Dr. Kaufmann and I wish to welcome you here in Schloss Auel to this second symposium on brain and heart infarct. We have chosen this lovely castle because I am always dissatisfied with meetings in great hotels in cities, where we rush to and from the meeting rooms. I had such an experience overseas just 3 weeks ago from 8 o'clock in the morning until 10 o'clock at night. We want you to feel some of the wonderful atmosphere of the Bergisches La d. Moreover, we wanted like you to enjoy a bit of the spirit of the Rhein valley and the 2000-year-old city of Cologne, even at the expense of losing a few hours of discus- sion; though this may be a quantitative loss, we feel sure that the environment of this city will stimulate our discussions. Two years ago we gathered here in Schloss Auel for the first time, attempting to conduct a discussion between neurologists and cardiologists on the similarities and dissimilarities of circulatory disorders of the brain and heart. We are happy to continue this discussi?n in the days to come.