Welcome on the website of the 5th Dutch Endo-Neuro-Psycho Meeting 2006 (ENP2006), which is in fact the 10th meeting as the series started as the Endo-Neuro Meeting in 1997. Some of its history as annual scientific exchange in the fields of endocrinology and neurosciences can be found on www.enpmeeting.nl/enp/history.

The Endo-Neuro-Psycho Meeting has grown over these 10 years into a unique national annual forum aiming at the exchange of knowledge and interchanges among various research disciplines, and has stimulated and enforced endocrine and brain sciences in The Netherlands. The ENP2005 was attended by over 730 participants.

To maintain its aims, the organizers of the ENP2006 have compiled a program based on the suggestions of many scientists, now participating as moderators in the meeting, and who are the organizers of topic-oriented sessions. Each session features an internationally well-known senior researcher from The Netherlands or abroad, who will present his or her view on the topic and its future prospects, followed by a number of junior scientists who will contribute with their latest results in the field. This is reflected by the (advised) standard format of a session: a 30 min introduction by the main speaker and a number of 15 min presentations by young postdocs and/or PhD students. This approach has proven to create an ideal atmosphere to also promote interaction between established senior scientists and junior investigators, fulfilling yet another important aim of the meeting. In addition, poster sessions are organized which are open to both young and established scientists. The organizers encourage researchers to submit an abstract for one of the four poster sessions at the ENP2006.

The meeting is scheduled in such a way that the focus of the topics moves from endocrinology on the first two days to molecular and cellular neuroscience on the second and third day, ending with behavioral, cognitive and clinical neuroscience on the last two days of the 4-day meeting. Over the years, the number of interdisciplinary sessions has steadily increased. The organizers hope that you will agree that the program of the ENP2006 - as presented on this website - offers many exciting sessions on most recent developments in fundamental, pre-clinical and clinical research.

The ENP2006 will again - like all previous meetings – be held in Golden Tulip Hotel Doorwerth (previously known as Parkhotel De Branding). The pleasant atmosphere of this conference site has proven to be very stimulating for scientific and social exchange, and no doubt it will do so again in 2006. Because of the expected high number of participants, the organizers strongly recommend and request room sharing, especially for the nights of 7th and 8th June. This will permit all your colleagues to be accommodated at the spot, and share the atmosphere in the evening hours.

Finally, the organizers would like to stress and acknowledge the important contribution of the session moderators: they organized the sessions and together they are responsible for the exciting program of this years meeting. In addition, the ENP2006 would not exist without the generous financial support from our sponsors.

We are looking forward seeing you in Doorwerth,

On behalf of the organizing committee,

Gerard Boer, chairman