Francois Boller, born in Montreux, Switzerland in 1938, is a French-American clinical professor of neurology in the Department of Neurology at George Washington University in Washington D.C. currently living and working in Paris, France as a co-series-editor of the Handbook of Clinical Neurology[1](edited by Elsevier). He is the founder and former Director of the Alzheimer Disease Research Centre (ADRC)[2] in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. In 1993 he co-founded the European Journal of Neurology[3] with Professor Per Soel Sorensen, the official journal of the European Academy of Neurology, which he co-edited until 2007.[4]
In 2004 he received the Ottorino Rossi Award,[5] for his valuable contribution to understanding hitherto hidden aspects of brain-behavior relationships and for his unrelenting activity as a teacher, editor, and promoter of international endeavors in the fields of neurology and neuropsychology. His career has led him to several countries; Italy, France, and the United States. Throughout his itinerary he succeeded in maintaining a very coherent approach to his research. Some of the topics he chose to investigate include focal brain damaged patients - particularly aphasia – diffuse brain damaged patients, cognitive impairment and aging people.
Boller was born from the union of Italian Erminia Martini, and French-Swiss musician Carlo Boller. He spent his first years in Montreux, before moving to Cremona, Italy at 14 years old. There he studied at the Liceo Classico Daniele Manin. After graduating he went to study in Bologna, at the Faculty of Medicine. In 1960 he moved to Pisa to continue his medical studies, where he also worked at the Institute of Physiology directed by Professor Giuseppe Moruzzi. After graduating from the University of Pisa in 1963 with an MD degree, he moved to Milan. There he worked at the Clinical Neurology Institute, under Professor Ennio De Renzi[6] and completed his specialization in neurology.
Scientific career
In 1966 he joined the Department of Neurology of Boston University School of Medicine, under the direction of Professor Norman Geschwind. He completed his residency and obtained a fellowship there in 1970. In 1972 he left to work in the Department of Neurology of Case Western Reserve University in Cleveland directed by Joseph Foley.[7] In 1977 he spent a sabbatical year in Paris, where he worked at the INSERM Unit (Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale), directed by Henry Hécaen. In 1979 he moved to Pittsburgh, where he was appointed Professor of Neurology and Psychiatry at the University of Pittsburgh. In parallel, he completed his PhD doctorate at the Case Western Reserve University Cleveland in 1982. In 1985 he founded the University of Pittsburgh's Alzheimer Disease Research Centre (ADRC).[2]
In 1989 he moved to Paris as Research Director at Inserm. There, he founded a Research Unit dedicated to neurology and neuropsychology of cerebral aging, which he directed until 2005. In 2005 he returned to the United States, working first at the National Institutes of Health (Bethesda, Maryland) until 2013. Then he transferred to George Washington University, under the title of Clinical Professor of Neurology.[8]
In 2017 he moved back to Paris, where he is currently working and living.
Selected publications
Extended content
Boller, F; Vignolo, LA (December 1966). "Latent sensory aphasia in hemisphere-damaged patients: an experimental study with the Token Test". Brain. 89 (4): 815–30. doi:10.1093/brain/89.4.815. PMID5335067.
Boller, F; Segarra, JM (1969). "Spino-Pontine degeneration". European Neurology. 2 (6): 356–373. doi:10.1159/000113812. PMID5808476.
Boller, F; Patten, DH.; Howes, D (1973). "Correlation of brain-scan results with neuropathological findings". Lancet. 1 (7813): 1143–1146. doi:10.1016/s0140-6736(73)91145-8. PMID4123538.
Gardner, H; Boller, F; Moreines, J; Butters, N (1973). "Retrieving information from Korsakoff patients". Cortex. 9 (2): 165–175. doi:10.1016/s0010-9452(73)80025-5. PMID4744361.
Howes, D; Boller, F (1975). "Simple reaction time: Evidence for focal impairment from lesions of the right hemisphere". Brain. 98 (2): 313–329. doi:10.1093/brain/98.2.317. PMID1148823.
Ferguson, JH; Boller, F (1977). "A different form of agraphia: syntactic writing errors in patients with motor speech and movement disorders". Brain Lang. 4 (3): 382–9. doi:10.1016/0093-934x(77)90032-3. PMID907876.
Boller, F; Hécaen, H (1979). "L'évaluation des fonctions neuropsychologiques: Examen standard de l'Unité de Recherches Neuropsychologiques et Neurolinguistiques (U 111 INSERM)". Revue de Psychologie Appliquée. 29: 247–266.
