Neurohumoral Coding of Brain Function : Springer : 9781468430684 : 1468430688 : 24 Apr 2012 : It is indeed a pleasure to welcome all of you to this Inter­ national Symposium on the Neurohumoral coding of Brain Function. Many of you have undertaken a very long trip in order to cross swords with some of the most fascinating issues in all of the neurosciences. Of particular satisfaction in this instance is the geographical representation of the sciences with individuals here from Europe and the Americas - South, Central and North. As we do battle, so to speak, with each of the questions raised during the next several days, we should remember that the problems faced by each of our fields are exceptionally difficult. In a way, this difficulty stems from two related facts: (1) we are trying to construct a conceptual bridgework between one disci­ pline and another; and (2) the distance between the research fabric of any two of these disciplines is vast. It would probably not be unfair to say