News & Media

October 2003
Director's Corner: On medicine, science and money

When The Neuro on University Street opened its doors in 1934, medicine was very different than it is today. In some sense, it was, well, primitive. There were no antibiotics, no advanced imaging technologies beyond the simple X-ray film, and our understanding of brain architecture and function was exceedingly limited. Molecular biology and molecular genetics - and the incredible benefits we have derived from these disciplines - lay far in the future.

But Dr. Penfield knew where the knowledge gaps were. He didn't have the answers, but he understood what was needed to make progress. And it is precisely because Dr. Penfield and the clinicians and scientists he gathered together at the Neuro bravely tackled the seemingly unsolvable questions of the time that so many advances were implemented here over the last 70 years. They demanded answers to tough scientific questions, and the Canadian and Quebec governments, foundations and private individuals provided the resources to support the necessary experiments. This was the beginning of a great partnership.

The Neuro faculty was always keen to recognize the new tools needed to do the work, but it had to campaign hard to raise the funds to bring those tools here. The first CT machine in Canada, brought to The Neuro by Dr. William Feindel, enabled us to embark on the development of what is today our world-class Brain Imaging Centre. In his day, Dr. Penfield had to map out critical areas of his surgery patients' brains by first opening the skull and applying mild electric charges over the brain surface to elicit a response. We now routinely map regions of important brain functions by placing a patient (or enthusiastic research volunteer) into a harmless, but very sensitive scanner. Because these devices are so completely safe, they are being used at The Neuro for highly innovative studies on brain development in normal children and in teenagers. These studies, supported by Canadian and US funding sources, are giving us fascinating insights into how the brain works and changes over time, and they will have important implications in the future for improving how we teach our young people, and how we treat, by early intervention, their emotional and psychological problems.

Which brings me to an important point. The Canadian Institutes of Health Research (CIHR) supports a wide variety of independent grants for scientists and clinicians at institutions like The Neuro. These are the ongoing ‘salary awards’ and ‘operating grants’ that provide salary support for our young scientists and clinicians, and the research supplies to do the work. These grants are highly competitive and form the lifeblood of original and innovative research in this country. Incredibly a year's budget for the CIHR grant program is equivalent to only a few hours of defence spending in the US. The NIH budget (NIH is the CIHR of the US) is 50 times more than what we spend here. Per capita, Canada spends 4 times less on research than does the United States. We can, and must, do better.

More on this disparity, and what we can do to remedy this situation next month.

Please send any comments about the Director's Corner to David Colman

Recent News and Events

Nobel Laureate joins the MNI

Eric Kandel, MD, winner of the Nobel Prize in Physiology and Medicine, 2000, has joined the MNI Advisory Board. In his first visit to the Neuro, Dr. Kandel remarked on the unique quality of the scientific research and the close collaborations between clinicians and researchers and enthusiastically accepted David Colman’s invitation of affiliation. Dr. Kandel’s former colleagues in Montreal including Tim Kennedy and Wayne Sossin at the MNI and Vincent Castellucci, at the University of Montreal, expressed enthusiasm for his commitment to maintaining the high profile of the MNI and advancing the international reputation of Canadian neuroscience. Addressing a standing room only crowd, Dr. Kandel delivered the 66th Annual Hughlings Jackson Lecture on September 24. He credited Dr. Brenda Milner of the MNI with merging neurosciences and cognitive psychology when she undertook her fundamental studies of memory with Drs. Donald Hebb and Wilder Penfield. Following on Dr. Milner’s research, Dr. Kandel identified the molecular biological mechanisms in nerve cells that account for short and long term memory. His work on the chemical changes in the brain during memory storage and the relationship to learning and behavior led to the Nobel Prize. As the University Professor in the Center for Neurobiology and Behavior at Columbia University (New York) and Senior Investigator of the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, Dr. Kandel brings a wealth of knowledge and experience to his work on behalf of the Neuro. He tells us that Columbia is planning a $400 M US expansion in Neuroscience based on the Penfield model in place at the MNI. It’s nice to hear that our success serves as a model for others. We are pleased and privileged to welcome Dr. Kandel in his new role as a champion of the Neuro mission.

An exceptional benefactor

Miss Florence Foreman of Vancouver has left in her estate over $4 million to the MNI. Miss Foreman had donated anonymously to the MNI over many years. The MNI joins Bishops University, University of Saskatchewan, University of British Columbia and Simon Fraser University, as the recipient of her generous philanthropy. "We are both honoured and humbled by the extraordinary example of Miss Foreman's philanthropy in support of research in the neurosciences. Her commitment to discovering the causes and alleviating the suffering of neurological diseases and disorders is a source of great inspiration to us at the MNI,” said Dr. David Colman. “We are deeply grateful for this visionary gift in the great tradition of Dr. Wilder Penfield."

