Escourolle and Poirier's Manual of Basic Neuropathology has a long-standing tradition of providing complete and concise descriptions of the principal diseases of the nervous system, limiting clinicopathological correlations and pathophysiological considerations to the essential principles. With a target audience of professionals hoping to gain their first detailed understanding of the pathology underlying neurologic disease, the manual assumes that the reader has familiarity with the basic concepts of neuroanatomy, histology and general principles of pathology, as well as the basic principles of clinical neurology. As a result, the manual has been very popular with physicians wanting a brief introductory text, including residents in pathology, neurology, neurosurgery, and psychiatry. The Manual is also popular with staff pathologists and neurologists, neuroscientists, and even some medical students with interests in clinical neurosciences.
In the face of remarkable advances in basic neuroscience, molecular biology, and genetics, which are fields of research that have direct impact on neuropathology, the seventh edition provides a critical update that incorporates the most recent molecular definitions. The Manual does not emphasize radiological images, as this information is available elsewhere. Rather, it describes the pathologic characteristics of neurologic disease, with extensive macroscopic illustrations and whole-brain sections. Progress in molecular biology and genetics has revolutionized the laboratory diagnosis of many groups of neurological diseases. The classification of neurologic disease often includes molecular markers, and as a result, the content of molecular and genetic data is included whenever it is required for neuropathological classification.
The seventh edition now includes immunohistochemical in situ identification of abnormal proteins, or abnormal distribution of proteins in neuropathology. Gene sequencing or mutated constructs permits the identification of specific gene mutations and has led to considerable advances in the understanding and classification of degenerative, neoplastic and developmental diseases. In fact, molecular and genetic data are now a crucial component of the defining criteria for the diagnosis and classification of intracranial tumors, data that is essential for the neuro-oncologist, neurosurgeon, and radiation therapist to determine prognosis and optimal personalized treatments. The classification of brain tumors has also been updated by the World Health Organization in 2021.
Genetic data have also completely changed the understanding, classification and diagnosis of hereditary metabolic disorders, as well as many classes of myopathies and neuropathies. Newly emerging diseases in the Seventh Edition include chronic traumatic encephalopathy associated with repeated head trauma, late-onset cognitive disorders including PART and LATE, and new viral syndromes including COVID and Zika virus. Throughout, the Manual draws on a world-wide expertise, with authors from four continents collaborating to provide a remarkable breadth of experience.
Douglas C. Anthony, MD, PhD is Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine, and Professor of Neurology at the Warren Alpert School of Medicine at Brown University. He received his BS in Chemical Engineering from Washington University in St. Louis, his PhD in Experimental Pathology and MD from Duke University, followed by residency, fellowships, and U.S. board certification in Pathology and Neuropathology. Before assuming his position at Brown University, he was Assistant Professor of Pathology at Duke University, Associate Professor of Pathology at Harvard University, and Professor and Chair of Pathology and Anatomy at the University of Missouri and played a central leadership role in the educational and research programs in pathology and laboratory medicine at each institution. He has conducted research in cellular and molecular neurosciences with a focus on translational biology and diagnostic neuropathology. He has broad experience in mentoring and training students and junior faculty at the interface between clinical medicine and basic sciences, navigating the complex interfaces between the independent research lab and the clinical services of complex academic medical centers. Dr. Anthony is the author of over 150 articles and has received multiple grants and awards for his research. He has served on multiple editorial boards and authored neuroscience sections in multiple editions of the Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, and multiple prior editions of Escourolle and Poirier's Manual of Basic Neuropathology. He has served as President of the New England Society of Pathologists, President of the American Association of Neuropathologists, and Vice President of the International Society of Neuropathology.
Umberto De Girolami, MD, is Professor of Pathology at Harvard Medical School, and Neuropathologist at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. He received his BS in Chemistry and his MD from the University of Miami, followed by residency, fellowships, and U.S. board certification in Pathology and Neuropathology. He served as Professor of Pathology and Neurology at the University of Massachusetts Medical School before moving to Harvard Medical School and has held leadership positions in neuropathology at multiple Harvard-affiliated hospitals in Boston, including directing the Longwood neuropathology fellowship at Harvard Medical School. He is the author of over 130 publications and has received multiple grants and awards for his research. He has served on multiple editorial boards and was Associate Editor for Brain Pathology. He has authored multiple books and is an author of neuroscience sections in multiple editions of the
Robbins and Cotran Pathologic Basis of Disease, and multiple prior editions of
Escourolle and Poirier's Manual of Basic Neuropathology. He has lectured throughout the world as Visiting Professor in China, Philippines, Korea, South America, South Africa, France, and Switzerland, and has served in leadership roles in the American Association of Neuropathologists, International Society of Neuropathology, President of the Boston Society of Neurology and Psychiatry.
Franck Bielle, MD, PhD, is Professor of Pathology at Sorbonne University in Paris, and a leader at the Paris Brain Institute of the research group focusing on the pathobiology of brain tumors. He earned his MS in Neuropharmacology, and PhD in Life Sciences at Pierre and Marie Curie University (UPMC), followed by MD, residency, and fellowships in pathology and neuropathology. He has made outstanding contributions to the fields of neuropathology and neuro-oncology, authoring over 150 publications. His academic background includes an Inter-University Degree in medical pedagogy, and he has a strong commitment to medical education. He has received multiple grants and awards for his work in the pathology of brain tumors and is the lead on co-evolution of brain tumors and their microenvironment at the Paris Brain Institute. Dr. Bielle plays an active role in numerous national and international scientific committees, including serving as the main coordinator of neuropathology for the European Network for the management of rare brain tumors (EURACAN). His collaborations span across continents, working with research teams in the Netherlands, France, Germany, and at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute in the US on mismatch repair deficiency in gliomas.
Danielle Seilhean, MD, PhD, is Professor of Pathology at Sorbonne University in Paris, and the head of the Raymond Escourolle Department of Neuropathology at Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital. Her contributions to the field of neuropathology, particularly in the study of neurodegenerative diseases, have earned her international recognition and numerous prestigious awards. She began her studies at the University of Bordeaux and obtained her MD from Pierre & Marie Curie University (UPMC), with subsequent certifications in pathology and neuropathology. She obtained a PhD in neurosciences working on glial-neuronal interactions and neurodegenerative diseases, and has been recognized with Habilitation to Supervise Research (HDR) for supervising doctoral research, and holds diplomas in Health Ethics, Human Rights, and Morals from the Council of Europe and in Medical Education Sciences. Working at the Paris Brain Institute (ICM) at Pitié-Salpêtrière, she has authored over 200 publications, and holds a patent for a novel orthobunyavirus related to human encephalitis. She has received numerous awards, including the Malakoff-Mederic Award for her contributions to research in multiple sclerosis and was honored with the Chevalier of the Legion of Honour (Légion d'Honneur), France's highest civilian distinction. She has served as President of the French Society of Neuropathology and has been a member of various scientific and editorial boards, also serving as Director of the International Exchange Programme and later as the Vice President for International Affairs at UPMC.
