG in Diagnosing and Treating Patients with Psychiatric Disorders, Neuropsychiatric Topics in Mexican Clinical Practice, etc.

The 6th Congress was held in Sydney in 2006. Approximately 600 people attended the congress. Neurobiological investigations of the endogenous psychoses as well as the neuropsychiatric disorders were discussed in the congress. In this congress, the realm of the neuropsychiatry was clearly widened by the impressive presentations of the neurobiological bases of endogenous psychoses as well as neuropsychiatric disorders. Dr.Perminder Sachdev, chair of the meeting, publicized the core curriculum for the training of neuropsychiatrists.

In this meeting, Dr. Soldatos was elected the 4th INA president. Professor Alvaro Pascual-Leone had been awarded the Ramon y Cajal award to his outstanding contribution to the understanding of higher cognitive functions and the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders using transcranial magnetic stimulation. The Lishman Award, has been awarded to Professor C Edward Coffey, an accomplished physician and health care leader recognized for developing highly successful integrated mental health care systems and for his important contributions to our understanding of brain-behavior relations. As the Award Lectures, Dr.A Pascual-Leone presented a lecture, titled ;” The Right Side in Sigmund Freud”, and Dr. CE Coffey gave a lecture on ”Dramatically Improving The Quality of Care in Neuropsychiatry”.

Instead of the sessions of the plenary lectures, the symposia and workshops were planned as the main sessions of the congress.

The topics of the symposia in the 6th Congress were;

Neuropsychiatry as a discipline for the future (Presidential Symposium), Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Neurophilosophy, Psychiatric Aspects of Epilepsy, Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Neurology of Schizophrenia, Newer Antidepressants, Delusional Belief, Developmental Neuropsychiatry, Neuropsychopharmacology, Neuroimaging, Neurobiology of Consciousness, Movement Disorders and Catatonia, Neurobiology of Halluciantions, Neuropsychiatry of Bipolar Disorder, Old Age Psychiatry, Vitamins,

Homocysteine and omega 3 in Neuropsychiatry, Investigative Applications, Genetics of Childhood-Onset Psychiatric Disorders, Brain Stimulation, Neurobiology of Eating Disorders, Neuroimaging, Neurobiology of Melancholia, Unusual and Uncommon Neuropsychiatric Syndromes, New Horizons in Epilepsy and Behaviour, Brain Changes in Early Psychosis, Current Status of Vascular Cognitive Impairment, An Update on ECT, Depression in Old Age, ADHD Across the Lifespan, Catatonia and Cycloid Psychoses, Parkinson’s Disease, The Genetics of Neuropsychiatric Disorders, Frontotemporal Dementia, Dementia, Controversies about Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), Neuropsychiatry of Sleep, Brain Reserve, and Traumatic Brain Injury.

Principal participants of the meeting in the program of the 6th Congress were; RH Belmaker(Israel), M Bennett(Australia), S Berkovic (Australia), H Brodaty(Australia), GA Broe (Australia), CE Coffey (US),D Copolov (Australia), A David (UK), M Gaviria(US), P Hay(Australia), A Jablensky (Australia),D Jeste (US), P Joyce (New Zealand), ES Krishnamoorthy(India), HS Mayberg (Canada), R Meares (Australia), P Mitchell (Australia), K Miyoshi(Japan), C Pantelis (Australia), G Parker( Australia), A Pascual-Leone(US), GC Román (US), M Ron(US), I Skoog(Sweden), C Shapiro(Canada), A Snyder(US), CR Soldatos (Greece), SE Starkstein (Australia), M Trimble(UK), etc.

The 7th Congress took place in Hotel Fiesta Americano Condesa, Cancun, Mexico, December 3-5, 2008. As a chairman of the Congress, Professor Ricardo Colin-Piana and his colleagues organized the meeting very nicely. Scientific topics covered widely in neuropsychiatric field. The awardee of Cajal’s award, Dr.M Marsel Mesulam presented a lecture on “Primary Progressive Aphasia”. And, the awardee of Lishman’s award, Dr.German E Berrios gave a lecture on “Neuropsychiatry-Clinical Epistemology and Hermeneutics”.

The topics of the plenary lectures in the 7th Congress were;

Early Detection of Neurodegenerative and Vascular Dementia[ A Wallin(Sweden)], Behavioral Disturbances in Dementia[ M Mendez(US)], Thyroid Axis Functioning and Psychosis[ R Bunevicius(Lithuania)], Atypical Viral Brain Infections[ J Sotelo (Mexico )], The Mayan Heritage[ JD Vos (Mexico)], Atypical Antipsychotics and Neuroleptic Malignant Syndrome[J Trollor(Australia)],Neuropsychiatry and Humanism [R Alarcon(US)],Psychotic Disorders after Temporal Lobectomy[ ES krishnamoorthy(India)], Conversion Disorders [ B Yeong(Singapore)], Mirrors in the Brain[ P Sachdev(Australia)], and Dangerous Lives, War and the Emotional Health of Journalists[ A Feinstein(Canada)].

And, the topics of the symposia in the 7th Congress were;

Steroid Hormones in Mental Health and Disease, Cognitive Neuroscience, Neuropsychiatry of Frontal Lobes, Neuropsychiatry of Multiple Sclerosis, Neuropsychiatry and Addictions, Neuropsychiatry of Affective Disorders, Traumatic Brain Injury, Brain Stimulation Therapies, Neurointegrative Mechanisms of Psychological Trauma and Chronic Pain, History of Neuropsychiatry, Neurodegeneration, Epidemiology of Vascular and Metabolic Factors in Mental Disorders, and International Health.

Dr. Koho Miyoshi succeeded the INA presidency. And, Dr. I Skoog (Sweden), Dr.D Arciniegas (US), Dr. K Maeda (Japan) and Dr. E Coffey (US) were elected as the new members of the Executive Committee. And, Dr. M Gaviria (Member of the Advisory Council) was re-elected as the member of the Executive Committee.

The Argentine Neuropsychiatric Association holds the Latin-American Congress of Neuropsychiatry every year since 2003. The Indian Neuropsychiatric Group holds the Indian Symposium of Neuropsychiatry biennially since 2004. The Greek Neuropsychiatric Group hosts the European Congress of the International Neuropsychiatric Association every two years since 2004. Japan Neuropsychiatric Association held the Kobe Conference of the International Neuropsychiatric Association in Kobe, Japan, September 12-13, 2009.

The 8th International Congress of Neuropsychiatry was held in Chennai in 2011. Dr.Krishnamoorthy chaired the Congress. The 9th Congress was in Chicago. Dr. Moises Gaviria, one of the founders of the INA, porganized the meeting. Pervian Psychiatrist, Dr. Gastelumendi held a regional congress of neuropsychiatry in Lima, Peru, June 18-19, 2010. The 3rd European INA congress toke place in Thessaloniki, Greece, November 18-21, 2010.

Cerebral disorders almost always cause psychiatric symptoms. Therefore, integration of neurology and psychiatry is necessary for the clinical procedures to relieve the distress of patients with brain disorders. In the aged society, numbers of the patients with neuropsychiatric disorders is increasing. There are no doubt that neuropsychiatry will be much more important in the aged society. In psychiatric field, neuropsychiatry has been trying to deepen our understanding of psychiatric disorders from a viewpoint of neurobiology. As you know, recent investigations with current neuroscience have been widening the perspective of neuropsychiatry by revealing the neurobiological bases of so called functional psychiatric disorders.

The International Neuropsychiatric Association welcomes any individuals who are interested in neuropsychiatry, and any neuropsychiatric groups to join to the INA as regular members and / or affiliated associations.