Chairs symposium 

Title: “Malum quo communius eo peius”: cognitive problems in epilepsy 
Co-chairs: Matthew Walker (United Kingdom) and Nicola Specchio (Italy) 

• Cognitive decline in the developmental and epileptic encephalopathies – J Helen Cross (United Kingdom) 
• Epilepsy and cognitive decline -two sides of the same coin - Nicola Marchi (Italy) 
• Interictal activity - a guilty bystander - Laurent Sheybani (Switzerland) 
• Epilepsy surgery - a double-edged sword - Sallie Baxendale (United Kingdom) 

 

Main Session 1 

Session title: Making better decisions in epilepsy care: Applying the science of decision making in the epilepsy clinic.  
Co-chairs: Sallie Baxendale (United Kingdom) and Sarah Wilson (Australia)   

• Optimism Bias and The Influential Mind – Neil Garrett (United Kingdom) 
• Predicting, illustrating, communicating, and optimizing patient-centered outcomes of epilepsy surgery using nomograms and Bayes' theorem – Bryce Mulligan (Canada)  
• My choice and how I made it – Sarah Brown (USA) 

 

Main Session 2 

Session title: Optimizing future epilepsy treatment with new antiseizure medications (ASMs) 
Co-chairs: Cecilie Johannessen Landmark (Norway) and Alexis Arzimanoglou (Spain) 

• Pros and cons of current clinical trials with new ASMs; can we do better? - Emilio Perucca (Australia)  
• How to optimize ASM therapy with therapeutic drug monitoring? - Cecilie Johannessen Landmark (Norway) 
• Precision gene therapy for epilepsy: How long will it take to see it in the clinics? - Stephanie Schorge (United Kingdom) 
• New ASMs in the pipeline; what is their potential? Meir Bialer (Israel) 

 

Main Session 3 

Session title: Advanced targeted gene-therapy approaches for epilepsy. 
Co-chairs: Eleonora Aronica (Netherlands) and Aristea Galanopoulou (United States)  

• General principles of gene therapy approaches - David Henshall (Ireland)  
• Gene therapies for monogenic epilepsies - Gaia Colasante (Italy) 
• Activity-dependent gene therapy for epilepsy - Gabriele Lignani (United Kingdom) 
• Current Clinical Applications: gene therapy trials pipeline - Paul Boon (Belgium) 

 

Main Session 4 

Session title: Hemispheric Surgery - The role of the surgical technique on seizure outcome 
Co-chairs: Christian Dorfer (Austria) and Marec von Lehe (Germany) 

• Hemispherotomy – indication and outcome – Martha Feucht (Austria) 
• Lateral and vertical parasagittal hemispherotomy – Christian Dorfer (Austria) 
• Comparison of effectiveness lateral versus vertical – Aria Fallah (USA) 
• What are the predictors of outcome in hemispherotomy – Georgia Ramantani (Switzerland) 
• Round table discussion 
    

Main Session 5 

Session title: New roads to improve outcome (and to lead to Rome) 
Co-chairs: J Helen Cross (United Kingdom) and Nicola Specchio (Italy)

• Refining the mechanisms of epileptogenesis in DEEs: which comes first, is D or E first? - Nicola Specchio (Italy) 
• Younger is better in epilepsy surgery - Kees Braun (Netherlands) 
• Tackling beyond seizure: moving from anti-seizure medications to disease modifying medications – Stéphane Auvin (France) 
• Is big data the answer we are looking for next generation sequencing analysis - Ingo Helbig (USA) 
• Prevention, prediction, improvement: is the road still long? Rima Nabbout (France) 

 

Main Session 6 

Session title:  EEG: present and future 
Co-chairs: Federico Vigevano (Italy) and Matthew Walker (United Kingdom) 

• Interictal EEG: is that enough? - Guido Rubboli (Denmark) 
• Brain machine learning: novel ways of modelling which electrodes should be removed – Yujiang Wang (United Kingdom) 
• New long-term recording methods – Wim van Paesschen (Belgium) 
• New insights from intracerebral recordings – Laura Tassi (Italy) 

