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Translational Research and the 40th Anniversary Symposium of the Columbia University Seminar on Appetitive Behavior
Appetite 71 (2013) 438–439
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Appetite journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/appet
Editorial
Translational Research and the 40th Anniversary Symposium of the Columbia University Seminar on Appetitive Behavior
The 40th anniversary of the Columbia University Seminar on Appetitive Behavior, which had it first meeting March 9, 1972, was celebrated on March 1, 2012, with a symposium whose theme was translational research. The choice of the seven speakers was based on their long standing and continuing affiliation with the seminar and their interconnected research paths which illustrate how this recurrent theme has sustained the seminar for 40 years. The goal was to show how animal and human work have complemented one another and led to some significant break-throughs in our understanding of how the brain, peripheral nervous system, gut, hormones, metabolism, and adipose tissue contribute to the control of appetite, food intake, and body weight. Before detailing the current seminar, it is appropriate at year 40 to provide some additional background and recognize the unsung heros who made this anniversary possible. The story of the founding of this seminar was briefly mentioned in three prior publications in Appetite at 5 and 10 year intervals, beginning with a meeting report in 1992 (Kissileff, 1992), followed by reports in 1997 (Kissileff, 1997), and 2002 (Kissileff, 2004). However, looking back over 40 years, it is truly amazing what has grown from the small seed planted by a dedicated group of individuals, who believed that the interdisciplinary nature of the problem of appetite warranted a venu that would cross department lines. Columbia had the structure in place to fertilize this seed. Consequently, the Appetitive Seminar was created to combine a number of disciplines to study appetite. As the founder, Dr. Theodore VanItallie, stated in a letter (November 16, 1971) proposing the seminar: ‘‘The regulation of food intake and its epiphenomena represent fundamental problems in human biology and physiology. How food intake (appetite) is regulated is still poorly understood and should remain a subject of intense discussion for a long time to come.’’ VanItallie’s proposal was consistent with the overall rubric of the seminars which had been established by Frank Tannebaum. The Appetitive Behavior seminar is one among several dozen active interdisciplinary seminars at Columbia University. The aim of the seminars is ‘‘to understand and untangle the hidden mysteries of an ongoing activity we call an institution, complex, area, or period. The group is held together by supporting each other’s curiosities and the desire to open vistas, hidden in the unknown experience of another profession or another’s venture into the unexpected. . . This is an intellectual fellowship concerned primarily, if the distinction is relevant, with meaning, rather than with facts.’’ (Frank Tannenbaum, Seminars’ founder, 1945) 0195-6663/$ - see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.05.004
The proposal was accepted and the first seminar was held March 9, 1972. Minutes taken by Katherine Porikos, the first rapporteur, indicate that those present were Drs. Ball, Coons, Hashim, Hood, Michels, Quartermain, Rodin, Schachter, Sclafani, VanItallie, Woods, and Zeigler. Of that small group, one (Rodin) became a University President, and two others remained in their laboratories and returned to present reviews of their recent and past work in its translational context. The initial meeting was chaired by Dr. Schachter. The meeting was funded by an honorarium to Drs. Quartermain, Schachter, and VanItallie as the Martha Trulan Memorial Lecturers at meetings of the American Diabetes Association, in October 1971. The initial meeting established membership, goals, and format. Those present decided that an active exchange of ideas would be better fostered by a small group, and membership was therefore limited. For the second half of the meeting each member outlined his/her research interests (see Table 1). Many of these topics are still areas of active research, and it was clear from the beginning, that the seminar would be multi- and interdisciplinary. The range of topics in the current set of papers reflects that vision. The seminar has grown and the membership policy was modified informally to permit a larger group, including students, but for the most part, informality has been the style of meetings (see Fig. 1). Seminar personnel played an important role in keeping the seminar going. University Seminars are organized with a Chair, usually a senior faculty member, and a rapporteur, usually a more junior person, student, post doctoral fellow or faculty member. Dr. VanItallie served as seminar chair until 1991, at which time Dr. Kissileff became chair. The rapporteurs were responsible for keeping accurate sets of minutes, almost all of which are currently in the seminars’ archive at Columbia