The European Society for Neurochemistry (ESN) is a

learned society A learned society (; also learned academy, scholarly society, or academic association) is an organization that exists to promote an discipline (academia), academic discipline, profession, or a group of related disciplines such as the arts and s ...

for

neurochemist Neurochemistry is the study of chemicals, including neurotransmitters and other molecules such as psychopharmaceuticals and neuropeptides, that control and influence the physiology of the nervous system. This particular field within neuroscience ...

s and

neuroscientist A neuroscientist (or neurobiologist) is a scientist who has specialised knowledge in neuroscience, a branch of biology that deals with the physiology, biochemistry, psychology, anatomy and molecular biology of neurons, Biological neural network, n ...

s from Europe whose research concerns the role and interactions of small molecules in the function and pathology of the

nervous system In biology, the nervous system is the highly complex part of an animal that coordinates its actions and sensory information by transmitting signals to and from different parts of its body. The nervous system detects environmental changes th ...

History

The society was founded in 1976 with the aim of helping to advance the field of

neurochemistry Neurochemistry is the study of chemicals, including neurotransmitters and other molecules such as psychopharmaceuticals and neuropeptides, that control and influence the physiology of the nervous system. This particular field within neuroscience e ...

for the public benefit, in particular to facilitate exchange of ideas and interests amongst its members. In the years before the establishment of the ESN, many European neurochemists were centrally involved in the development of the subject, for example in the discussions which led to the establishment of the ''

Journal of Neurochemistry The ''Journal of Neurochemistry'' is a biweekly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering all aspects of neurochemistry. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the International Society for Neurochemistry and was established in 1956. The e ...

'' in 1956 and especially in the formation of the

International Society for Neurochemistry The International Society for Neurochemistry (ISN) is a professional society for neurochemists and neuroscientists throughout the world. History The idea of an organization like the ISN began in the mid-1950s as scientists began to devote more att ...

(ISN) in 1967. In the same year as the foundation of ISN (1967), the Neurochemical Group of the British

Biochemical Society The Biochemical Society is a learned society in the United Kingdom in the field of biochemistry, including all the cellular and molecular biosciences. Structure It currently has around 7000 members, two-thirds in the UK. It is affiliated with th ...

was established, many of its meetings with an international and particularly European flavour. During the years 1974 to 1975, in particular at a meeting of clinical neurochemists organised by

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in Brussels in 1974, many participants expressed the need for a Society of Neurochemistry in Europe, which would not only provide a forum for exchanging ideas and new developments in the subject, but also provide a vehicle for strong contact between clinically oriented and basic neurochemists. The various views were finally co-coordinated at a meeting organised by

Lars Svennerholm Lars is a common male name in Scandinavian countries. Origin ''Lars'' means "from the city of Laurentum". Lars is derived from the Latin name Laurentius, which means "from Laurentum" or "crowned with laurel". A homonymous Etruscan name was bor ...

at the Billinghus conference centre in Skövde, Sweden, in May 1975. Some general principles were agreed upon: that the society should be open to members from all European countries, East and West, who were interested in neurochemistry and allied subjects, and that it should pay special attention to clinical and applied aspects of the subject. The working party accepted an invitation, through Alan Davison from the Neurochemical Group of the British Biochemical Society, to organise the first meeting to be held in

Bath, UK Bath () is a city in the Bath and North East Somerset unitary area in the county of Somerset, England, known for and named after its Roman-built baths. At the 2021 Census, the population was 101,557. Bath is in the valley of the River Avon, ...

, in September 1976. The organising committee (Brian Ansell, Tim Hawthorne, George Lunt, and Herman S. Bachelard) were all members of the Neurochemical Group of the British Biochemical Society. The working party had requested that the meeting should have a clinical theme, so the general area of "Basic Aspects of Neurochemistry Related to the Epilepsies" was chosen. Approximately 350 participants attended the meeting.

Meetings

Meetings are held every two years. From 1999, every six years the ESN helps organise a joint meeting with the

. ESN meetings are designed to promote scientific discussions. Special efforts are taken to encourage young investigator participation. Short oral presentations are selected from the submitted abstracts. There are daily poster sessions.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:European Society For Neurochemistry 1976 establishments in Europe Learned societies of the United Kingdom Neuroscience organizations Scientific organizations established in 1976

History

Meetings

See also

References

External links