Genetic Neurology — Paul Weiss 



29 



iology of the development of the central 

 and periphereal nervous system with which 

 present-day neurology is forced to operate. 

 Many current concepts are purely specu- 

 lative, others are incomplete, still others 

 obsolete. Ample evidence is at hand to 

 show that all phases of neurology, includ- 

 ing neurological psychology, would draw 

 fundamental benefits from systematic re- 

 search and instruction in genetic neurology. 

 The integration of anatomical, histological, 

 physiological, psychological and pathologi- 

 cal methods and viewpoints in the study 

 of the developed nervous system is grow- 

 ing steadily. The time would seem ripe 

 to accord to the developing system a sim- 

 ilarly integrated treatment. 



METHODS 



A most profitable experimental approach to 

 the problems of genetic neurology is of- 

 fered by the methods of experimental em- 

 bryology and experimental morphology 

 (e.g., transplantation, deplantation, tissue 

 culture, etc.), in combination with stand- 

 ard techniques of histology, electrophvs- 

 iology, biophysics and biochemistry. The 

 ability to produce experimental animals 

 with controllably altered nervous and re- 

 ceptor-effector systems of practically un- 

 limited variety, at the same time, creates 

 test objects singularly suited for the study 

 of basic problems of nerve physiology and 

 psychology. The nature of the problems 

 in genetic neurology makes a conjoint an- 

 atomical-physiological attack, correlating 

 structural and functional aspects, impera- 

 tive. Evidence of the fruitfulness of this 

 approach lies in its eminent success in those 

 past instances where it has been used. 

 Proper research objects will have to be 

 chosen from a wide range of animals. While 

 some invertebrates and lower vertebrates 

 offer unique structural and biological fa- 

 cilities for experimentation, other prob- 

 lems (e.g., reeducation after nerve lesion) 

 cannot be properly studied except in man. 

 Research in genetic neurology is bound 

 to produce results of both fundamental and 

 practical nature. Its fundamental contribu- 

 tions to our understanding of the operation 

 of the nervous system, both normal and 



pathological, and of the neural basis of be- 

 havior are self-evident. In addition, the 

 intensive analysis of growth, differentia- 

 tion, regulation, etc., of the nervous sys- 

 tem would naturally yield fundamental in- 

 sight into principles and mechanisms of 

 development in general. Causal analysis 

 of the development of behavior patterns 

 will supplement our descriptive knowledge 

 of sequences of developmental steps by in- 

 sight into the causal linkage and into the 

 relation between hereditary and acquired 

 traits. The practical benefits of systematic 

 research in genetic neurology are well ex- 

 emplified by the results of war research 

 on nerve regeneration. Likewise, practical 

 directives for rehabilitation after nerve 

 lesions or after orthopedic interventions 

 (tendon crossing, muscle transplantation, 

 etc.) are predicated on better understand- 

 ing of the scope and the limitations of cen- 

 tral nervous plasticity and modes of re- 

 adjustment, the study of which forms part 

 of the research program in genetic neu- 

 rology. 



PRESENT STATUS 

 The present status of the field can, at best, 

 be designated as "undeveloped." While 

 work on some problems (e.g.. A, D, E, 

 G, H, I) has been pushed, at least in part, 

 beyond the pioneering state, other lines 

 (e.g., B, C, F, K) have as yet been barely 

 explored at all. Even in the more active 

 lines, generally speaking, work has been 

 sporadic, sketchy, without the desirable 

 continuity and coherence, inadequate in 

 volume and scope, and definitely not of 

 an intensity or on a scale that would be 

 commensurate with its key role in the prog- 

 ress of neurology. Besides the scarcity of 

 original research, there are also notable 

 shortcomings in the exploitation and cor- 

 relation of knowledge already available 

 (compare the sizeable bibliography in ap- 

 pendix C) and in the mutual exchange and 

 coordination of this knowledge with other 

 neurological disciplines of more advanced 

 status. 



These conclusions are borne out by the 

 results of the symposium (appendix A) 

 and of the questionnaire (appendix B). 

 The consensus of the experts present at 



