First word.

First Word

House Joint Resolution 174, declaring the 1990's the "Decade of the Brain," and calling upon the United States to observe the decade with appropriate activities, was signed into law by President Bush in July, 1989. That resolution was prompted and passed with the belief that there is strong evidence that many neurological disorders--including multiple sclerosis--could be helped or even prevented or cured with adequate research funding.

To have such a declaration enacted by the Congress and signed by the President was exciting and welcome news to those involved in fighting neurological diseases, particularly to us in the National Multiple Sclerosis Society. It was, however, only the first step; it was a resolution calling for action. A blueprint was needed to specify what that action should be.

The National Advisory Council of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS) took on the task of providing that blueprint and formed a special panel to draft it. Headed by Guy M. McKhann, M.D. of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, it included eight distinguished physicians and research scientists. The Council also invited me to serve as one of two lay members of the panel.

In three day-long meetings (which included one public hearing) over a three-month period, the panel hammered out that blueprint and forwarded it to the NINDS Council. The resulting document, crafted to final form by the Council, has been issued as the Implementation Plan for the Decade of the Brain.

The Executive Summary of the Plan states: "The focus in this document is on 14 major diseases categories for which the field of neurobiological research is poised for a breakthrough." The section on multiple sclerosis is introduced by stating that "The cause and an effective treatment for multiple sclerosis will be found in the Decade of the Brain." Seven specific recommendations are made for solving the MS problem, including the establishment of four MS clinical and research centers to foster multi-disciplinary MS research. The cost estimate for carrying out the Implementation Plan recommendations for MS research totals $33 million per year.

There is of course no guarantee that the Congress and the Administration will embrace fully this Implementation Plan for the Decade of the Brain. It is, however, a strong statement with a detailed agenda--to be used to influence the Congress and the Administration. To quote again from the document: "The...recommendations are the highest priority issues which, if adequately pursued, will have a profound effect...on the quality of life of our citizens."