Advances in Research on Neurodegeneration

We organized the Seventh International Winter Conference on Neurodegeneration and Neuroinflammation in a small town of Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture in Japan on January 20 to 22, 1999. Karuizawa is a nice summer as well as winter resort close to the place for winter Olympic game in the year of 1998. Over 40 scientists gathered together and made hot discussion. Neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation are two major and important neurologic disorders, in which satisfactory neuroprotective and neurorestorative treatment is not available yet. For this purpose, understanding of molecular mechanisms of neuronal cell death in these two disorders is imperative. Recently, pathologic processes common to these two groups of disorders have been identified such as the involvement of inflammatory changes, microglia, cytokines, and apoptosis. We intended to involve scientists working in these two major fields together to participate in hot and fruitful discussion for the understanding of neuronal death and for developing newer methods of treatment. The science is progressing so rapidly today and we are working in a very narrow specialized area. Sometimes, we are ignorant about important discoveries in other fields. This conference was a nice opportunity for scien­ tists working different areas to meet together and to exchange their experi­ ence. This volume is the proceedings of this Winter Conference.