Havana, March 7 (RHC)-- Autism disorders have been at the center of discussions during the final session Friday of the 4th International Neurological Restoration Conference, which met this week in Havana.

Experts with the International Neurological Restoration Center (CIREN) have been debating the disorders in autistic patients, which affect language and social communication.

The final session of the conference, attended by over 300 delegates from 20 nations, also addressed neuropathic pain and the dynamic treatment of chronic pain.

Radio Havana Cuba spoke with one of the participants at the conference -- Dr. Randolph Nudo, the director of the Landon Center on Aging and a professor with the Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology at the University of Kansas Medical Center in the United States.  He told us that he has attended three conferences and always benefits from exchanging with his colleagues from Cuba and around the world.  Dr. Nudo had words of praise for Cuba's health care system, saying that Cuba's attention to physical therapy is key in neurological recovery.

Dr. Nudo was the first researcher to provide direct evidence that physical therapy can be used to change the brain.  He has been involved in neurological sciences for 30 years and has received grant financing from the U.S. National Institutes of Health since 1990.