Grafman, J; Passafiume, D; Faglioni, P; Boller, F (1982). "Calculation disturbances in adults with focal hemispheric damage". Cortex. 18: 37–49. doi:10.1016/s0010-9452(82)80017-8. PMID6197234.
Zubenko, G; Cohen, BM; Boller, F; Malinako, I; Keefe, NC; Chojnacki, B (1987). "Platelet membrane abnormality in Alzheimer's disease". Annals of Neurology. 22 (2): 237–244. doi:10.1002/ana.410220208. PMID3662454.
El Awar, M; Becker, JT; Hammond, KM; Boller, F (1987). "Leaming deficits in Parkinson's disease: comparison with Alzheimer's disease and normal aging". Archives of Neurology. 44 (2): 180–184. doi:10.1001/archneur.1987.00520140048016. PMID3813934.
Forette, F; Henry, JF; Orgogozo, JM; Pere, JF; Hugonot, L; Israel, L; Loria, Y; Goulley, F; Lallemand, A; Boller, F (1989). "The reliability of clinical criteria for the diagnosis of dementia: A longitudinal multicentric study". Archives of Neurology. 46: 646–648. doi:10.1001/archneur.1989.00520420066024.
Boller, F; Holland, A; Forbes, M; Hood, P; McGonigle-Gibson, K; Becker, JT (1991). "Predictors of decline in Alzheimer's disease". Cortex. 27 (1): 9–17. doi:10.1016/s0010-9452(13)80264-x. PMID2055046.
Saxton, J; Mc Gonigle-Gibson, K; Swihart, A; Miller, M; Boller, F (1990). "Assessment of the severely impaired patient: description and validation of a new neuropsychological Test Battery". Psychological Assessment: A Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology. 2 (3): 298–303. doi:10.1037/1040-3590.2.3.298.
Cuénod, CA; Denys, A; Michot, JL; Jehenson, P; Forette, F; Kaplan, D; Syrota, A; Boller, F (1993). "Amygdala atrophy in Alzheimer's disease. An in vivo magnetic resonance imaging study". Arch Neurol. 50: 941–5. doi:10.1001/archneur.1993.00540090046009. PMID8363448.
Cuénod, CA; Kaplan, DB; Michot, JL; Jehenson, P; Leroy-Willig, A; Forette, F; Syrota, A; Boller, F (1995). "Phospholipid abnormalities in early Alzheimer's disease. In vivo phosphorus 31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy". Arch Neurol. 52: 89–94. doi:10.1001/archneur.1995.00540250097018. PMID7826281.
Parlato, V; Lese, GB; Dabaj, A; Forette, F; Boller, F (1995). "Survival in institutionalized patients. Influence of dementia and loss of functional capacities". Arch Neurol. 52: 469–76. doi:10.1001/archneur.1995.00540290057018. PMID7733841.
Dhenain, M; Michot, JL; Volk, A; Picq, JL; Boller, F (1997). "T2-weighted MRI studies of mouse lemurs: a primate model of brain aging". Neurobiol Aging. 18 (5): 517–21. doi:10.1016/s0197-4580(97)00105-x. PMID9390778.
Boller, F; Forbes, MA (1998). "History of dementia and dementia in history: an overview". Journal of Neurological Sciences. 158 (2): 125–133. doi:10.1016/S0022-510X(98)00128-2. PMID9702682.
Boller, F (1999). "History of the International Neuropsychological Symposium: a reflection of the evolution of a discipline". Neuropsychologia. 37: 17–26. doi:10.1016/s0028-3932(98)00069-4. PMID9920467.
Tzortzis, C; Goldblum, MC; Dang, M; Forette, F; Boller, F (2000). "Absence of amusia and preserved naming of musical instruments in an aphasic composer". Cortex. 36 (2): 227–42. doi:10.1016/s0010-9452(08)70526-4. PMID10815708.
Amaducci, L; Grassi, E; Boller, F (January 2002). "Maurice Ravel and right-hemisphere musical creativity: influence of disease on his last musical works?". Eur. J. Neurol. 9: 75–82. doi:10.1046/j.1468-1331.2002.00351.x. PMID11784380.
Boller, F; Dalla Barba, G (2001). "Neuropsychological tests in Alzheimer's disease". Aging (Milano). 13 (3): 210–20. doi:10.1007/BF03351479. PMID11442303.
Boller, F; Verny, M; Hugonot, L; Saxton, J (2002). "Clinical features of severe dementia. A review". European Journal of Neurology. 9 (2): 125–136. doi:10.1046/j.1468-1331.2002.00356.x. PMID11882053.
