UNIVERSITY COLLEGE LONDON

Gower Street London WC1E 6BT Tel: 0171-387 7050 Direct Line: 0171-380 7234

Fax: 0171-388 5412 E-mail: c.saward@ucl.ac.uk

Provost: Sir Derek Roberts, CBE, FRS, FEng

5 September 1997

Professor David Eisner
Chairman of the Editorial Board
The Journal of Physiology
Department of Veterinary Preclinical Sciences
University of Liverpool
PO Box 147
Liverpool L69 3BX



Dear Professor Eisner

As a consequence of information brought to our attention in October 1994 by Dr L J Bindman relating to two scientific communications and the published abstracts that refer to them from her laboratory, (Barry M F, Christofi G and Bindman L J, Journal of Physiology, 477, 52P, 1994; Barry M F, Christofi G, Vickery R M and Bindman L J, Society of Neuroscience Abstract 20, 370, 12, 1994) an investigation into the veracity of the published material was initiated. The first stage was an internal Departmental review that established that certain of the experimental results presented in these abstracts had been falsified. The second stage was a formal inquiry instituted by University College London and undertaken by an independent scientific panel drawn from senior neurophysiologists from outside of University College. They concluded that experimental material had been falsified and that, beyond reasonable doubt, Dr Bindman, Dr Vickery and Mr Barry are innocent of falsifying data.

We ask you to publish this letter as a formal retraction relating to those particular abstracts. A more detailed retraction statement is being sent to you by Dr Bindman and we would ask you to publish that subsequent to the publication of our retraction above.

[UCL Press Statement]