University, for sending out monthly notices and making arrangements for dinner that preceded or followed the seminar, because it was Tannenbaum’s strongly held view, that continuation of discussion in an informal setting can also lead to new ideas. It is a firmly held view of regular attendees at the seminars, that collaborations were strongly facilitated over cocktails and dinner. In the entire 40 year history of the seminar, there have only been two chairs (Vanitallie, 1972–1991, Kissileff, 1991–time of this writing). However there have been several rapporteurs (see Table 2). Several of them became outstanding scientists, and one has retired (Geary). The speakers in the 40th anniversary seminar have enjoyed either wide ranging collaborations with each other and with the chair or influences on each others’ research without necessarily
Editorial / Appetite 71 (2013) 438–439
439
Table 1 First seminar speakers and titles. Speaker
Title
Gordon Ball Edgar Coons Robert Michels Katherine Porikos David Quartermain Judith Rodin Anthony Sclafani Stanley Schachter Theodore VanItallie Steven Woods Philip Zeigler
Interaction of the ventromedial and lateral nuclei of the hypothalamus at the level of the stomach Latency to eat as a function of different rates and patterns of electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus Clinical treatment of patients with extreme weight problems – obesity and anorexia The effects of quinine and electric shock on the eating behavior of hypothalamic hyperpahgic and normal rats Effect of carbohydrate reserves on hunger drive in rats Parallels between ventromedially-lesioned rats and obese humans A model of the relationship between ventromedial and lateral nuclei of the hypothalamus through the use of knife cuts Parallels between ventromedially-lesioned rats and obese humans. Smoking behavior Effect of carbohydrate reserves on hunger drive in rats. Investigation of the regulation of food intake in obese and normal sized humans Insulin secretion – its conditioning in normal-sized and obese organisms and its neural control. Specific appetites Effects of nucleus basilis lesions in the pigeon on feeding and drinking behavior as measured through single unit neural recordings
preted as outputs of neural systems controlling the facilitation and inhibition of eating. Sclafani’s presentation emphasizes how metabolic and/or hormones can lead to changes in patterns of food selection. Schwartz’s paper highlights the importance of central action of the hormone, leptin, on appetite control mechanisms and Walsh’s paper reviews collaborative work with Smith and Kissileff thereby illustrating how findings and research strategies in animals were applied to humans with eating disorders. Geliebter, who has also collaborated with Kissileff showed how signals from the gut influence neural activity in the brain. Liebel presented material on the role of human genetics and excess adiposity in the establishment of overeating in individuals with mutated genes, particularly those associated with Leptin. Close reading of the following papers indicates that the goal of highlighting translational research by members of the seminar has been achieved. Fig. 1. Participants in the 40th Anniversary Symposium of the Columbia University Seminar on Appetitive Behavior Back row: Rudolf Leibel, Ari Schechter (rapparteur), Harry Kissileff (Chair), Joseph R. Vasselli (Co-chair), Anthony Sclafani, Allan Geliebter, Front row Gerard P. Smith, Stephen C. Woods.
Table 2 Seminar rapparteurs and years of service. Rapparteur
Years served
Katherine Porikos Joseph R. Vasselli Harry Kissileff Nori Geary Janet L. Guss Laurence Nolan Bridget O’Connell Lisa Dixon Steve Saland Kathleen Keller Ari Shechter
1972–1979 1979–1990 1990–1991 1991–1992 1992–1995, 1999–2003 1995–1996 1996–1997 1997–1998 1998–1999 2003–2011 2011–
engaging in direct collaboration. Four of the following papers focus on work in animals. Woods, who was one of the original seminar members began the seminar with a combination of metabolic, humoral, and learned controls of feeding. Smith’s work dovetailed nicely with an emphasis on the role of a particular gut peptide in the control of patterns of spontaneous intake which have been inter-
Acknowledgments I thank Glaxo-Smith-Kline for their generous donations in support of the seminar since 2001 until the present. I also thank The New York Obesity Research Center for space and resources since I took over the chairmanship of this seminar in 1991. Joe Vasselli provided constructive comments on the manuscript. Finally I thank David Booth for encouraging and arranging for publishing seminar proceedings in Appetite. References Kissileff, H. R. (1992). Meeting Report: The Twentieth Anniversary of the Columbia University Seminar on Appetitive Behavior. Appetite, 19, 303–307. Kissileff, H. R. (1997). Introduction to papers presented at: the twenty fifth anniversary symposium of the Columbia University Seminar on Appetitive Behavior. Appetite, 29, 111–113. Kissileff, H. R. (2004). The future of research on appetitive behavior: 30th Anniversary of the Columbia University Seminar on Appetitive Behavior. Appetite, 42, 1–3.
