History of the Czech Neuroscience Society

The Czech Neuroscience Society (CNS) was founded in 1990 as part of the Czech Medical Society of J. E. Purkyně (ČLS) and was accepted as a full member at the plenary session of ČLS on September 26, 1990. The preparatory period lasted from September 1990 to February 1992. During this time, a total of eight meetings of the preparatory committee of the society were held, and members of the Society were enrolled. The election of the first CNS committee took place on December 17, 1991. At the first committee meeting on February 4, 1992, the committee officials were elected: Assoc. Prof. MUDr. Josef Syka, DrSc. was elected chairman, MUDr. Eduard Zvěřina, DrSc. was elected vice-chairman, MUDr. Rudolf Černý, CSc. was elected secretary, and MUDr. Boris Živný was elected treasurer.

From the very beginning, CNS closely collaborated with the IBRO Committee, established in the 1960s within the Czechoslovak Academy of Sciences (ČSAV), later the Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic (AVČR). The amount of members of the Czech Neuroscience Society ranged between 160 and 180. Early in its existence, CNS became a member of the European Neuroscience Association (ENA). ENA transformed into the Federation of European Neuroscience Societies (FENS) by the late 1990s, with CNS being one of its founding members. Furthermore, since 1993, CNS has been a member of the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO).

CNS conferences

The Czech Neuroscience Society organizes a bianual Society meeting open to all neuroscientists. The conferences last usually 2 days and offer a broad view over the neuroscience research, local exhibitors and a social event. The presentations come in the format of either invited or regular lectures, as well as poster sessions.

Conferences organized by the Czech Society for Neuroscience: 

The first conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience (1st Conference of the Czech Neuroscience Society with international participation – Theoretical and Clinical Aspects of Neurosciences) took place in Prague from October 23 to 25, 1994. The conference was held at the Institute for the Further Education of Physicians in Prague 4, Budějovická 15. A total of 28 lectures were presented, and 56 poster presentations were made. Foreign guests included M. Hastings, A. Wirz-Justice, M.B.H. Youdim, P. Jirounek, K. Nicolay, P. Andersen, and L. Nadel. The organizing committee consisted of: J. Syka, chairman, members: L. Andrej, V. Beneš, J. Bureš, R. Černý, J. Faber, C. Höschl, H. Illnerová, V. Komárek, J. Mareš, S. Němeček, P. Petrovický, J. Sedláček, E. Syková, D. Urgošík, E. Zvěřina, and B. Živný.

The second conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience (Second Conference of the Czech Neuroscience Society with international participation – Theoretical and Clinical Aspects of Neurosciences) was held in Prague from October 20 to 22, 1996. The conference was held at the Institute for the Further Education of Physicians in Prague, Budějovická 15. A total of 32 lectures were presented, and 61 posters were displayed. Foreign guests included M. Zimmermann, R.K. Orkand, H. Kettenmann, W.H. Gispen, K. Fuxe, D.T. Theodosis, D. Poulain, and S. Grillner. The organizing committee consisted of: J. Syka, chairman, J. Popelář – secretary, members: J. Bureš, R. Černý, J. Mareš, R. Rokyta, E. Syková, D. Urgošík, and E. Zvěřina.

The third conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience (Third Conference of the Czech Neuroscience Society with international participation – Theoretical and Clinical Aspects of Neurosciences) took place in Prague from November 14 to 15, 1999. The conference was held at the Conference Center of Na Homolce Hospital. A total of 35 lectures were presented, and 53 poster presentations were made. Foreign guests included T. Reum, A. Saria, B. Nevison, B. Bjelke, and A. Ernst. The organizing committee consisted of: J. Syka, chairman, members: V. Beneš Jr., J. Bureš, R. Černý, O. Keller, R. Rokyta, E. Syková, D. Urgošík, and E. Zvěřina.

The fourth conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience (Fourth Conference of the Czech Neuroscience Society with international participation) took place in Prague from October 26 to 27, 2001. The conference was held at the conference center of IKEM. A total of 24 lectures were presented, and 96 poster presentations were made. Foreign guests included D.A. Brown, O.H. Petersen, A. Verkhratsky, I. Dean, D. Ogden, M. Häusser, T.V.P. Bliss, J.S. Kelly, J. O´Keefe, J.F.Ashmore, E.F. Evans, C. Nicholson, N.J. Abbott, and R.C. Thomas. The organizing committee consisted of: J. Syka, chairman, members: V. Beneš Jr., J. Bureš, R. Černý, A. Chvátal, J. Dutt, C. Höschl, J. Mareš, S. Němeček, E. Syková, and E. Zvěřina.

The fifth conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience was held jointly with the Annual Meeting of the Network of European Neuroscience Institutes in Prague from November 19 to 21, 2005. The conference took place at the congress center of IKEM. A total of 11 lectures were presented in the Czech section, and 37 lectures were presented in the section dedicated to the network of European neuroscience institutes, all in English, each lecture lasting 20 minutes. Additionally, 96 poster presentations were made. The conference also included the 2nd working meeting of participants in the ENI-NET program. The organizing committee consisted of: J. Syka, chairman, E. Syková, chairwoman of the program committee, members: L. Andrej, V. Beneš, J. Bureš, R. Černý, J. Dutt, C. Höschl, A. Chvátal, J. Mareš, and E. Zvěřina.

