Second ISPNE Regional Congress for Central and Eastern Europe

IBRO Report of the Congress held at the International Congress Center, Parliament Palace in Bucharest, Romania, on 5-8 June 2002

The 2nd ISPNE Regional Congress for Central and Eastern Europe, was held at the International Congress Center, Parliament Palace in Bucharest, Romania, on 5-8 June 2002.The local organizer was the Romanian Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology, a young interdisciplinary scientific Society with over 300 members, founded in 1990. The board of ISPNE was deeply involved.

Participants from 16 countries were present, mainly from Bulgaria, Czech Republic, Greece, Hungary, Lithuania, Moldavian Republic, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey as well as invited speakers from USA, United Kingdom, Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, altogether about 450 people have presented and discussed along 3 full days contributions under the main topic "Challenges to Behavioral Adaptation". It was an interdisciplinary session with endocrinologists and psychiatrists, neurologists, neurosurgeons and psychologists, as well as pharmacologists, physiologists, anatomists, geneticians aside gynecological endocrinologists, pediatricians, and oncologists. Colin Ingram (Newcastle, UK) sustained a memorial lecture for Grigore T.Popa, who discovered the pituitary portal vessels system.

The program included 8 plenary lecture, 12 symposia, 48 short oral communications and 88 poster communications. The plenary lectures subjects were mental health of women related to hormonal balance (U.Halbreich, USA, P.Gaszner, Hu), Neuroimmunomodulation (I.Haulica, Ro, H N.Spector, USA), Human stress evaluation (D.Hellhammer, De), Thyroid hormones and Psychic disposal (R.Buneavicius, Lth), Biorhythms and the Pineal Gland (H.Illnerova, Cz), Mechanisms of Visual Perception (V.Nestianu, Ro), Sexual Motivation of Women (P.Genazzani, It), Glucocorticoid Feed Back (J.Morris, UK).

The symposia topics were related to the main Human Behavioural Reactions (Stress Response, D. Hellhammer, De, R. Mihailescu, Ro, Sexual Motivation and AIDS- M.Kumar, UK&D.Hudita, Ro), Hunger and Obesity- N.Finner, UK&V.Popovics, Se), Thirst and Drinking Behaviour (H.Lange, De, Gh.Petrescu, Ro), Sleep Disorders) or with the Neuroendocrine Tumors (Intracranial or Gastroenteropancreatic- M.Coculescu, Ro). Genetic Mechanisms were investigated (F.Grigorescu, Fr, M.Serbanescu, Ro). A special interest was for Brain functions in Iodine deficient areas (J.Lazarus, UK, E.Tomescu, Ro, Gh Barbulescu, De), a public health problem and Addiction (V. Voicu, Ro, A. Romila, Ro). The symposium Music and the Brain (B.Iamandescu, Ro) ended the congress proving the neuromodulator effects of the music both during wakefulness and sleep time... Among the poster communications two prizes were granted to young investigators, one for experimental psychoneuroendocrine research to Julia Fedotova, Institute for Experimental Medicine, Sankt Petersburg, Russia and one for clinical research to Camelia Calota, Institute of Endocrinology "C.I. Parhon", Bucharest, Romania. The first "Behaviour of Rats in the Despair test after Different Stressful Stimuli" was coordinated by Prof Filippo Drago, MD, University of Catania, and the second with the title "Eating disorders in adolescents with type 1 Diabetes Mellitus" was coordinated by Prof.Ioana Bruckner, MD, Carol Davila University of Bucharest, Romania.

The impressive and modern new building of the Parliament Palace of Romania, the welcome reception in the old Ghyka Residency, and the Snagov Lake party at the end of the congress were adequate surroundings for a proper social communication between the scientists of Central and Eastern Europe and the leading personalities of the International Society of Psychoneuroendocrinology.

Concerning the expenses and the budget of the congress, there is an annexed page. The generous material help offered by IBRO, i.e. 2,000 USD was helpful both in partially covering the expenses and in attracting other sponsors for the congress.