TO ALL PARTICIPANTS OF THE 12TH IPEG MEETING (Symposium and Training Course)

It is a great pleasure for us to welcome you to the 12th Biennial IPEG Meeting (Training Course and Symposium), which will be held here in Barcelona, Spain during November 21-24, 2002.

The use of the electroencephalogram in studying central brain activity is a challenge because it can be applied in both pharmacological and electrophysiological studies in either human or animal research, as well as for diagnostic purposes and monitoring of recovery. More recent development is its use as an additional and complementary neuroimaging technique for the localisation of sources of activity: understanding of how our brain works is presently increasing.

Every two years, the IPEG organises a symposium and training course to promote the knowledge of developments in this field. The training course provides the opportunity to acquire basic and advanced information on the methodology and applications of neurophysiological research in neuropsychopharmacology.

Barcelona is a city with a unique heritage renowned worldwide for the works of the architect Antoni Gaudí (1852-1926) This year in order to mark the 150th anniversary of his birth, the city is staging a continous series of celebrations, including exhibitions, guided tours, live-shows and much more.

The venue of the meeting is the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau, a small "modernist city" declared World Heritage by the UNESCO. The building represents a unique blend of the history of medicine and the finest architectural and artistic tradition of Catalonia. The monument of Pau Gil, the hospital's great benefactor, representing the spirit of charity to children and the elderly, greets the visitor at the main entrance. Then one comes to the imposing vestibule of the administration building, the broad walkways amid the spacious gardens, and the central courtyard dominated by a spiral cross.

The hospital is surrounded by the most extensive array of sculptural and architectural art of its period, which we are sure you will enjoy discovering.

We hope the congress will be scientifically interesting and stimulating and you will enjoy Barcelona. We would like to welcome you warmly to the Hospital de la Santa Creu i Sant Pau and wish you a pleasant stay in Barcelona.

MANUEL-JOSÉ BARBANOJ Congress Chairperson

BERND SALETU IPEG President