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December 2008
DCRI neuroscience highlighted at NIH symposium
Again assembling the best experts in the field of child neurology, the Neurobiology of Disease in Children (NDC) Symposium attracted about 400 child neurology experts last month with its focus on "Injury to the Preterm Brain and Cerebral Palsy."
It was quite a turnout given that there are only about 1,200 child neurologists worldwide, says DCRI executive director Dr. Bernard L. Maria, symposium organizer and principal investigator of the NIH grant that has continuously funded it since 2001.
The event - held this year in Santa Clara, CA - offers an opportunity for child neurologists, investigators and scholars to dive into one particular topic. Of the 3,500 different disorders that affect the developing nervous system in children, Dr. Maria says the challenge is to select just one each year that's important and also relevant in terms of breaking news.
With cerebral palsy on the rise and a subject of great controversy, it certainly fits the bill as a hot topic, says Dr. Maria. The survival rate for preterm birth babies has increased dramatically, up to 90 percent, but as a result brain injury and cerebral palsy are also increasing. Each year more than 60,000 babies are born prematurely; 25 to 50 percent of these children have neurologic problems ranging from cerebral palsy to learning disorders. The advent of stem cell therapy has raised many questions and controversies.
"The brain is very vulnerable in tiny newborns," explains Dr. Maria. "We have technologies that can support and help with survival, but we also now need to tackle quality-of-life issues, given that so many more of these infants are surviving."
The 2008 symposium included directors Dr. Michael Johnston of the Kennedy Krieger Institute in Baltimore, MD, Dr. Jan Brunstrom of St. Louis Children's Hospital, and Dr. Henrik Hagberg of Göteborg University in Sweden. Discussions and presentations included coverage of molecular mechanisms in injury to the preterm brain, clinical manifestations of cerebral palsy, pathogenesis and neuroimaging, and neuroprotective interventions.
The NDC provides a chance for child neurologists and other leaders in the field from across the world to learn about the latest discoveries and prioritize future directions.
One example of the impact of these meetings, says Dr. Maria, is the astonishing response of the scientific community to its proceedings, published each year in the Journal of Child Neurology. Nine papers from the 2006 symposium, the most recent for which figures are available, were among the Journal website's top ten downloaded papers of the year. The 2006 forum focused on spinal muscular atrophy.
"There were 5,900 full text downloads for one of the papers from that year, about 50 times average," explains Dr. Maria with pride.
"People are taking this information back to the patients and families they serve around the world," says Dr. Maria. "I think we're doing a good job of serving the child neurology community and helping the NIH focus on the low-hanging fruit." Dr. Story Landis, director of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (which sponsors the event), attends regularly and has described the conference series as a very successful "soup to nuts" symposium on important disorders.
A long-term impact of the meeting is the Young Investigator Program.
"Through this program, each year 20 talented young researchers have the opportunity to interact with the other generations of practitioners and scientists, their peers, advisors, CNS members and NIH program directors," explains Dr. Maria. "They get to think about the development of their careers and we have a chance to excite them about our field of medicine.
"We're helping current researchers but we're also shaping the minds of future leaders in child neurology, pediatrics, and neurosciences."
He was pleased to bring an awareness of MUSC and Charleston to the international event. "We brought Charleston's best to this," he notes. "Drs. Inderjit Singh and Doe Jenkins, and young investigator Eugene Chang were among featured faculty who presented translational research projects that explore protecting the brains of children at risk for cerebral palsy."
Next year's symposium, to be held in Louisville, KY, will focus on muscle disease.
"NDC has evolved into a leading mechanism that assembles scientists, clinicians, and other constituents to focus on a disorder and future priorities," says Dr. Maria. "It's an important event for child neurologists but also for organizations that help families cope with rare diseases. I'm really proud that MUSC is leading the way in defining future national research goals in pediatric neurosciences."
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