NIH News Advisory
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH
 National Institute of
Neurological Disorders and Stroke

National Institute of Mental Health

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Friday, October 5, 2001

Contact:
Margo Warren, NINDS (301) 496-5751 or
Amy Pianalto (301) 526-2732
(for Oct. 8 inquiries)

Panel of Nobel Laureates to Discuss 50 Years of Brain Research at the NIH
Christopher Reeve to Address Patients' Perspective

The National Institutes of Health is celebrating 50 years of achievement in brain research with a two-day scientific symposium that will bring together the country's leaders in neuroscience and neurology. While the entire symposium is open to the media, there are two sessions that may be of particular interest. In one session, Christopher Reeve will discuss the contribution brain research has made toward helping him and other patients with spinal cord injuries. In the other session, moderated by CBS News' Lesley Stahl, four Nobel Prize winning neuroscientists will have a panel discussion of how past and current research has led to a better understanding of the brain and how this will lead to treatments and cures for neurological diseases. The symposium, cosponsored by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) and the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) is drawing top researchers, clinicians, and members of patient advocacy groups from across the country. The full program is available online at www.50brain.org.

Session One: Tuesday October 9, 2001, 3:45 p.m.
Christopher Reeve "My View" A Patient's Perspective
   
Session Two:Wednesday October 10, 2001, 1 p.m.
Panel of Four Nobel Laureates in the Neurosciences, Moderator: Lesley Stahl
   
 Paul Greengard, Ph.D.
2000 Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine for his discovery of the mechanism
for synaptic transmission in the central nervous system
 Eric Kandel, M.D.
2000 Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine for his demonstration of the way nerve cells alter
their responsiveness to chemical signals to produce a coordinated change in behavior
 Stanley Prusiner, M.D.
1997 Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine for his discovery of the link of prions
(protein particles in the brain) to several neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's and mad cow disease
 Torsten Wiesel, M.D.
1981 Nobel Prize Winner in Medicine along with David H. Hubel for discovering the
process underlying the origin of visual perception
   
Where: Natcher Conference Center, NIH Campus
Bethesda, Maryland

Due to increased security on the NIH campus, press are encouraged to use Metro. If driving, please leave extra time for security checks and plan to enter the campus from the South Drive entrance on Rockville Pike. Limited parking is available in Lot 41, across from the Natcher Center.