Editors' Introduction

This issue is dominated by ORIGINAL ARTICLES, opening with the general theme of “What Is Neuropsychoanalysis?” (Solms & Turnbull), which outlines the scope of our discipline and its philosophical and experimental basis and defines the interesting question of what neuropsychoanalysis is not. We also publish a number of articles on more specific themes: models of change in borderline personality disorder (Viviani et al.), language and the unconscious (Bazan), and the effects of maternal stress (Mello et al).

We also include an article by the acclaimed author Siri Hustvedt, who has a growing interest in neuropsychoanalysis. Indeed, her books increasingly show themes and characters with a neuropsychoanalytic flavor. It is therefore of great interest to see her thoughts on writing, memory, mind, and brain—which we publish with commentaries by Vittorio Gallese and Richard Kessler.

In this issue we have, as ever, our DIGEST, BULLETIN, and BOOK REVIEWS sections. The latter contains a review by Jaak Panksepp of Antonio Damasio's latest book, Self Comes to Mind: Constructing the Conscious Brain, with a response by Damasio himself. Historically minded readers will recall a similar review and response by Panksepp and Damasio in relation to Damasio's previous book—Looking for Spinoza—in our 2003: 2 issue.

A further addition to this issue of the Journal is the publication of Congress Research Presentations from Seattle and Berlin . The growth in our research presentation numbers has been enormous (see the graph on p. 232) and is a testament to the remarkable growth of the research side of our inter-discipline—an important and most welcome development. To view the Berlin Congress in the round, readers will also be interested in a pair of Congress Reports, which review the content of the Berlin Congress and offer a flavor of the atmosphere surrounding the event.

We are confident that, amid the diversity of offerings in this issue, our readers will find many articles of interest.