Parallel Session 1 

Title: Difficult discussions in newly diagnosed epilepsy  
Co-chairs: Natela Okujava (Georgia) and Stanislav Groppa (Moldova)  

• A critical review of the impacts of newly diagnosed epilepsy including findings from a recent ILAE survey – Venus Tang (Hong Kong) 

First-person experiences at epilepsy diagnosis 

• Being young at epilepsy diagnosis – Erin Davies (Ireland) 
• Being parent of a child with severe epilepsy – Francesca Sofia (Italy) 
• Difficult discussions in the newly diagnosed developmental and epileptic encephalopathies -   Neuropsychologist perspective – Timothy Ainger (USA) 
• SUDEP counselling in newly diagnosed epilepsy – when, why and how? – Adam Strzelczyk (Germany) 
• When epilepsy starts at senior age - issues beyond the seizures – Natela Okujava (Georgia) 
• Making a hard talk easier - The role of IBE and ILAE – Gus Baker (United Kingdom) 

 

Parallel Session 2 

Session title: Post-stroke epilepsy: prediction, prevention and implications for IGAP  
Co-chairs: Alla Guekht (Russian Federation) and Eugen Trinka (Austria) 

• Preventable epilepsies: focus on stroke and implications for IGAP – Alla Guekht (Russian Federation) 
• Metabolism and Ferroptosis in Epilepsy after stroke – Matthias Koepp (United Kingdom) 
• Latency of post-stroke epilepsy – does it matter? – Johan Zelan (Sweden)   
• Drugs for  prevention of post-stroke epilepsy – Eugen Trinka (Austria) 

 

Parallel Session 3 

Session title: The thalamus and the epileptogenic networks  
Co-chairs: Francesca Pizzo (Italy) and TBC 

• The cortico-subcortical epileptogenic networks – Ganne Chaitanya (USA) 
• What fMRI tell us about cortico-thalamic interactions in focal epilepsies – Anna Elisabetta Vaudano (Italy) 
• Neurostimulation in epilepsy: only thalamus worth? – Kristl Vonck (Belgium) 
• Clinical aspects of thalamic involvement in seizures: insight from SEEG recordings – Fabrice Bartolomei (France) 

 

Parallel Session 4 

Session title: The impact of lamotrigine and topiramate in the past 30 years, and their new derivatives  
Co-chairs: Meir Bialer (Israel) and Simon Shorvon (United Kingdom)  

• The story of lamotrigine and topiramate  in epilepsy – Simon Shorvon (United Kingdom) 
• How lamotrigine and topiramate affected the development of new antiseizure drugs – Meir Bialer (Israel) 
• The current role of lamotrigine and topiramate in epilepsy treatment – Reetta Kälviäinen (Finland) 
• Drug development based on similar mechanisms of action – Wolfgang Löscher (Germany) 

 

Parallel Session 5 

Session title: Closing the treatment gap in Dravet syndrome: approaches of the EJP-RD SCN1A-UP! Project 
Co-chairs: Massimo Mantegazza (France) and Gabriele Lignani (United Kingdom)

• Current clinical treatments and needs for Dravet syndrome – Rima Nabbout (France) 
• Boosting homeostatic responses in DS models – Massimo Mantegazza (France) 
• Identifying and targeting pathologic remodeling – Daniëlle Copmans (Belgium) 
• Human iPSCs-derived neurons for screens of therapeutic approaches in DS – Nael Nadif Kasri Donders (Netherlands) 

 

Parallel Session 6 

Session title: Pathogenic role of demyelination in focal epilepsies and seizures  
Co-chairs: Marco de Curtis (Italy) and Cristina Ruedell Reschke (Ireland)   

• Neuron-OPC interactions regulating OPC proliferation, differentiation and myelination – Ragnhildur Thora Karadottir (United Kingdom) 
• Un/demyelinated axons and seizures – Laura Uva (Italy) 
• Demyelination in different forms of focal epilepsies – Eleonora Aronica (Netherlands) 
• Altered oligodendrocyte function in mild cortical malformation associated with epilepsy – Roland Coras (Germany) 

