Neurology has always been considered to be based on asound knowledge of basic neuroscience with a ‘SherlockHolmes’ approach to localization in the brain. At a recentmeeting of the editorial board of this journal, we were toldby our distributors that some of the Clinics inDevelopmental Medicine had too much emphasis on basicneuroscience. I have been described as belligerent becauseof my constant nagging at these meetings about the lack ofgood basic research papers in the field of paediatricneurology. However, looking at other paediatric journalsand performing a mental geographical tour of knownpaediatric research units, there does seem to be a genuinepaucity of fundamental research in this area.