In 1991 a small annual meeting named International Winter Conference on Neurodegeneration
(lWCN) was established the aim of this meeting is to review the neurodegenerative disorders
and to attempt to explore how progress might be made in this field as the neurodegenerative
disorders have been emerging to be one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality in modern
societies. The first meeting took place in Seefeld Austria in February 1992 the topics for
the first IWCN were chosen to provide a broad foundation of clinical science which included
the problem of aging classification of neurodegenerative disorders and of Alzheimer's dis
natural history pathology and clinical neurology ease Parkinson's disease and amyotrophic
lateral sclerosis. The fundamental pathology underlying these neurodegenerative disorders is
neuronal cell death. For the understanding of pathophysiol ogy and the development of
neuroprotective treatment for these dis orders elucidation of the mechanism of neuronal cell
death at the cellular and molecular level is essential. With this concept in mind the second
IWCN was held in Whistler Village in Canada in January 1993. Funding was generously provided by
Schering AG Berlin and for the excellent organization we have to thank Ms. Ingeborg Runge.
