Dr. André Barbeau - Neurologist *

The scientific impact of Dr. André Barbeau is reflected in his publication of 442 articles and 30 books, while receiving 10 national and international prizes and being elected president of more than 121 learned societies, congresses, foundations.

The scientific impact of Dr. André Barbeau is reflected in his publication of 442 articles and 30 books, while receiving 10 national and international prizes and being elected president of more than 121 learned societies, congresses, foundations.

He has given conferences the world over. His research activities helped the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal to become an international centre in neurosciences. Barbeau has been mainly recognized for his work on the use of levodopa to treat Parkinson's patients. He had also initiated wide studies to better understand the metabolic and genetic aspects of Friedreich’s ataxia. The studies were done in collaboration with 200 centres. Finally, Barbeau introduced a new epidemiological approach he called "eco-genetic".

Barbeau is a role model of a clinical scientist. He got his M.D. from the Université de Montréal. He trained in neurology in Montreal, moving to Chicago for additional post-doctoral studies. He returned in 1962 to open a new laboratory at the Université de Montréal and to initiate his clinical studies on Parkinson's at the Hôtel-Dieu hospital. In 1967, he moved his laboratory to the Clinical Research Institute of Montreal.

He was one of the few pioneers to demonstrate a lack of dopamine in the brain of Parkinson's patients to whom he suggested to administer L-dopa. This has revolutionized clinical neurology since, for the first time, a complex neurological disease could be treated by the oral administration of a neurotransmitter precursor.

In Friedreich ataxia, Barbeau changed his research approach because so little was known about the disease. With the financial support of Claude St-Jean, who had founded the Friedreich's society, Barbeau obtained the collaboration of 200 centres to study most metabolic paradigms while working at the genetic and environmental factors. Following his premature death, many of his colleagues have continued the work and have almost identified a gene related to the disease.

André Barbeau, like his father Dr. Antonio Barbeau, was a prolific writer and a competent physician who had a great deal of compassion for his patients. He was the first physician to be elected at the "Académie Canadienne-Française". He was enthroned a few weeks before his death and his acceptance speech constitutes certainly his person message to future generations.

^* Deceased March 9, 1986