NEUROSCIENCE IN THE NEW MILLENNIUM

Gerald D. Fishbach, M.D., Dean and Vice President for Health Science, Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons, 630 W. 168th Street, New York, NY 10032

Advances at all levels of neuroscience have brought traditional sub- disciplines closer together than they were just a few years ago. It is easier to clone a gene or to record from individual nerve cells or to record from large populations with noninvasive techniques, and it is also easier to study particular aspects of behavior than ever before. Advances in brain science continue to revolutionize the theory and practice of psychiatry. Studies of particular brain disorders ranging from anxiety and depression through dementia and other degenerations, have produced some of the most exciting science in recent years. Indeed it is clear that old clinical classifications will be replaced by more accurate functional and molecular characterizations. With each refinement in diagnosis, opportunities become available for new approaches to therapy.