 

Parallel Session 7 

Session title: Not all roads lead to SUDEP: Risk factors, biomarkers and prevention of premature death in epilepsy  
Co-chairs: Torbjörn Tomson (Sweden) and Philippe Ryvlin (Switzerland)   

• The heart matters – altered cardiac properties and sudden cardiac death in epilepsy – Shobi Sivathamboo (Australia) 
• The fatal wave – spreading depolarization and lethal brain suppression – Jeff Noebels (USA) 
• Structural and functional abnormalities in SUDEP – Beate Diehl (United Kingdom) 
• Individual risk assessment – is it important for epilepsy management? – Roland Thijs (Netherlands) 

 

Parallel Session 8 

Session title: Treatment of seizures in neonates – something old, something new…  
Co-chairs: Ronit Pressler (United Kingdom) and TBC  

• New approaches for the treatment of neonatal seizures – Wolfgang Löscher (Germany) 
• An old drug with new evidence - phenobarbital for the treatment of neonatal seizures – Ronit Pressler (United Kingdom) 

• Using extrapolation from older patients to inform drug development – Graeme Sills (United Kingdom) 
• Implications of sex-differences in neonatal seizures for drug development – Shilpa D. Kadam (USA) 

 

Parallel Session 9 

Session title: Antiepileptogenesis and disease modification. Which populations, outcome measures and tial designs?  
Co-chairs: Anthony Marson (United Kingdom) and Janet Mifsud (Malta) 

• Using genomics to identify mechanisms and targets for antiepileptic and disease modifying drugs – Deb Pal (United Kingdom) 
• Disease-modifying microRNA therapies entering preclinical development – Annamaria Vezzani (Italy) 
• Antiepileptogenisis after head injury. Challenges, trial designs and outcomes measures – Raimund Helbok (Austria) 
• Disease modification following a first seizure: trial designs and outcomes - Anthony Marson (United Kingdom) 

 

Parallel Session 10 

Session title: Anti-seizure vs disease-modifying epilepsy medicines: What is in a name?  
Co-chairs: Jacqueline French (USA) and TBC

• Why we need to abandon “AED” as a term – Jacqueline French (USA) 
• What is a disease modifying epilepsy medicine? – Emilio Perucca (Australia) 
• Anti-seizure vs disease modifying mechanisms – Rossella Di Sapia (Italy) 
• Clinical trial designs to demonstrate disease modification – Lieven Lagae (Belgium) 

 

Parallel Session 11 

Session title: Breastfeeding in women with epilepsy  
Co-chairs: Bruna Nucera (Italy) and Oliver Henning (Norway) 

• The prevalence and benefits of breastfeeding. Differ in women with epilepsy? – Bruna Nucera (Italy) 
• Drug excretion in breastmilk and drug concentrations in breastfed infants: General principles with emphasis on antiseizure medications – Ivana Kacirova (Czechia) 
• What we know and don’t know of antiseizure medications levels in breastfed women and exposure to the infant? – Torbjörn Tomson (Sweden) 
• Cognitive outcomes in children of women taking antiseizure medications while breastfeeding – Rebecca Bromley (United Kingdom) 

 

Parallel Session 12  

Session title: Late onset epilepsy – a public health imperative  
Co-chairs: Eugen Trinka (Austria) and Hermann Stefann (Germany) 

• Pathogenesis of epilepsy in the elderly – The “Bermuda Triangle“ between Dementia, Depression and Sleep Disorder – Arjune Sen (United Kingdom) 
• Diagnostic challenges in the new onset epilepsy in the elderly – Taoufik Alsaadi (UAE) 
• Antiseizure Medicines for epilepsy in the elderly – Between Scylla and Charybdis – Eugen Trinka (Austria) 
• Can we predict and prevent epilepsy in the elderly? – Simona Lattanzi (Italy) 

 

