SRCA International Symposium and COVID-19

Dear SRCA members, colleagues and friends.

We regret to inform you that the June 2020 SRCA meeting in Pilsen has been cancelled due to the coronavirus pandemic. There is a high probability that the pandemic will not have resolved completely by the time of the SRCA meeting, and there is a risk that restrictions on international travel and other activities will make it impossible for us to proceed. We also have a duty not to contribute to further dissemination of the virus even though it is possible that formal restrictions may have been eased by that time. After careful consideration and many discussions, we have come to the unfortunate conclusion that it is no longer reasonable to continue the uncertainty around the meeting, and we therefore have decided to cancel the meeting for this year.

Registration fees that have been already paid will be returned.

We wish you, your families, and your scientific families health and safety during this challenging time, and we look forward to seeing you when we reconvene hopefully at SRCA 2021.

The SRCA Executive Committee, and Local Organizing Committee

Obituary Dr. Masao Ito

Dr. Masao Ito, professor emeritus of the University of Tokyo and director of the Riken Brain Science Institute, passed away on December 18, 2018. He was born in Nagoya, Japan in 1928, Masao Ito received his MD (1953) and Ph.D. (1959) from The University of Tokyo.

He contributed greatly for cerebellar research. He discovered the characteristic synaptic plasticity, long-term depression (LTD), in the Purkinje cells. Following this finding, he developed a theory that the cerebellum is required not only for motor learning, but also for memory in thought.

We are deeply saddened by the loss of our esteemed mentor and celebrated, prominent cerebellar researcher with the greatest achievements. We express our deepest condolences.