[Future directions of neurology - breakthrough to the next stage ]

The 51st Annual Meeting of the Japanese Society of Neurology was held in Tokyo (Tokyo International Forum) from Thursday, May 20 to Saturday, May 22, 2010 with as many as 5,471 attendants. Our Society has been celebrating its 50th anniversary during the period from 2009 through 2010. At the 51st Annual Meeting in 2010, we looked toward the future, as we celebrate our 50th anniversary together with distinguished guests closely related to our Society. The theme for the 51st Annual Meeting was set as "Future of Neurology-Breakthrough to the next stage-." As represented in the theme, I hope that the Annual Meeting provided an excellent opportunity for all of us to look ahead to the future of Neurology and our Society in the next half-century. We have achieved tremendous advances in better understanding neurological diseases and developing more efficacious treatment over the last half century. Great strides have been made in all areas, of which diagnostic imaging, molecular genetics, immunology and physiology are just a few examples, and understanding of diseases has similarly taken a great leap forward. In Japan, the aging of society coupled with the declining birthrate has placed ever-increasing expectations on neurologists to provide better care for dementia, cerebrovascular disorders and neurodegenerative diseases. Given this situation our Society is required to provide outstanding education in both the pre- and post-graduate context, and, furthermore, to ensure that excellent training programs are available for young neurologists preparing for Board certification. Looking towards the future of neurology, we should continue to anticipate new, ground-breaking achievements for better understanding neurological diseases and establishing more effective treatment through our ongoing endeavors.