This grant application requests funds to support the ninth meeting of the International Study Group on the Pharmacology of Memory Disorders Associated with Aging (ISG). The ISG was founded in the belief that the development of effective treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other dementias would be accelerated by periodic meetings of scientists and physicians from around the world who are actively working on topics related to dementia. There have been eight ISG meetings: the first was held in Tucson, Az in 1979, and the rest (1981, 1984, 1987, 1989, 1991, 1993, and 1995) have been held in Zurich, Switzerland. The overall goals of the ISG remain the same as in 1979: to highlight discoveries that shed light on the potential causes and pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease and other neurodegenerative dementias, and to identify the disturbed biological processes which, if corrected, might underlie their cures. Since its inception, the ISG has been a forum for interaction among academic scientists, scientists in industry, clinical investigators, and administrators in public and private agencies concerned with aging and dementia research. The sources of funds to support the Zurich meetings reflect this diverse constituency, and include donations from governmental agencies, private foundations, and industry. This broad base of support is crucial to the ISG's mission of stimulating research interest in dementia and speeding transfer of information from the basic sciences to clinical investigators and physicians caring for persons with dementia. Funds requested in this grant application will provide round trip economy airfare and three nights hotel accommodation in Zurich for invited academic scientists from the United States. The funds will also cover the cost of renting the hotel convention center, and help defray the cost of publishing manuscripts submitted by the participants.