Boller, F; El Massioui, F; Devouche, E; Traykov, L; Pomati, S; Starkstein, SE (2002). "Processing emotional information in Alzheimer's disease: effects on memory performance and neurophysiological correlates". Dement Geriatr Cogn Disord. 14 (2): 104–12. doi:10.1159/000064932. PMID12145458.
Traykov, L; Rigaud, AS; Baudic, S; Smagghe, A; Boller, F; Forette, F (2002). "Apolipoprotein E epsilon 4 allele frequency in demented and cognitively impaired patients with and without cerebrovascular disease". J Neurol Sci. 203–204: 177–81. doi:10.1016/s0022-510x(02)00287-3. PMID12417380.
Boller, F (2004). "Rational basis of rehabilitation following cerebral lesions: a review of the concept of cerebral plasticity". Funct Neurol. 19: 65–72. PMID15274513.
Hugonot-Diener, L; Verny, M; Devouche, E; Saxton, J; Mecocci, P; Boller, F (2003). "[Abridged version of the severe impairment battery (SIB)]". Psychol Neuropsychiatr Vieil. 1: 273–83. PMID15683963.
Starkstein, SE; Boller, F; Garau, L (2005). "A two-year follow-up study of remote memory in Alzheimer's disease". J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci. 17 (3): 336–41. doi:10.1176/jnp.17.3.336. PMID16179655.
Saxton, J; Kastango, KB; Hugonot-Diener, L; Boller, F; Verny, M; Sarles, CE; Girgis, RR; Devouche, E; Mecocci, P; Pollock, BG; DeKosky, ST (2005). "Development of a short form of the Severe Impairment Battery". Am J Geriatr Psychiatry. 13 (11): 999–1005. doi:10.1176/appi.ajgp.13.11.999. PMID16286444.
Boller, F; Sinforiani, E; Mazzucchi, A (2005). "Preserved painting abilities after a stroke. The case of Paul-Elie Gernez". Funct Neurol. 20: 151–5. PMID16483452.
Traykov, L; Rigaud, AS; Cesaro, P; Boller, F (2007). "[Neuropsychological impairment in the early Alzheimer's disease]". Encephale. 33: 310–6. doi:10.1016/s0013-7006(07)92044-8. PMID17675928.
Boller, F; Bick, K; Duyckaerts, C (May 2007). "They have shaped Alzheimer disease: the protagonists, well known and less well known". Cortex. 43 (4): 565–9. doi:10.1016/s0010-9452(08)70251-x. PMID17624003.
Boller F. "International neurology meeting in 1929. J Hist Neurosci 2011; 20::379-80.
Tatu, L; Bogousslavsky, J; Boller, F (2014). "Phantoms in artists: the lost limbs of Blaise Cendrars, Arthur Rimbaud, and Paul Wittgenstein". J Hist Neurosci. 23 (4): 355–66. doi:10.1080/0964704X.2014.881168. PMID24956238.
Aminoff, M.; Boller, F.; Swaab, D. F. (2014). ""Letter to the Editor: Comment on Koehler and Stahnisch's (2014) "Three Twentieth-Century Multiauthored Neurological Handbooks". Journal of the History of the Neurosciences. 23 (4): 420–421. doi:10.1080/0964704X.2014.950531. PMID25317491.
Boller, F G Dalla Barba - The evolution of Psychiatry and Neurology: Two disciplines divided by a common goal? Psychiatry for neurologists, 2006 – Springer doi:10.1007/978-1-59259-960-8_2
Vallar, G; Boller, F; Grossi, D; Gainotti, G (2015). "Italian neuropsychology in the second half of the twentieth century". Neurol Sci. 36 (3): 361–70. doi:10.1007/s10072-014-2044-6. PMID25527368.
Boller, F; Bogousslavsky, J (2015). "Paul Wittgenstein's right arm and his phantom: the saga of a famous concert pianist and his amputation". Prog Brain Res. 216: 293–303. doi:10.1016/bs.pbr.2014.11.011. PMID25684295.
Boller, F; Birnbaum, D (2016). "Silas Weir Mitchell: Neurologists and Neurology during the American Civil War". Front Neurol Neurosci. Frontiers of Neurology and Neuroscience. 38: 93–106. doi:10.1159/000442596. ISBN978-3-318-05605-1. PMID27035676.
Boller, F; Birnbaum, DS; Caputi, N (2018). "Charles Bonnet Syndrome and Other Hallucinatory Phenomena". Front Neurol Neurosci. Frontiers of Neurology and Neuroscience. 41: 117–124. doi:10.1159/000475702. ISBN978-3-318-05858-1. PMID29145190.
