Scientific Program - Neuroimmunology / MS / ALS / ET
|
Please see below the CONy Scientific Program. Please click on the appropriate section (ordered by ABC) to view the relevant program. Please note that the program and timing is subject to change. To view the program timetable, please click here
|
| Adamantiades-Behçet's disease | The Brain and Mind in Greek Philosophy | Contursi Kindred |
Dementia |
| Epilepsy |
Headache | Multiple Sclerosis | Neuroimmunology |
| Rehabilitation / Sleep |
| Neuroimmunology / Multiple Sclerosis / ALS / ET Section Heads: Hans-Peter Hartung, Germany & Marinos Dalakas, Greece |
|
|||
| 7:00-7:50 | E-poster Guided Tours (Stroke, Parkinson's, Headache, & MS) | ||
| 08:00-10:00 |
NEUROMYELITIS OPTICA (NMO)
|
||
| Chairs: Georgia Deretzi, Greece; Maria-Magda Wysocka-Bakowska, Poland | |||
| 8:00-9:00 | Debate: Aquaporin 4 antibody negative MMOSD is a new disease | ||
| Capsule: |
Up to 80% of patients with a clinical phenotype of a neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder (NMOSD) harbor serum antibodies to the astrocyte water channel aquaporin-4 (AQP4). What about the remaining 20% or more of patients without these antibodies? Some patients negative for AQP4 antibodies are tested positive for antibodies to myelin oligodendrocyte glycoprotein (MOG). Do these patients with MOG antibodies and other, yet to be determined antibodies have NMOSD or rather a distinct neuroimmunological disease entity?
|
||
| 8:00-8:10 | Host: Harry Alexopoulos, Greece | ||
| 8:10-8:25 | Pro: Brian Weinshenker, USA | ||
| 8:25-8:40 | Con: Friedemann Paul, Germany | ||
| 8:40-9:00 | Discussion and rebuttals | ||
| 9:00-10:00 |
Proposition: The future treatment of NMO is immune tolerance, not immune suppression | ||
| Capsule: | In the absence of specific therapies for NMO that directly interfere with immunopathogenesis of the disease, most patients are treated with immunosuppressants such as azathioprine, steroids, or rituximab, with sufficient disease control in a subset, but oftentimes with the risk of serious adverse events. Could novel therapeutic approaches that do not convey broad immunosuppression but induce immune tolerance to the target antigens in NMOSD lead to a better risk-to-benefit ratio for patients with this devastating disease? | ||
| 9:00-9:10 | Host: John Ratchford, USA | ||
| 9:10-9:25 | Pro: Brian Weinshenker, USA | ||
| 9:25-10:40 | Con: Friedemann Paul, Germany | ||
| 10:40-10:00 |
Discussion and rebuttals | ||
| 10:45-12:45 | MULTIPLE SCLEROSIS (MS) | ||
| Chairs: Elizabeth Andreadou, Greece | |||
| 10:15-11:10 |
Proposition: Leptomeningeal enhancement on MRI is a promising biomarker to monitor disease worsening, especially in progressive MS patients | ||
| Capsule: | At this time it is difficult to determine the degree of cortical gray matter pathology in-vivo in MS patients. Because cortical subpial lesion pathology is challenging to visualize using 3T MRI, assessing leptomeningeal contrast enhancement has the potential to become an indirect marker of cortical pathology. This debate will discuss pros and cons of using this recently proposed imaging biomarker in clinical trials, research studies and routine follow-up of MS patients. | ||
| 10:15-10:25 |
Host: Flavia Nelson, USA
|
||
| 10:25-10:40 |
Pro: Robert Zivadinov, USA
|
||
| 10:40-10:55 | Con: Hans-Peter Hartung, Germany | ||
| 10:55-11:10 | Discussion and rebuttals | ||
| 11:10-12:10 | Debate: Brain atrophy measurements should be used to guide therapy in MS | ||
| Capsule: | The brain of MS patients shrinks over the disease course. How can this knowledge be utilized to understand this disease? Do pharmacological interventions alter the rate of brain atrophy? Should we measure this effect in following up patients? | ||
| 11:10-11:20 |
Host: Jens Wuerfel, Germany
|
||
| 11:20-11:35 |
Pro: Robert Zivadinov, USA
|
||
| 11:35-11:50 |
Con: Ludwig Kappos, Switzlerand
|
||
| 11:50-12:10 | Discussion and rebuttals | ||
| 15:05-17:00 |
AMYOTROPHIC LATERAL SCLEROSIS (ALS)
|
||
| Chairs: Antonio Politis, Greece; Georgios Manousakis, USA | |||
| 15:05-15:25 |
ALS staging: pathology vs. imaging | ||
| Albert Ludolph, Germany |
|||
| 15:25-15:45 |
ALS as a prion disease | ||
| Magdelini Polymenidou, Switzerland |
|||
| 15:45-16:10 | The complex relationship between FTLD and ALS | ||
| Lea Grinberg, USA / Brazil | |||
| 16:10-17:00 | Genetic counseling in ALS: How this is affected by new technology | ||
| Speaker: Vivian Drory, Israel Commentators: Magdelini Polymenidou, Switzerland Albert Ludolph, Germany Lea Grinberg, USA / Brazil |
|||
| 17:00-17:15 | Coffee Break |
| 17:15-19:00 | MYASTHENIA GRAVIS AND ESSENTIAL TREMOR (ET) |
| Chair: Ermal Kurmaku, Albania |
|
| 17:15-18:10 | Debate: Thymectomy should be routinely performed for all patients with generalized autoimmune myasthenia gravis |
| Capsule: |
Thymectomy is an invasive therapy, but its effects are delayed. However, it does not have the adverse effects of immune suppression. Should it be given only as a last resource?
|
| 17:15-17:25 | Host: Vivian Drory, Israel |
| 17:25 -17:40 | Pro: Renato Mantegazza, Italy |
| 17:40-17:55 | Con: Marinos Dalakas, Greece |
| 17:55-18:05 | Discussion and rebuttals |
| 18:05-19:00 |
|
| Capsule: | Essential tremor is thought to be the most common movement disorder. There is controversial evidence about its prevalence, phenomenology and pathology casting doubts on the common perception that ET is a single disorder. This debate will focus on evidence regarding this controversy |
| 18:05-18:15 | Host: Kurt Jellinger, Austria |
| 18:15-18:30 | Yes: Cenk Akbostanci, Turkey |
| 18:30-18:45 | No: Maria Stamelou, Greece |
| 18:45-19:00 |
Discussion and rebuttals |
