Report on the 2000 EBBS Workshop
cognitive and neural bases on spatial neglect
14th to 17th September 2000, Como, Italy
Sponsored by
European Brain and Behaviour Society
EU
Organised by
Hans-Otto Karnath
David Milner
Giuseppe Vallar
One hundred thirty-two participants listened to twenty-one talks covering a wide range of different topics such as anatomical localization, attentional mechanisms, reference frames, perceptual distortions, extinction and motor control. Seventy-four posters were presented, on scanning, reading and eye movements in neglect, attention and extinction, assessment of neglect, neglect in children and rehabilitation of spatial neglect.The conference took place in the wonderful Villa Olmo located directly on Lake Como. The conference room was magnificent (http:// hpamsmi2.mi.infn.it /~wwwams/ VillaOlmo.html
) and not too large for this number of participants. It can be heartily recommended for future workshops of EBBS. A book based on the workshop is being prepared for publication by Oxford University Press, and we are confident that it will constitute an important landmark in this field of research, as well as a worthy testament to the important contribution of European researchers over the past 30 years.
The meeting was funded by the European Commission and EBBS. The European Commission financed this meeting with 35.000 Euros as a 'High-level Scientific Conference' (http://www.cordis.lu/improving/calls/hlsc_199901.htm). The grant allows the organisers to pay up to 100% of all expenses (travel, accomodation, reg-istration fee) related to the participation of researchers who are younger than 35 years of age and are nationals of an EU member state. It further covers up to 50% of expenses related to invited speakers, and includes the expenses for org-anisation such as renting of venues, equipment, and the event secretariat.
The Como conference was the first of a series of two conferences funded by the European Commission grant to Hans-Otto Karnath and David Milner. While the first meeting focussed on spatial neglect and extinction, the second meeting will examine on a broad front the progress and prospects of research, on both healthy and brain-damaged human subjects, into the ways in which bodily movements are controlled and guided by visual information. This meeting on the "Cognitive and Neural Mechanisms of Visuomotor Control" will take place in 2002 (probably in France) and will explore various themes in this field of research contributed from behavioural, neuro-psychological, neurophysiological and functional neuroimaging studies. The meeting will be organised by David Milner and Hans-Otto Karnath in cooperation with a local organizer. Further details will be announced within the next few months on our new EBBS website (http://www.ebbs-science.org/).
EBBS workshops play an essential role in fulfilling the primary mission of our society – that of preserving and promoting excellence in the behavioural and cognitive approach within the European neuroscience community. The continued success of these Workshops depends on the active contribution of the EBBS membership. Any member of EBBS may submit a proposal for a workshop to the EBBS Committee. The EBBS treasurer provides seed money of 3.000 Euro; the remaining funding comes from registration fees and from money raised by the organiser(s). A very successful way of fund raising, for example, is via the European Commission. EBBS committee awaits your proposals for future workshops!