Harry R. Kissileff New York Obesity Research Center, St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital, 1111 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10025, USA E-mail address: [email protected] Available online 20 May 2013
Contents lists available at SciVerse ScienceDirect
Appetite journal homepage: www.elsevier.com/locate/appet
Editorial
Translational Research and the 40th Anniversary Symposium of the Columbia University Seminar on Appetitive Behavior
The 40th anniversary of the Columbia University Seminar on Appetitive Behavior, which had it first meeting March 9, 1972, was celebrated on March 1, 2012, with a symposium whose theme was translational research. The choice of the seven speakers was based on their long standing and continuing affiliation with the seminar and their interconnected research paths which illustrate how this recurrent theme has sustained the seminar for 40 years. The goal was to show how animal and human work have complemented one another and led to some significant break-throughs in our understanding of how the brain, peripheral nervous system, gut, hormones, metabolism, and adipose tissue contribute to the control of appetite, food intake, and body weight. Before detailing the current seminar, it is appropriate at year 40 to provide some additional background and recognize the unsung heros who made this anniversary possible. The story of the founding of this seminar was briefly mentioned in three prior publications in Appetite at 5 and 10 year intervals, beginning with a meeting report in 1992 (Kissileff, 1992), followed by reports in 1997 (Kissileff, 1997), and 2002 (Kissileff, 2004). However, looking back over 40 years, it is truly amazing what has grown from the small seed planted by a dedicated group of individuals, who believed that the interdisciplinary nature of the problem of appetite warranted a venu that would cross department lines. Columbia had the structure in place to fertilize this seed. Consequently, the Appetitive Seminar was created to combine a number of disciplines to study appetite. As the founder, Dr. Theodore VanItallie, stated in a letter (November 16, 1971) proposing the seminar: ‘‘The regulation of food intake and its epiphenomena represent fundamental problems in human biology and physiology. How food intake (appetite) is regulated is still poorly understood and should remain a subject of intense discussion for a long time to come.’’ VanItallie’s proposal was consistent with the overall rubric of the seminars which had been established by Frank Tannebaum. The Appetitive Behavior seminar is one among several dozen active interdisciplinary seminars at Columbia University. The aim of the seminars is ‘‘to understand and untangle the hidden mysteries of an ongoing activity we call an institution, complex, area, or period. The group is held together by supporting each other’s curiosities and the desire to open vistas, hidden in the unknown experience of another profession or another’s venture into the unexpected. . . This is an intellectual fellowship concerned primarily, if the distinction is relevant, with meaning, rather than with facts.’’ (Frank Tannenbaum, Seminars’ founder, 1945) 0195-6663/$ - see front matter Ó 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.appet.2013.05.004
The proposal was accepted and the first seminar was held March 9, 1972. Minutes taken by Katherine Porikos, the first rapporteur, indicate that those present were Drs. Ball, Coons, Hashim, Hood, Michels, Quartermain, Rodin, Schachter, Sclafani, VanItallie, Woods, and Zeigler. Of that small group, one (Rodin) became a University President, and two others remained in their laboratories and returned to present reviews of their recent and past work in its translational context. The initial meeting was chaired by Dr. Schachter. The meeting was funded by an honorarium to Drs. Quartermain, Schachter, and VanItallie as the Martha Trulan Memorial Lecturers at meetings of the American Diabetes Association, in October 1971. The initial meeting established membership, goals, and format. Those present decided that an active exchange of ideas would be better fostered by a small group, and membership was therefore limited. For the second half of the meeting each member outlined his/her research interests (see Table 1). Many of these topics are still areas of active research, and it was clear from the beginning, that the seminar would be multi- and interdisciplinary. The range of topics in the current set of papers reflects that vision. The seminar has grown and the membership policy was modified informally to permit a larger group, including students, but for the most part, informality has been the style of meetings (see Fig. 1). Seminar personnel played an important role in keeping the seminar going. University Seminars are organized with a Chair, usually a senior faculty member, and a rapporteur, usually a more junior person, student, post doctoral fellow or faculty member. Dr. VanItallie served as seminar chair until 1991, at which time Dr. Kissileff became chair. The rapporteurs were responsible for keeping accurate sets of minutes, almost all of which are currently in the seminars’ archive at Columbia University, for sending out monthly notices and making arrangements for dinner that preceded or followed the seminar, because it was Tannenbaum’s strongly held view, that continuation of discussion in an informal setting can also lead to new ideas. It is a firmly held view of regular attendees at the seminars, that collaborations were strongly facilitated over cocktails and dinner. In the entire 40 year history of the seminar, there have only been two chairs (Vanitallie, 1972–1991, Kissileff, 1991–time of this writing). However there have been several rapporteurs (see Table 2). Several of them became outstanding scientists, and one has retired (Geary). The speakers in the 40th anniversary seminar have enjoyed either wide ranging collaborations with each other and with the chair or influences on each others’ research without necessarily
