In 1956, three groups independently reported evidence that some thyroid disease appearing spontaneously in humans or experimentally induced in animals are related to autoimmune processes. The interval between these landmark discoveries and the present has witnessed a remarkable and continuing growth of both knowledge and concepts concerning the mechanisms of immune regulation, the pathogenesis of autoimmune thyroid diseases, and their clinical and laboratory manifestations. More importantly knowledge of thyroid autoimmunity has, in many respects, comprised the vanguard of an ever increasing appreciation and understanding of autoimmune diseases in general. On November 24-26 1986, an International Symposium on Thyroid Autoimmunity was held in Pisa. Its purpose was to commemorate the birth of thyroid autoimmunity as a scientific discipline, to summarize current knowledge and concepts in this area, and where possible, to anticipate areas of opportunity for the future - hence the theme of the Symposium, Memories and Perspectives. To open the meeting, the Magnifico Rettore (Chancellor) of the University of Pisa granted special Awards to Dr. Deborah Doniach, Dr. Ivan Roitt, and Dr. Noel R. Rose, who published the first fundamental studies in the field of thyroid autoimmunity, and to Dr. Duncan G. Adams, whose discovery of the long-acting thyroid stimulator (LATS) opened the door to our current understanding of the pathogenesis of Graves' disease. During the meeting thirty plenary lectures were presented.

Graves' Disease: A Paradigm for Autoimmunity.- Nature of Thyroid Autoantigens: The TSH Receptor.- Progress in Understanding the Thyroid Microsomal Antigen.- A Possible Role of Bacterial Antigens in the Pathogenesis of Autoimmune Thyroid Disease.- "ATRA I": A New Autoantiaen in Autoimmune Thyroid Disease.- Monoclonal Antibodies in the Study of Thyroid Autoantigens and Autoantibodies.- LATS/TSAb: Then and Now.- Pathogenic Roles of TSH Receptor Antibodies in Graves' Disease.- Physlopathological Relevance of Thyroid Stimulating Antibody (TSAb) Measurements in Graves' Disease.- TSH Receptor Autoantibodies Affecting Thyroid Cell Function.- Heterogeneity of TSH Receptor-directed Antibodies (TRAb) and Their Significance.- Humoral Factors in Graves1 Ophthalmopathy.- Immunoregulatory Abnormalities in Autoimmune Thyroid Disease.- Intrathyroidal Lymphocytes, Thyroid Autoantibodies and Thyroid Destruction.- Cellular Mechanisms for Autoimmune Damage in Thyroid-Associated Ophthalmopathy.- Thyroid Infiltrating T Lymphocytes in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Phenotypic and Functional Analysis at Single Cell Level.- An in Vitro Model for Thyroid Autoimmunity.- Genetic Aspects of Graves' Disease.- Thyroid and Related Autoimmune Disorders: Challenging the Dogmas.- Molecular and Functional Characterization of Genes Encoding Anti-Thyroglobulin and Anti-TSH Receptor Antibodies.- Autoantigenicity of Murine Thyroglobulin.- IgG Subclass Distribution of Anti-Tg Antibodies among Thyroid Disease Patients and Their Relatives and in High and Low Responder Mouse Strains.- Genetic Basis of Spontaneous Autoimmune Thyroiditis.- Heterotransplantation of Autoimmune Human Thyroid to Nude Mice as a Tool for in Vivo Autoimmune Research.- Post-Partum Thyroid Dysfunction.- Autoimmune and Autonomous Toxic Goiter; Differentiation and Clinical Outcome after Drug Treatment.- Postpartum Onset of Graves' Disease.- Thyrotropin-Binding Inhibitor Immunoglobulins in Primary Hypothyroidism.- Thyroid Function Modulates Thymic Endocrine Activity.- The BB/W Rat, a Model for "Tgl-associated Goitre".- Non-Thyroidal Complications of Graves' Disease: Perspective on Pathogenesis and Treatment.- Cross Reactivity between Antibodies to Human Thyroglobulin and Torpedo Acetylcholinesterase in Patients with Graves' Ophthalmopathy.- Multiple Autoantiqenic Determinants in Thyroid Autoimmunity.- Further Characterization of the Thyroid Microsomal Antigen by Monoclonal Antibodies.