This book is based on invited presentations at the Ninth International Catecholamine Symposiwn. Over several decades, each International Catecholamine Symposiwn (ICS) has provided a uniquely important forwn for updating basic as well as clinical research on the catecholamines, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. The first ICS took nd n1 place in Bethesda, Maryland, in the USA in 1958; the 2 in Milan, Italy in 1965; the 3 th in Strasbourg, France in 1973; the 4th in Asilomar, California, USA in 1978; the 5 in th th Goteborg, Sweden in 1983; the 6 in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1987; the 7 in Amsterdam, th Netherlands in 1992; and the 8 in Asilomar, California, USA in 1996. th The 9 International Catecholamine Symposiwn (9ICS) was held in Kyoto, Japan, th March 31-April 5, 2001. This ICS was held concurrently with the 5 International th Conference on Progress in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease (5 ADPD). These international meetings were coordinated to be a joint international congress. Catecholamines and related neurotransmitters and neuromediators play important roles in the pathogenesis of symptoms and neurodegenerative processes of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Therefore, the Joint Congress provided an opportunity for investigators and clinicians working in these fields to exchange their. most recent investigational results and clinical experiences. This Joint International Congress turned out to be an enormous success, attended by 1258 participants from 38 countries, in an enthusiastic and pleasant atmosphere."

This two-volume work contains the full text of the oral and poster presentations and the general discussion at the round table discussion of the Second International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases: Basic and Therapeutic Strategies, held at the Kyoto Park Hotel in Kyoto, Japan, on November 6-10, 1989. The First Conference was held at the Aviya Sonesta Hotel in Eilat, Israel, on March 24-27, 1985. , The record of this First Conference was published by Plenum Press in 1986 as Volume 29 in Advances in Behavioral Biology, under the title "Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases: Strategies for Research and Development." We are happy that the comprehensive texts of the oral and poster presentations of the Second Conference could again be published within the framework of this series. Since the First Conference in 1985, rapid progress has been made in both basic and therapeutic aspects of these diseases. About 700 scientists from allover the world participated in the Second Conference, and 300 papers were presented in oral and poster sessions. Many people and organizations have helped to organize this multi disciplinary international conference and hence have contributed to the scientific quality of these two volumes. We thank the members of the organizing committee, the organizations that provided financial support, and the contributing scientists for their enthusiastic participation.

This two-volume work contains the full text of the oral and poster presentations and the general discussion at the round table discussion of the Second International Conference on Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases: Basic and Therapeutic Strategies, held at the Kyoto Park Hotel in Kyoto, Japan, on November 6-10, 1989. The First Conference was held at the Aviya Sonesta Hotel in Eilat, Israel, on March 24-27, 1985. The record of this First Conference was published by Plenum Press in 1986 as Volume 29 in Advances in Behavioral Biology, under the title "Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Diseases: Strategies for Research and Development." We are happy that the comprehensive texts of the oral and poster presentations of the Second Conference could again be published within the framework of this series. Since the First Conference in 1985, rapid progress has been made in both basic and 'therapeutic aspects of these diseases. About 700 scientists from allover the world participated in the Second Conference, and 300 papers were presented in oral and poster sessions. Many people and organizations have helped to organize this multi disciplinary international conference and hence have contributed to the scientific quality of these two volumes. We thank the members of the organizing committee, the organizations that provided financial support, and the contributing scientists for their enthusiastic participation. These two volumes follow the same publishing philosophy as the volume derived from the First Conference. They span a broad spectrum of topics and bridge preclinical and clinical concepts related to these diseases.

This book is based on invited presentations at the Ninth International Catecholamine Symposiwn. Over several decades, each International Catecholamine Symposiwn (ICS) has provided a uniquely important forwn for updating basic as well as clinical research on the catecholamines, dopamine, norepinephrine, and epinephrine. The first ICS took nd n1 place in Bethesda, Maryland, in the USA in 1958; the 2 in Milan, Italy in 1965; the 3 th in Strasbourg, France in 1973; the 4th in Asilomar, California, USA in 1978; the 5 in th th Goteborg, Sweden in 1983; the 6 in Jerusalem, Israel, in 1987; the 7 in Amsterdam, th Netherlands in 1992; and the 8 in Asilomar, California, USA in 1996. th The 9 International Catecholamine Symposiwn (9ICS) was held in Kyoto, Japan, th March 31-April 5, 2001. This ICS was held concurrently with the 5 International th Conference on Progress in Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Disease (5 ADPD). These international meetings were coordinated to be a joint international congress. Catecholamines and related neurotransmitters and neuromediators play important roles in the pathogenesis of symptoms and neurodegenerative processes of Alzheimer's disease and Parkinson's disease. Therefore, the Joint Congress provided an opportunity for investigators and clinicians working in these fields to exchange their. most recent investigational results and clinical experiences. This Joint International Congress turned out to be an enormous success, attended by 1258 participants from 38 countries, in an enthusiastic and pleasant atmosphere."

This b00k reviews the recent advances in the research on Parkinson's disease. It contains review articles from basic to clinical researches including the historical introduction and the molecular biological approach to Parkinson's disease. Parkinson's disease is the most representative, age-related neurodegenerative disease. It is clinically characterized by movement disorders such as muscle rigidity, akinesia and tremor. The elucidation of its biochemical and molecular mechanisms has rapidly been progressing and is expected to contribute to the understanding of normal brain aging in general. This project is supported by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research on Priority Areas, "Molecular Biology of the Motor System," Ministry of Education, Science and Culture, Japan, for 3 years from 1987 to 1989. We are grateful for the support. These reviews are a part of the works which have been supported by this Grant-in-Aid. The characteristics of this research project on Parkinson's disease are interdisciplinary approach from basic, molecular biology to clinical medicine, and the molecular biological approach is expected to be the most promising for the elucidation of the pathogenesis. The collaboration and discussion between basic and clinical researchers in this Priority Area Project has been efficient and productive. We hope that this book can mark another new milestone in the studies on Park, oson's disease and in neuroscience. We are very grateful to Nippon Schering for their generous support for the publication of this book. Last but not least, we thank Springer-Verlag Wien New York for the excellent production of this book and the excellent cooperation.

This book provides a reference guide describing the current status of medication in all major psychiatric and neurological indications, together with comparisons of pharmacological treatment strategies in clinical settings in Europe, USA, Japan and China. In addition, it highlights herbal medicine as used in China and Japan, as well as complementary medicine and nutritional aspects. This novel approach offers international readers a global approach in a single dedicated publication and is also a valuable resource for anyone interested in comparing treatments for psychiatric disorders in three different cultural areas. There are three volumes devoted to Basic Principles and General Aspects, offering a general overview of psychopharmacotherapy (Vol. 1); Classes, Drugs and Special Aspects covering the role of psychotropic drugs in the field of psychiatry and neurology (Vol. 2) and Applied Psychopharmacotherapy focusing on applied psychopharmacotherapy (Vol. 3). These books are invaluable to psychiatrists, neurologists, neuroscientists, medical practitioners and clinical psychologists.