Herbert H. Jasper and the Basic Mechanisms of the Epilepsies

Herbert H. Jasper devoted his life to neuroscience and, in particular, to the pathophysiogenesis of epilepsy. He pioneered the EEG as a tool for studying brain activity in relation to states of consciousness, learning, and epileptic discharge. He also used microelectrodes to record the activity of single neurons, and combined electrophysiology with the analysis of the underlying neurochemical mechanisms. For over thirty years Jasper was a driving force in the scientific programs at the Montreal Neurological Institute of McGill University, and for another two decades he contributed vigorously as a leader in neuroscience research at the Université de Montréal. In addition to his research accomplishments, Jasper trained many neuroscientists and was the founding editor of the EEG Journal and a founding member and first President of the American EEG Society. Jasper took part in establishing the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO) to promote collaboration and interchange of scientific information on brain research throughout the world. In the 1960s he was appointed the first Executive Secretary of IBRO. During this period Jasper, along with AA Ward, A Pope and the Public Health Service Advisory Committee on the Epilepsies of the National Institutes of Health, organized the first conference on Basic Mechanisms of the Epilepsies (BME). In 1969 the first BME book was published. Since then, basic and clinical research scientists in epilepsy meet approximately each decade to appraise their accomplishments and to establish future directions.