Chapter 49: clinical neurology in Latin America

The prominent role of Charcot and the French neurological tradition in Latin America

The establishment of neurology schools in Latin America during the late-nineteenth and early-twentieth centuries profoundly influenced the French neurology school. In the latter half of the nineteenth century, the neurology department at the Salpêtrière Hospital in Paris held a preeminent position as the global hub of neurology. Professor Jean-Martin Charcot, widely acclaimed as the father of modern neurology, was the most revered neurology professor of the nineteenth century. Many physicians from diverse countries across South America (notably Argentina, Uruguay, Peru, Brazil, and Colombia), the Caribbean (Cuba), and Mexico pursued specialized training in neurology under Charcot's tutelage, and even after his passing in 1893, they continued their training with his numerous disciples. As a result, nearly two centuries after the birth of Charcot, his enduring contributions to the field of neurology remain vibrantly influential, particularly in Latin America.

Past, present, and future of sleep medicine research in Latin America

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Sleep medicine is a relatively young field with exponential growth in development and research in the last decades. Parallel to the advances in the United States, Latin America also had its beginnings in sleep medicine housed in neuroscience laboratories. Since the very first Latin American meeting in 1985, and the first sleep society in 1993, sleep research has undergone significant development in subsequent years. From contributions in animal research that allowed understanding of the activity of the brain during sleep to the studies that improved our knowledge of sleep disorders in humans, Latin America has become a scientific hub for expansion of sleep research. In this article, we present a historical account of the development of sleep medicine in Latin America, the current state of education and the achievements in research throughout history, and the latest advances in the trending areas of sleep science and medicine. These findings were presented during World Sleep Society meeting in Vancouver in 2019 and complement the work on sleep societies and training published by Vizcarra-Escobar et al in their article "Sleep societies and sleep training programs in Latin America" (J Clin Sleep Med. 2020;16(6):983-988).

Vicente Dimitri (1885-1955)

The pioneer neuropathologist Vicente Dimitri (1885-1955) was professor and chairman of neurology at the Medical School of the University of Buenos Aires. He founded the Revista Neurológica de Buenos Aires, the first Spanish-language journal of neurology (currently, Neurología Argentina), and is eponymously remembered in 'Sturge-Weber-Dimitri syndrome' or encephalotrigeminal angiomatosis.

News in aging and dementia at the 13th Pan American Congress of Neurology

The Pan American Congress of Neurology was organized by the Bolivian Society of Neurology on behalf of the World Federation of Neurology in La Paz, Bolivia. Aging and dementia was one of the main congress tracks that has been highlighted in recent Latin American research in the field, focusing specifically on epidemiological studies, the economic cost of dementia and new Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarkers. A 4-year follow-up study of AD biomarkers was discussed and a survey was conducted in Argentina on the opinion of the general population in relation to the clinical use of these biomarkers, and early diagnosis criteria of AD were presented. In parallel, a newly developed Neurology International Conference for Primary Care was run that was designed for the education of more than 350 general practitioners from all the regions of Bolivia.