Over the past few years, genetics research has been in a phase of remarkably sustained and continuous revolution. The advent of "new genetics" of recombinant DNA has resulted in new discoveries occurring at a breath taking pace, many of which have important clinical implications, for example, in new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of hemoglobinopathies, cystic fibrosis and some forms of muscular dystrophies. Recent findings of psychiatric relevance have included the localization of the genes for Huntington's chorea and the use of DNA probes in predictive testing. Advances have been...

Free radicals appear to play a mojor role in many neurological (and non neurological) dieseases. Both acute and degenerative disorders are thought to involve free radicals reactions in tissue injury (for a list see this book page 18). This issue is very important for basic science and for therapeuthic approach as well. In order to review and discuss the place of free radicals in psychiatry and neurology, a joint meeting was initiated by the World Health Organization and the Fondation Ipsen in Paris on June 17-18,1991. This book contains the papers presented during this meeting. Although the...

At least 40 million people in the worId suffer from the most severe forms of mental disorder such as schizophrenia and some 300 million more are affected by less severe but still incapacitating forms of these conditions, including, for example, drug and alcohol dependence and the consequences of brain trauma. The enor mous magnitude of human suffering and the economic losses usually linked of these disorders make them a problem of major public health importance. Recent years have brought with them scientific discoveries which have made it possible to successfully treat most mental disorders...