Boller, F; Caputi, N (2018). "History of the frontal lobes. Language and language disorders". Revue Neurologique. 174 (10): 739. doi:10.1016/j.neurol.2018.09.006.
Boller, F; Caputi, N; Romano, A; Kaminski, H; Broussolle, E (2019). "Transatlantic Crossings: Early neurological exchanges between USA and France". Rev Neurol (Paris). 175 (5): 291–297. doi:10.1016/j.neurol.2018.09.018. PMID30902429.
Walusinski, O; Boller, F; Henderson, VW (2019). "Shining a Light on Some of the Most Famous 19th and 20th Century's Neuropsychologists". Front Neurol Neurosci. Frontiers of Neurology and Neuroscience. 44: 192–229. doi:10.1159/000494964. ISBN978-3-318-06462-9. PMID31220830.
Boller, F. Caputi, N., and Finger, S. Les apports d'Hippocrate et du monde grec à la neurologie et la neuropsychologie [The contributions of Hippocrates and the Greek World to neurology and neuropsychology]. Histoire des Sciences Médicales. 2024 6: 365-374.
Broussolle, E; Reynolds, EH; Koehler, PJ; Bogousslavsky, J; Walusinski, O; Brigo, F; Lorusso, L; Boller, F (2025). "Charcot's international visitors and pupils from Europe, the United States, and Russia". J Hist Neurosci. 34 (2): 206–247. doi:10.1080/0964704X.2024.2350921. PMID38921955.
Boller, F; Bogousslavsky, J (2025). "Charcot as a collector and critic of the arts: Relationship of the 'founder of neurology' with various aspects of art". J Hist Neurosci. 34 (2): 310–321. doi:10.1080/0964704X.2024.2439234. PMID39805568.
Books and book chapters
Boller F, Segarra JM: Spino-Pontine Degeneration. Handbook of Clinical Neurology, PJ Vinken and JW Bruyn, Eds. North Holland, Amsterdam, Vol 21, Chap. 18, 389-402,1975.
Boller F, Frank E: Sexual Dysfunctions of Neurologically Handicapped Adults: Diagnosis, management and rehabilitation. Raven Press, New York, 1982. ISBN978-0-89004-500-8
Boller F, Katzman R, Rascol A, Signoret JL, Christen Y (Eds): Biological Markers of Alzheimer's Disease. Research and Perspectives in Alzheimer's Disease. Berlin, Springer Verlag, 1989. ISBN978-3-540-51669-9
Boller, F. Forette, F. Khatchaturian, Z. Christen, Y: Heterogeneity of Alzheimer's disease. Research and Perspectives in Alzheimer's Disease. Berlin, Springer Verlag, 1992. ISBN978-0-387-55918-6
Boller, F, Duyckaerts, C: Alzheimer's disease: clinical and anatomic aspects. In: Behavioral Neurology and Neuropsychology. Feinberg, T & Farah, M, (Eds). New York, McGrawHill, 1583-1622, 1996. ISBN978-0-07-137432-3
Boller, F. and S. Muggia (1999). Non-Alzheimer dementias. Handbook of clinical and experimental neuropsychology. G. Denes and G. Pizzamiglio. Hove, Psychology Press.: 437-438. ISBN978-1-315-79127-2doi:10.4324/9781315791272
Forette F, Christen, Y Boller F. La maladie d'Alzheimer: Prédiction, prévention, prise en charge FNG Paris, 2000. ISBN978-2-902499-10-6
Boller F, Christen Y, Forette F: Les Frontières de l'Alzheimer. FNG Paris, 2002
Boller, F. and S. Suarez (2004). The neuropsychology of infectious and inflammatory brain disorders. Oxford Handbook of Clinical Neuropychology. P. Halligan.(Ed) Oxford.