Parallel Session 13 

Session title: Red flags for resective surgery following intracerebral investigation: how to predict poor outcome. 
Co-chairs: Jean Gotman (USA) and TBC 

• Red flags from the preimplantation evaluation – Birgit Frauscher (USA) 
• How do we know we have missed the seizure onset and is that a red flag? – Philippe Kahane (France) 
• Are widespread / multiple seizure onset zones necessarily a red flag? – Laura Tassi (Italy) 
• Can the incorporation of interictal markers improve surgical outcome prediction? – Stanislas Lagarde (France) 

 

Parallel Session 14 

Session title: Surgery for Hypothalamic Hamartoma: which technique?  
Co-chairs: Michele Rizzi (Italy) and TBC 

• Radiosurgery – Constantin Tuleasca (Switzerland) 
• Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation and Laser Interstitial Thermal therapy – Santiago Candela-Canto (Spain) 
• Endoscopic Disconnection – Alessandro De Benedictis (Italy) 
• Development of Standardized Management Guidelines: epilepsy surgery and beyond – Luca de Palma (Italy) 

 

Parallel Session 15 

Session title: Addressing challenges and opportunities in the globalization of epilepsy imaging  
Co-chairs: Sanjay Sisodiya (United Kingdom) and Anna Elisabetta Vaudano (Italy)  

• Introduction: globalization of epilepsy brain studies: modalities and countries – Sanjay Sisodiya (United Kingdom) 
• Machine learning approaches to global imaging studies – Erik Kaestner (USA)  
• Global approaches to cross-disorder analyses and methods: learning from beyond epilepsy – Sofie Valk (Germany)  
• Challenges and Perspectives of Obtaining MRIs in Resource-Limited regions – Arjune Sen (United Kingdom) 

 

 Parallel Session 16 

Session title: Advances in magnetoencephalography for the management of epilepsy  
Co-chairs: Umesh Vivekananda (United Kingdom) and Fernando Cendes (Brazil) 

• The current role of MEG within epilepsy surgery – Stefan Rampp (Germany) 
• Optically Pumped Magnetoencephalography in Epilepsy – Umesh Vivekananda (United Kingdom) 
• Using non-invasive MEG to elicit virtual intracranial EEG signals – Francesca Bonini (France) 
• Using MEG derived networks to predict post-surgical outcome – Peter Taylor (United Kingdom) 

 

Parallel Session 17 

Session title: Neuropsychology & epilepsy in developing brain  
Co-chairs: Simona Cappelletti (Italy) and Mary Lou Smith (Canada) 

• Pediatric neuropsychology issues in complex epilepsy – Mary Lou Smith (Canada) 
• The assessment of severely impaired patients in rare epilepsy syndrome – Anna Lopez Sala (Spain) 
• Cognitive outcome of preschool children after epilepsy surgery – Timothy Ainger (USA) 
• Psychoeducational and psychological supports for children with epilepsy: what is the evidence? – Colin Reilly (Sweden)  

 

Parallel Session 18 

Session title: Minimal invasive non-medical treatment approaches  
Co-chairs: Andreas Schulze-Bonhage (Germany) and Petr Marusic (Czechia) 

• Personalized multichannel transcranial direct current stimulation – Maeva Daoud (France) 
• Epicranial Focal Cortex Stimulation for neuromodulation of the epileptic focus – Andreas Schulze-Bonhage (Germany) 
• The spectrum of applications of LITT in the treatment of focal epilepsy – Rodrigo Rocamora (Spain) 
• Thalamic stimulation for the treatment of epilepsy – Ido Strauss (Israel) 

 

Parallel Session 19 

Session title: Epilepsy care for children living in under privileged areas around the world  
Co-chairs: Nicola Specchio (Italy) and TBC 

 

• The IGAP and children with epilepsy: how to move forward? – Alla Guekht (Russian Federation) 
• Identification of current needs and priority gaps: results from two surveys and review of the current state of literature – Marietta Papadopoulou (France) 
• Creating action plans: the state of the art – Angela La Neve (Italy) 
• Finding solutions for potential implementation gaps – Jo Wilmshurst (South Africa) 