The sixth conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience took place in Prague from November 19 to 20, 2007, at the congress center of IKEM. A total of 25 lectures were presented, and 76 panel presentations were made. Foreign guests included O. Garaschuk, A. Verkhratsky, A. Saria, D. Ogden, S. Clarke, H. Kettenmann, S. Stojilkovic, and G. Milligan. The organizing committee consisted of: E. Syková, chairwoman, J. Syka, chairman of the program committee, members: M. Bojar, R. Druga, C. Höschl, A. Chvátal, J. Mareš, L. Vyklický Jr., and E. Zvěřina.

The seventh conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience took place from November 1 to 4, 2009, in Prague, as the Joint Conference of the Czech and Slovak Neuroscience Societies, simultaneously with the 7th International Stem Cell School in Regenerative Medicine. The conference was held at the conference facilities of the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the ASCR in Prague – Krč. A total of 48 lectures were presented, and 106 posters were presented. Foreign speakers (excluding Slovak ones) included J. Verhaagen, M. Maršala, A. Rolfs, M. Modo, J. Sinden, J. Fawcett, J. Price, R. Matsas, F. Garcia-Sierra, G. Brook, G. Perale, L. Buzanska, and J. Zimmer. The organizing committee consisted of: E. Syková – chairwoman, members: P. Dubový, P. Jendelová, R. Květńanský, J. Lehotský, M. Novák, J. Paleček, R. Rokyta, and L. Vyklický.

The eighth conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience took place as the Joint Conference of the Czech and Slovak Neuroscience Societies at the SAV Castle in Smolenice from May 18 to 21, 2011. The organizing institution was the Institute of Neuroimmunology of the Slovak Academy of Sciences in Bratislava. A total of 34 lectures were presented, and 35 panel presentations were made. Foreign participants included A.J. Turner, N. Nalieva, A. Verkhratsky, and M. Maršala. The organizing committee consisted of: M. Novák, chairman, members: R. Květňanský, D. Dobrota, E. Kontseková, N. Lukáčová, M. Maršala, J. Paleček, J. Syka, E. Syková, L. Vyklický, and E. Zvěřina.

Instead of the 9th conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience, a conference entitled FENS (Federation of the European Neuroscience Societies) Featured Regional Meeting was held from September 11 to 14, 2013. It was jointly organized by the Czech Society for Neuroscience, the Slovak Society for Neuroscience, and the Austrian Alzheimer Society. The international organizing committee consisted of: E. Syková, D. Dobrota, O. Kiehn, M. Kvetňanský, M. Novák, J. Paleček, A. Saria, R. Schmidt, J. Syka, L. Vyklický, and M. Windisch. The conference took place at the Prague Congress Center, with a total of 623 participants from 52 countries. Plenary lectures were delivered by Helmut Kettenmann, James Fawcett, Karel Svoboda, and Irina Alafuzoff. The conference included 18 symposia selected from 41 proposals. Additionally, 355 panel presentations were made, and a total of 23 companies had exhibition booths at the conference.

The 10th conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience (Tenth Conference of the Czech Neuroscience Society) was held jointly with the Czech-Taiwan Neuroscience Symposium in Prague - Krč at the conference facilities of the Institute of Molecular Genetics of the ASCR from November 18 to 19, 2015. A total of 24 lectures were presented (eight by speakers from Taiwan), and 59 panel presentations were made. Invited speakers included K. Svoboda, M. Brázdil, I. Rektorová, and I. Rektor. The organizing committee consisted of: J. Syka, chairman, E. Syková, chairwoman of the program committee, M. Anděrová, A. Chvátal, P. Jendelová, J. Popelář, and L. Vyklický.

The 11th conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience (Eleventh Conference of the Czech Neuroscience Society) took place from November 28 to 29, 2017, in Prague-Krč, at the conference facilities of the Institute of Physiology of the ASCR, which was also a co-organizer. A total of 34 lectures were presented, and 60 panel presentations were made. The organizing committee consisted of: J. Paleček, president, K. Ježek, vicepresident, J. Syka, chairman of the program committee, A. Stuchlík, A. Sumová, and L. Vyklický.

The 12th conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience took place from November 26 to 27, 2019, in Prague-Krč, at the conference facilities of the Institute of Physiology of the ASCR, which was also a co-organizer. Plenary lectures were delivered by S. Lechner and J. Syka. In addition, a total of 36 lectures were presented, and 56 panel presentations were made. The organizing committee consisted of: K. Ježek, president, J. Paleček, vicepresident, A. Stuchlík, chairman of the program committee, A. Sumová, J. Syka, L. Vyklický, and E. Zvěřina.

The 13th conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience took place from November 24 to 25, 2021, in Prague-Krč, at the conference facilities of the Institute of Physiology of the ASCR, which was also a co-organizer. Plenary lectures were delivered by J. Fawcett and J. Paleček. In addition, a total of 35 lectures were presented, and 67 panel presentations were made. The organizing committee consisted of: J. Paleček, president, K. Ježek, vicepresident, A. Stuchlík, chairman of the program committee, A. Sumová, J. Syka, L. Vyklický, and E. Zvěřina.

The 14th conference of the Czech Society for Neuroscience took place from October 31 to November 1, 2023, in Prague-Krč, at the conference facilities of the Institute of Physiology of the ASCR, which was also a co-organizer. Plenary lectures were delivered by A. Sumová, M. Fencková and K. Ježek. A total of 35 lectures and 44 panel presentations were presented. The organizing committee consisted of: J. Paleček, president, J. Otáhal, vicepresident, M. Balaštík, chairman of the program committee, and K. Ježek.