Bogousslavsky J, Boller F. Jean-Martin Charcot and art: relationship of the "founder of neurology" with various aspects of art. Prog Brain Res. 2013; 203:185-99. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-62730-8.00007-4
Finger S, Zaidel DW, Boller F, Bogousslavsky, J The Fine Arts, Neurology and Neuroscience. History and Modern Perspectives: Neuro-Historical Dimensions. Progress in Brain Research 2013; 203, Elsevier. doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-62730-8.09985-0
Finger S, Zaidel DW, Boller F, Bogousslavsky, J The Fine Arts, Neurology and Neuroscience. History and Modern Perspectives: New discoveries and changing landscapes. Progress in Brain Research 2013; 204, Elsevier. eBook ISBN978-0-444-63288-3
Finger S, Stiles A, Boller F, Literature, Neurology and Neuroscience. History and Modern Perspectives: Progress in Brain Research ,2013; 205 Elsevier. eBook ISBN978-0-444-63275-3
Finger S, Stiles A, Boller F, Literature, Neurology and Neuroscience. Neurological and Psychiatric Disorders: Progress in Brain Research ,2013; 206 Elsevier. eBook ISBN978-0-444-63387-3
Finger S, Altenmueller E, Boller F, Music, Neurology and Neuroscience. History and Modern Perspectives: Progress in Brain Research, Elsevier, 216,217 2015 eBook ISBN978-0-444-63410-8
Boller F, Forbes, M, Bogousslavsky J: Paul Wittgenstein's right arm and his Phantom Tale of an amputated pianist In: Finger S, Altenmueller E, Boller F, Music, Neurology and Neuroscience. History and Modern Perspectives: Progress in Brain Research, Elsevier, PMID25684295
Bogousslavsky J, Boller F, Iwata M A History of Neuropsychology and Behavioral Neurology Front Neurol Neurosci.2019 ISBN978-3-318-06463-6
Aminoff, M, Boller F, Swaab D Handbook of Clinical Neurology | Elsevier ISSN: 0072-9752 This is the continuation of the series started by P Vinken and GW Bruyn. So far, 46 volumes of the new series have been published and around 20 are in various stages of preparation.
Volume 161. Clinical Neurophysiology: Diseases and Disorders, Part II Published: 15 April 2019 Series Volume Editors: Kerry Levin Patrick Chauvel doi:10.1016/B978-0-444-64142-7.09999-9
Volume 160. Clinical Neurophysiology: Basis and Technical Aspects, Part I Published: 1 April 2019 Series Volume Editors: Kerry Levin Patrick Chauvel Hardback ISBN978-0-444-64032-1, 978-0-444-64033-8
Volume 159. Balance, Gait, and Falls Published: 18 December 2018 Series Volume Editors: Brian Day Stephen Lord Hardback ISBN978-0-444-63916-5, 978-0-444-63917-2
Volume 158. Sports Neurology Published: 18 December 2018 Series Volume Editors: Brian Hainline Robert Stern Hardback ISBN978-0-444-63954-7, 978-0-444-63955-4
Volume 157. Thermoregulation Part II Published: 13 December 2018 Series Volume Editor: Andrej A. Romanovsky Hardback ISBN978-0-444-64074-1, 978-0-444-64075-8
Volume 156. Thermoregulation Part I Published: 12 December 2018 Series Volume Editor: Andrej A. Romanovsky Hardback ISBN978-0-444-63912-7, 978-0-444-63913-4
Volume 154. The Cerebellum: From Embryology to Diagnostic Investigations Published: 26 June 2018 Series Volume Editors: Mario Manto Thierry Huisman ISBN978-0-444-63956-1
Volume 155. The Cerebellum: Disorders and Treatment Published: 26 June 2018 Series Volume Editors: Mario Manto Thierry Huisman Hardback ISBN978-0-444-64189-2, 978-0-444-64190-8
Volume 153. Human Prion Diseases Published: 26 June 2018 Series Volume Editors: Maurizio Pocchiari Jean Manson ISBN978-0-444-63945-5
Volume 152. The Neurology of HIV Infection Published: 17 April 2018 Series Volume Editor: Bruce James Brew PMID14978148
Volume 151. The Parietal Lobe Published: 28 March 2018 Series Volume Editors: Giuseppe Vallar H. Branch Coslett Hardback ISBN978-0-444-63622-5, 978-0-444-63624-9
Volume 150. Brain Banking Published: 23 March 2018 Series Volume Editors: Ingeborg Huitinga Maree Webster Hardback ISBN978-0-444-63639-3, 978-0-444-63642-3
Volume 149. Metastatic Disease of the Nervous System Published: 29 January 2018 Editors: David Schiff M J Van den Bent Hardback ISBN978-0-12-811161-1, 978-0-444-63879-3
Volume 148. Neurogenetics, Part II Published: 29 January 2018 Series Volume Editors: Daniel H. Geschwind Henry L. Paulson Christine Klein Hardback ISBN978-0-444-64076-5, 978-0-444-64077-2
Volume 147. Neurogenetics, Part I Published: 26 January 2018 Series Volume Editors: Daniel H. Geschwind, Henry L. Paulson, Christine Klein eBook ISBN978-0-444-63235-7