The Neuro around the World

Over 1300 clinical and research fellows have trained at the Neuro are now in positions of medical and scientific leadership around the world. The impact of their experience at the Neuro is captured in a recent letter from Dr. Fuad Haddad, Emeritus Professor of Neurosurgery, American University of Beirut, Lebanon. He wrote: Neurosurgery in the Arab World goes back to 1950 when I accepted Dr. Wilder Penfield’s invitation to come to the MNI for training. …. The four and a half years I spent at the MNI were some of the best years of my life. I had the singular privilege of having been associated with a large number of wonderful people. My Neuro family grew by the month. Some of my dearest friends and colleagues in training were to become pioneers in Neurosurgery and Neurology, not only in North America but also throughout the world from South America, across Europe to India and Australasia. … Fifty years have passed since I first set foot on Canadian soil. The training years were times of hardship and sleepless nights, of surgical rounds with Doctor Cone at 2 am, of social visits of Dr. Elvidge, of friendship and hope. But there were also times when patient’s responsibility was primarily shouldered by our teachers. Those were wonderful years. The real hardship started the day I had to operate on my own without Penfield, Cone, Elvidge or Rasmussen to guide my mind and hand and to carry the entire responsibility on my own shoulders. The teachers and colleagues at the Neuro helped prepare Dr. Haddad for the positions he held. We appreciate his reflection on the experience he had here and hope to hear from other trainees about their time at the Neuro.

With sadness

Colleagues and friends at the Neuro were saddened to learn of the death of Dr. Lucas Yamamoto on September 18. Dr. Yamamoto joined the MNI in 1961 and in 1980 became Professor of Neurology and Neurosurgery. Dr. Yamamoto published over 300 papers on nuclear medicine and was a pioneer in positron emission tomography. Under his leadership, the first operational PET was built at the MNI where Dr. Yamamoto explored the clinical applications of this new technology. PET imaging is now a well recognized diagnostic and research tool. For many years, Dr. Yamamoto headed the Cone Laboratory for Neurosurgical Research where students and fellows from all over the world carried out their research under his supervision. In addition to his work at the MNI, Dr. Yamamoto led training in Nuclear Medicine for Japanese physicians and maintained a small clinical practice for the Japanese community in Montreal. We send our sincere sympathy to his family and friends.

Current events

On Monday, September 29, 2003, the Neuro hosted its Fifth Annual Charity Golf Tournament at the Royal Montreal Golf Course. This tournament is designed to raise money to support and increase public awareness about the important work of the scientists at the Neuro and this year the day included a seminar by Dr. David Colman, Director. Our thanks for a wonderful day of golf and fundraising go out to all the players and organizers; and in particular to Honourary Chairman, Mr. Guy Lafleur, Co-chairs Andrew Pepper, Vice-president Sales and Marketing Norshield Financial Group and Mr. Steve K. Jones, Senior Vice President, Corporate Relations, Siemens Canada and Mrs. Lorena Cook, President of the Organizing Committee. A special thank you goes to our key sponsors: Siemens Canada, RBC Royal Bank and Norshield Financial Group.

Dr. William Feindel will be inducted into the Canadian Medical Hall of Fame on October 15 in a ceremony in London, Ontario. Bill is one of six inductees this year and joins Drs Wilder Penfield, Herbert Jasper and Brenda Milner from the MNI in this honoured position. Across Canada, there are 49 members in the Hall of Fame.

Principal Heather Munroe-Blum will introduce Dr. Shirley Tilghman, President of Princeton University, at the Wilder Penfield Lecture on October 15th. Dr. Tilghman is the 19th President of Princeton, and the second Canadian - the first was her predecessor, Dr. Harold Shapiro, twin brother of Principal and Vice-Chancellor Emeritus of McGill, Dr. Bernard Shapiro. Dr. Penfield was a graduate of the Princeton class of 1913. Dr. Penfield’s son Jeff, son-in-law William Chester and granddaughter Caroline Yavetz are also Princeton graduates.

The Neuro in the News

TVO recently broadcast an interview with David Colman. Dr. Colman spoke with Alan Gregg about the research and clinical activity at the Neuro, highlighting the position of the Neuro, historically and today, on the cutting edge of discovery and therapy.

Dr. Robert Zatorre’s research was the focus of a New York Times article "Perfect Pitch: A Gift of Note For Just a Few" (September 16, 2003) and was featured in a second Times article (September 16, 2003) “We got rhythm; the mystery is how and why". These articles were republished in The Gazette (Montreal) and the International Herald Tribune.

The MNI was the subject of a full page article in Le Devior on September 27, 2003, celebrating the seven decades of excellence “Un retour des cerveaux - En 70 ans, l’Institut nueurologique de Montréal est devenu la Mecque de la neuroscience”.

Recent television interviews also include Dr. Tomas Paus on the adolescent brain mapping project (can be viewed online at http://montreal.cbc.ca/canadanow/index.html#, click on Health- Gerri Barrer) and Dr. Fred Andermann, as an expert epileptologist.

Dr. Brenda Milner was interviewed for CBC Radio’s Sounds like Canada (hosted by Shelagh Rogers) on the occasion of the Brenda Milner Symposium (September 22, 2003) at which neuro-scientists and neuro-psychologists from around the world gathered at the MNI to honour her tremendous contributions to neuroscience.

Congratulations

Ms. Lorena Cook joins the MNI Advisory Board. Ms. Cook has dedicated herself to the Neuro as President of the MNI Golf Tournament Committee for the past 4 years. She is active in the community with the Sarah Cook Fund of the Cedars Foundation and as a Board member at ECS, a private school for girls. Ms. Cook lives in the Town of Mount Royal with her husband and three daughters.