- Molecular Cloning of a Thyroid Peroxidase cDNA Fragment Encoding Epitopes Involved in Hashimoto's Thyroiditis iHT).- Further Evidence that Thyroid Peroxidase and "Microsomal Antigen" Are the Same Entity.- Competitive and Immunometric Radioassays for the Measurement of Anti-Thyroid Peroxidase Autoantibodies in Human Sera.- Thyroid Peroxidase and the "Microsomal Antigen", Cannot Be Distinguished by Immunofluorescence on Cultured Thyroid Cells.- Measurement of Anti-alpha-Galactosyl Antibodies in the Course of Various Thyroid Disorders and Isolation of an Antigenic Glycopeptide Fraction.- The IgG Subclass Distribution on Thyroid Autoantibodies in Graves' Disease.- Thyroid Hormone Binding Autoantibodies (THBA) in Humans and Animals.- High Frequency of Interferon-Gamma Producing T Cells in Thyroid Infiltrates of Patients with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.- Lymphoklne Production and Functional Activities of T Cell Clones from Thyroid Gland of Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.- Circulatory Thyroglobulin Threshold in Suppressor Activation.- Thyroglobulin Autoantibody IgG Subclasses; Regulation by T Cells.- Cellular Immunity and Specific Defects of T-cell Suppression in Patients with Autoimmune Thyroid Disorders.- The Influence of lnterleukin-1 on the Function of Human Thyroid Cells.- Immunohistochemical Characterisation of Lymphocytes in Experimental Autoimmune Thyroiditis.- Lambda Light Chain Restriction in the Diffuse Thyroid Lymphoid infiltrate in Untreated Graves' Disease.- Natural Killer Cell Activity in Hashimoto, Graves' Disease and Euthyroid Exophthalmos.- Interaction of Purified Graves' Immunoglobulins with the TSH-receptor.- Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulins without Evidence of inVivo Thyroid Stimulation in Some Non-thyroid Autoimmune Disease.- The Effect of Thyroid Stimulating Immunoglobulins (TSI) on Thyroid cAMP: Comparison with TSH Activity.- Proliferation in Cultivated Follicles of Graves' Thyroids: Immunohistochemical Studies with Antibody KI-67.- The Significance of Immunoglobulins Related to Stimulation of Thyroid Growth in Patients with Endemic Goiter.- Regulation of Growth of Thyroid Cells in Culture by TSH Receptor Antibodies and Other Humoral Factors.- Polyamine Modulation of Responses to Graves' IgG in Guinea Pig and Human Thyroid.- Evidence for Intrathyroidal Production of Thyroid Growth-Stimulating Immunoglobulins.- Presence of Thyroid Growth Promoting Antibody in Patients with Graves' Disease in Remission: Medical versus Surgical Therapy.- Thyrotropin and Growth Promoting Immunoglobulin (TGI) of FRTL-5 Cells Have no Growth Stimulating Activity on Human Thyroid Epithelial Cell Cultures.- Autoantibodies Stimulating Thyroid Growth and Adenylate Cyclase Cannot Be Separated in IgGs from Graves' Disease.- Antiidiotypic Blocking of Graves' Disease Biologic Activity with Autologous Sera but not Consistently with Homologous Sera: Evidence for Polyclonality of Thyroid Receptor Antibodies (TRAb).- Autoantibodies Blocking the TSH-induced Adenylate Cyclase Stimulation in Idiopathic Myxedema and Hashimoto's Thyroiditis.- Relevance of Maternal Thyroid Autoantibodies on the Development of Congenital Hypothyroidism.- Ability of Immunoglobulins from Patients with Thyroid Disease to Stimulate Skin Fibroblasts.- Some Evidences that Thyrotropin and Autoantibodies Binding Sites are Locatea on Different Polypeptide Chains of * Thyroid Plasma Membrane Proteins.- Presence of Thyroid Growth Promoting Antibody in Patients with Hashimoto's Thyroiditis: Effect of Long-term Thyroxine Treatment.- Limited Clinical Value of TBI I and TSAb for Prediction of the Outcome of Patients with Graves' Disease.- TSH Receptor Antibodies in Neonatal Hyperthyroidism.- Thyroid Autoimmunity as a Major Cause for Congenital Hypothyroidism.- Thyroid Growth Blocking Antibodies in Congenital Hypothyroidism.- Incidence of TSH Receptor Antibodies in Patients with Toxic Diffuse Goiter.- Blocking Antibodies Apparently without Any Stimulatory Activity Are Present in S…