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Metalnikov Gold Medal and Neuroimmunomodulation

Sergei Metalnikov (1870-1946) worked many years at the Pasteur Institute and was a pioneer in experiments dealing with interactions between the nervous and immune system. He continued and extended the early experiments of I Pavlov and A Dolin, including especially the experiments of Pavlovian (classical) conditioning of immune responses.

The term, Neuroimmunomodulation (NIM), was coined by Novera Herbert Spector in the 1970s (references 1-18). NIM is currently defined as the interactions among the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems.

In the late 1980s a committee of scientists from several countries was set up by the Fidia Corporation of Italy, to determine the winners of a pure gold award called The Metalnikov Medal (figures 1 and 2). The first recipient was N H Spector, "... for his pioneering research and theoretical explanations of NIM "

The second awardee was Vittorio Esparmer. who discovered more than 20 neurally active polypeptides (see Esparmer bio on Wikipedia ) Esparmer was nominated many times for the Nobel Prize but died before it could be awarded. Elected for a third Metalnikov Medal but never awarded, was Branislav D Jankovic. of Yugoslavia  (The sponsoring company, Fidia, went suddenly out of business!).

Another outstanding nominee was Ion Baciu of Romania, an early pioneer in NIM research.

 References: 

(1) Spector, N.H. (1970) "Neurophysiology." In Encyclopedia of Biological Sciences (2nd Ed.), by P. Gray (Ed.), 617-620. New York: Van Nostrand-Rheinhold.

(2) Spector, N.H. (1971) "Electrical self-stimulation in the lateral hypothalamus does not parallel feeding behavior, but approximates a positive feed-back reflex." Proceedings of the 4th International Congress on the Regulation of Food and Water Intake" Cambridge, England.

(3) Spector, N.H. (1973) "Neuron specificity and ethanol: where does alcohol act in the brain?" In Alcoholism and the Central Nervous System, by F.A. and Eggleston, S. (eds.) Seixas, 60-70. Ann., N.Y.: Academy Science 215.

(4) Spector, N.H. (1979) "Can hypothalamic lesions change circulating antibody or interferon responses to antigens?" In The Pathogenesis of Allergic Processes in Experiments and in clinics (Russian), by A.M. Chermukh, and V.I. Pytskii (Eds.) Festschrift for A.D. Ado. Moscow: Meditsina.

(5) Spector, N.H. (1980) "The hypothalamus in health and disease: Old and new concepts." In Physiology of the Hypothalamus, by P. and J. Panksepp, (eds.) Morgane. New York: Dekker, 1980

(6) Spector, N.H. (1983) "Anatomic and physiologic connections between central nervous and immune systems: Neuroimmuonmodulation." In Immunoregulation, by N, Garaci, E., Hadden, J. Mitchison, N. (Eds.) Fabris. New York: Plenum Press.

(7) Spector, N.H. (1983) "Anatomic and physiologic connections between central nervous and immune systems: Neuroimmuonmodulation." In Immunoregulation, by N, Garaci, E., Hadden, J. Mitchison, N. (Eds.) Fabris. New York: Plenum Press.

(8) Spector, N.H. (1984) "Neuroimmunomodulation of reactions to viral or pseudoviral antigens." In Stress, Immunity and Aging, by E.L. (Ed.) Cooper. New York: Decker.

(9) Spector, N.H. (1986) "Interactions among the nervous, endocrine and immune systems." In Neuroregulation of Autonomic, Endocrine and Immune Systems, by R.C.A. et al., (Eds.) Frederickson. B

(10) Spector, N.H. (1987) "Old and new strategies in the conditioning of immune responses." In Neuro-Immune Interactions, by B.D. et.al., (Eds.) Janković, 522-531. Ann: N.Y. Academey Sci., 1987 Boston: Martinus Nijhoff.

(11) Spector, N.H. (1994) "Neuroimmunomodulation." In Encyclopedia of Neuroscience, by G. and Smith, B. (Eds.) 2nd ed. Adelman. New York: The Health Foundation, 1997.

(12) Spector, N.H. (1990) "Strategien bei der Konditionierung der Immunantwort." In Psychoimmunologie, by W.P. and Aschauer, H. (Eds.) Kaschaka. Stuttgart: Georg Thierne Verlag

(13) Spector, N.H. (1990b) "Basic mechanisms and pathways of neuroimmunomodulation (NIM); triggers; problems for future research." Int. J. Neuroscience 51: 335-337.

(14) Spector, N.H. (1990c) "Neuroimmunomodulation takes off." Immunol. Today, 19 (II): 381-383

(15) Spector, N.H. (2006) "Science is a Never-ending Quest." Academy Science in Roc. IV Intl. XX Congress Cancer and Againg. 2006.

(16) Spector, N.H. (2009) "NIM and the Art and Science of Health and Healing (In preparation)."

(17) Spector, N.H. (1983) "Anatomic and physiologic connections between central nervous and immune systems: Neuroimmuonmodulation." In Immunoregulation, by N, Garaci, E., Hadden, J. Mitchison, N. (Eds.)

(18) Spector, N.H. (2011) "Neuroimmuonmodulation." Russian Journal of Neuroscience and Behavioral Physiology. Vol. 41 No. 1 102-103

Figure 1: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_First_Metalnikov_Gold_Metal_Front.jpg

Figure 2: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_First_Metalnikov_Metal_Back.jpg