The 16th Endocrine Regulations Prize of the Fondation IPSEN Will Be Awarded to Bruce McEWEN

PARIS–(BUSINESS WIRE)– The Fondation IPSEN⁽¹⁾ contributes to the
development and dissemination of scientific knowledge by fostering
interaction between scientists and clinicians. The Fondation
IPSEN Endocrine Regulations Prize⁽²⁾ will be
presented today at the ECE (European Congress of Endocrinology) in
Lisbon. An international jury⁽³⁾ chaired by
Professor Iain Robinson (National Institute for Medical Research,
London, UK), awarded the prize to Bruce Mc Ewen for his pioneering
work on glucocorticoids, stress and neuronal degeneration.

The Fondation IPSEN⁽¹⁾ contributes to the development and
dissemination of scientific knowledge by fostering interaction between
scientists and clinicians from different backgrounds. Created in 2002,
the Endocrine Regulations Prize⁽²⁾ of the Fondation IPSEN
awards renowned specialists who made breakthrough discoveries or
significant progress in the field. Pr Bruce McEwen has been awarded by
an international jury⁽³⁾ for his pioneering work on
glucocorticoids, stress and neuronal degeneration. The prize will be
presented at the ECE (European Congress of Endocrinology), followed by a
lecture given by Bruce McEwen.

During his talk, Bruce McEwen will discuss about the role of the steroid
hormones that are produced in the brain which mediate every aspect of
brain function. This has broadened the definition of
‘neuroendocrinology’ to include the reciprocal communication between the
brain and the body via hormonal and neural pathways.
The brain is
the central organ of stress and adaptation to stress because it
perceives and determines what is threatening, as well as the behavioural
and physiological responses to the stressor. The adult and developing
brain possess remarkable structural and functional plasticity in
response to stress, including neuronal replacement, dendritic
remodelling, and synapse turnover. Stress causes an imbalance of neural
circuitry subserving cognition, decision-making, anxiety and mood. This
imbalance, in turn, affects systemic physiology via neuroendocrine,
autonomic, immune and metabolic mediators. In the short term, as for
increased fearful vigilance and anxiety in a threatening environment,
these changes may be adaptive. But, if the danger passes and the
behavioural state persists along with the changes in neural circuitry,
such maladaptation may need intervention with a combination of
pharmacological and behavioural therapies, as is the case for chronic
anxiety and depression. Moreover, adverse early-life experience, produce
lasting effects on brain and body over the life-course via epigenetic
mechanisms. While prevention is most important, the plasticity of the
brain gives hope for therapies that take into consideration brain–body
interactions.

Biography
Bruce S. McEwen obtained his Ph.D. in Cell
Biology in 1964 from The Rockefeller University. He is a member
of the US National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of
Medicine, and the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He served as
President of the Society for Neuroscience in 1997-98. As a
neuroscientist and neuroendocrinologist, McEwen studies
environmentally-regulated, variable gene expression in brain, mediated
by circulating steroid hormones and endogenous neurotransmitters in
relation to brain sexual differentiation and the actions of sex and
stress hormones on the adult brain. His laboratory discovered adrenal
steroid receptors in the hippocampus in 1968 that was the gateway for
discovering effects of circulating hormones on cognitive function, mood
regulation and other CNS functions. His laboratory combines molecular,
anatomical, pharmacological, physiological and behavioral methodologies
and relates their findings to human clinical information. His current
research focuses on stress effects on amygdala and prefrontal cortex, as
well as hippocampus, and his laboratory also investigates sex hormone
effects and sex differences in these brain regions involved in cognitive
function and mood regulation. He served on the MacArthur Foundation
Research Network on Socioeconomic Status and Health, in which he has
helped to reformulate concepts and measurements related to stress and
stress hormones in the context of human societies. This led to the
concept of “allostatic load and overload” that describes the wear and
tear on the body and brain from chronic stress and related life style
behaviors that lead to dysregulation of physiological stress pathways
that are normally protective. He is also a member of the National
Council on the Developing Child which focuses on biological embedding of
early life experiences and promoting healthy brain development. He
is the co-author of a book with science writer, Elizabeth Lasley, for a
lay audience called “The End of Stress as We Know It”, published in
2002, and “The Hostage Brain” with science writer, the late Harold M.
Schmeck, Jr., published in 1994.

(1) The Fondation IPSEN
Established in 1983 under the
aegis of the Fondation de France, the ambition of the Fondation IPSEN is
to initiate a reflection about the major scientific issues of the
forthcoming years. The long-standing mission of the Fondation IPSEN is
to contribute to the development and dissemination of scientific
knowledge by fostering interaction between scientists and clinicians. It
has developed an important international network of scientific experts
who meet regularly at meetings known as Colloques Médecine et
Recherche, dedicated to three main topics: neurosciences,
endocrinology and cancer science. Moreover the Fondation IPSEN has
started several series of meetings in partnership with the Salk
Institute, the Karolinska Institute as well as with the journals Cell
and Science. The Fondation IPSEN produced several hundred
publications and more than 250 scientists have been awarded prizes and
grants.
www.fondation-ipsen.org

(2) The Endocrine Regulations Prize laureates
Created
in 2002, this Prize of the Fondation Ipsen has been
awarded to following the renowned specialists: Wylie VALE (2002), Robert
LEFKOWITZ (2003), Pierre CHAMBON (2004), Thomas HÖKFELT
(2005), Roger CONE (2006), William CROWLEY (2007), Ronald
EVANS (2008), Gilbert VASSART (2009), Shlomo MELMED
(2010), Paolo SASSONE-CORSI (2011), Jeffrey M. FRIEDMAN
(2012), Bert O’MALLEY (2013), Maria I. NEW (2014), C.
Ronald Kahn (2015) and John W. FUNDER (2016).

(3) Members of the jury
Iain ROBINSON (National
Institute for Medical Research, London, UK), President
Xavier
BERTAGNA (Hôpital Cochin, Paris, France)
Felipe
CASANUEVA (University of Santiago de Compostela, Santiago de
Compostela, Spain)
Michael CONN (Texas Tech
University Health Sciences Center, El Paso, USA)
Ezio GHIGO
(Ospedale Molinette, Turin, Italy)
Ilpo HUHTANIEMI (Imperial
College Faculty of Medicine, London, UK)
Gérard KARSENTY (Columbia
University Medical Center, New York, USA)
Paul KELLY (Faculté
de Médecine Necker Enfants Malades, Paris, France)
Stafford
LIGHTMAN (University of Bristol, Bristol, UK)
Günter
STALLA (Max Planck Institute of Psychiatry, München, Germany
Phyllis
WISE (University of Illinois, Urbana, USA).

View source version on businesswire.com: http://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20170522005878/en/