title: Arctic Peoples and Beyond: research opportunities in neuroscience and behaviour.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Arctic and northern peoples are spread across Alaska, Canada, Russia and the Scandinavian countries. Inhabiting a variety of ecosystems, these 4 million residents include Indigenous populations who total about 10% of the population. Although Arctic peoples have very diverse cultural and social systems, they have health issues related to environmental impacts and knowledge/treatment disparities that are common to other minority and Indigenous peoples around the world. Research that explores the neuroscience and behavioural aspects of these health disparities offers challenges and significant opportunities. As the next generation of neuroscientists enter the field, it is imperative that they view their contributions in terms of translational medicine to address health disparities.
  
  
  METHODS
  A workshop was designed to bring neuroscientists together to report on the current directions of neuroscience research and how it could impact health disparities in the North. This workshop produced research recommendations for the growth of neuroscience in the North.
  
  
  METHODS
  On May 31, 2006 the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, the Burroughs Wellcome Foundation, the Arctic Division of AAAS and the University of Alaska co-sponsored a workshop entitled "Arctic Peoples and Beyond: Decreasing Health Disparities through Basic and Clinical Research." Also, the role and goals of the International Union for Circumpolar Health (IUCH) were presented at the meeting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  A set of recommendations related to research opportunities in neuroscience and behaviour research and ways to facilitate national and international partnerships were developed.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  These recommendations should help guide the development of future health research in circumpolar neuroscience and behaviour. They provide ideas about research support and informational exchange that will address health challenges.
authors.affiliation: Specialized Neuroscience Research Program, University of Alaska Fairbanks, Fairbanks, Alaska 99775-6160, USA. fyabnp@uaf.edu
authors.forename: Lawrence
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Duffy
authors.forename: Abel
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Bult-Ito
authors.forename: Marina
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: Kelly
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Drew
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Harris
authors.forename: Thomas
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuhn
authors.forename: Yilong
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Ma
authors.forename: Marvin
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Schulte
authors.forename: Barbara
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Taylor
authors.forename: Mary
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: van Muelken
mesh_terms: D000413:Alaska; D001110:Arctic Regions / Q000453:epidemiology; D035841:Behavioral Research; D035843:Biomedical Research; D001927:Brain Diseases / Q000208:ethnology; D003081:Cold Climate; D004493:Education; D006801:Humans; D007223:Infant; D007231:Infant, Newborn; D007391:International Cooperation; D004930:Inuit / Q000523:psychology*; D009488:Neurosciences; D012959:Socioeconomic Factors; D013398:Sudden Infant Death / Q000208:ethnology