Editorial / Appetite 71 (2013) 438–439
439
Table 1 First seminar speakers and titles. Speaker
Title
Gordon Ball Edgar Coons Robert Michels Katherine Porikos David Quartermain Judith Rodin Anthony Sclafani Stanley Schachter Theodore VanItallie Steven Woods Philip Zeigler
Interaction of the ventromedial and lateral nuclei of the hypothalamus at the level of the stomach Latency to eat as a function of different rates and patterns of electrical stimulation of the hypothalamus Clinical treatment of patients with extreme weight problems – obesity and anorexia The effects of quinine and electric shock on the eating behavior of hypothalamic hyperpahgic and normal rats Effect of carbohydrate reserves on hunger drive in rats Parallels between ventromedially-lesioned rats and obese humans A model of the relationship between ventromedial and lateral nuclei of the hypothalamus through the use of knife cuts Parallels between ventromedially-lesioned rats and obese humans. Smoking behavior Effect of carbohydrate reserves on hunger drive in rats. Investigation of the regulation of food intake in obese and normal sized humans Insulin secretion – its conditioning in normal-sized and obese organisms and its neural control. Specific appetites Effects of nucleus basilis lesions in the pigeon on feeding and drinking behavior as measured through single unit neural recordings
preted as outputs of neural systems controlling the facilitation and inhibition of eating. Sclafani’s presentation emphasizes how metabolic and/or hormones can lead to changes in patterns of food selection. Schwartz’s paper highlights the importance of central action of the hormone, leptin, on appetite control mechanisms and Walsh’s paper reviews collaborative work with Smith and Kissileff thereby illustrating how findings and research strategies in animals were applied to humans with eating disorders. Geliebter, who has also collaborated with Kissileff showed how signals from the gut influence neural activity in the brain. Liebel presented material on the role of human genetics and excess adiposity in the establishment of overeating in individuals with mutated genes, particularly those associated with Leptin. Close reading of the following papers indicates that the goal of highlighting translational research by members of the seminar has been achieved. Fig. 1. Participants in the 40th Anniversary Symposium of the Columbia University Seminar on Appetitive Behavior Back row: Rudolf Leibel, Ari Schechter (rapparteur), Harry Kissileff (Chair), Joseph R. Vasselli (Co-chair), Anthony Sclafani, Allan Geliebter, Front row Gerard P. Smith, Stephen C. Woods.
Table 2 Seminar rapparteurs and years of service. Rapparteur
Years served
Katherine Porikos Joseph R. Vasselli Harry Kissileff Nori Geary Janet L. Guss Laurence Nolan Bridget O’Connell Lisa Dixon Steve Saland Kathleen Keller Ari Shechter
1972–1979 1979–1990 1990–1991 1991–1992 1992–1995, 1999–2003 1995–1996 1996–1997 1997–1998 1998–1999 2003–2011 2011–
engaging in direct collaboration. Four of the following papers focus on work in animals. Woods, who was one of the original seminar members began the seminar with a combination of metabolic, humoral, and learned controls of feeding. Smith’s work dovetailed nicely with an emphasis on the role of a particular gut peptide in the control of patterns of spontaneous intake which have been inter-
Acknowledgments I thank Glaxo-Smith-Kline for their generous donations in support of the seminar since 2001 until the present. I also thank The New York Obesity Research Center for space and resources since I took over the chairmanship of this seminar in 1991. Joe Vasselli provided constructive comments on the manuscript. Finally I thank David Booth for encouraging and arranging for publishing seminar proceedings in Appetite. References Kissileff, H. R. (1992). Meeting Report: The Twentieth Anniversary of the Columbia University Seminar on Appetitive Behavior. Appetite, 19, 303–307. Kissileff, H. R. (1997). Introduction to papers presented at: the twenty fifth anniversary symposium of the Columbia University Seminar on Appetitive Behavior. Appetite, 29, 111–113. Kissileff, H. R. (2004). The future of research on appetitive behavior: 30th Anniversary of the Columbia University Seminar on Appetitive Behavior. Appetite, 42, 1–3.
Harry R. Kissileff New York Obesity Research Center, St. Luke’s/Roosevelt Hospital, 1111 Amsterdam Ave., New York, NY 10025, USA E-mail address: [email protected] Available online 20 May 2013