 

Parallel Session 20 

Session title: Are developmental and epileptic encephalopathies progressive diseases?  
Co-chairs: Nicola Specchio (Italy) and Elena Gardella (Denmark) 

• Are there clinical evidence of progression in genetic DEEs? – Ingrid Scheffer (Australia) 
• How do the EEG and neurophysiological findings evolve over time – Marina Trivisano (Italy) 
• Cognitive functions in DEE: what the long-term observation tells us – Lieven Lagae (Belgium) 
• What do the neuroimaging studies add to the evidence of progression – Renzo Guerrini (Italy) 

 

Parallel Session 21 

Session title: Epilepsy and aggression: from brain networks to human behavior  
Co-chairs: Flavio Villani (Italy) and TBC

• Violence and epilepsy: an historical and cultural perspective – Júlia Gyimesi (Hungary) 
• Peri-ictal aggressive behavior – Marco Mula (United Kingdom) 
• Ictal aggression networks: the SEEG contribution – Fabrice Bartolomei (France) 
• Violence during sleep: seizure or parasomnia? – Lino Nobili (Italy) 

 

Parallel Session 22 

Session title: Ictal-Interictal Continuum (IIC): Ictal or Interictal?  
Co-chairs: Giorgi Kuchukhidze (Austria) and Alexandra Astner-Rohracher (Austria)  

• Is it clinically recognizable? – Gaetano Cantalupo (Italy) 
• EEG challenges – Fabio Nascimento (USA) 
• The role of neuroimaging – Pilar Bosque-Varela (Austria) 
• How aggressively should we treat it? – Nicolas Gaspard (Belgium) 

 

Parallel Session 23 

Session title: Artifical intelligence and epilepsy  
Co-chairs: Stéphane Auvin (France) and Britta Wandschneider (United Kingdom) 

• Overview on the use of artificial intelligence in epilepsy – Stéphane Auvin (France) 
• Principles of machine learing: examples in the epilepsy field – Wesley Kerr (USA) 
• Identification of focal cortical dysplasia on MRI by AI - Sophie Adler (United Kingdom) 
• Identification of the epileptogenic zone on MRI by AI – Stefano Meletti (Italy)

 

Parallel Session 24 

Session title: Assessing the impact of genetic diagnosis in clinical care of children and adults with epilepsy  
Co-chairs: Gaetan Lesca (Italy) and TBC 

• Impact of Genetic Testing on Therapeutic Decision-Making in Childhood-Onset Epilepsies – Allan Bayat (Denmark) 
• Genetic Diagnosis Impacts Medical Management for Adult-onset Epilepsies – Danielle Andrade (Canada) 
• Does the genetic diagnosis in adults with DEE matter? – Francesca Bisulli (Italy) 
• Real-life survey of pitfalls and successes of precision medicine in children and adults with genetic epilepsies – Simona Balestrini (Italy) 

 

Parallel Session 25 

Session title: Computational neuroimaging in epilepsy: from algorithms to bedside  
Co-chairs: Domenico Tortora  (Italy) & Anna Elisabetta Vaudano (Italy) 

• Multimodal Image Integration for presurgical planning – Irene Wang (USA) 
• Multimodal imaging and SEEG for epileptogenic network delineation – Maxime Guye (France) 
• Open access pipelines for multimodal data fusion, brain connectomics, and presurgical diagnostics in epilepsy patients – Boris Bernhardt (Canada) 
• Multimodal imaging integration: met and unmet needs in clinical setting – Çiğdem Özkara (Türkiye) 

 

Parallel Session 26 

Session title: Breakthrough research in FDS: Clinical, biological and therapeutic advances  
Co-chairs: Coraline Hingray (France) and Ruta Mameniskiene (Lithuania) 

• Introduction: Why change the terminology of Psychogenic non epileptic seizures to Functional/Dissociative seizures – Coraline Hingray (France) 
• Clinical developments in Functional/Dissociative seizures – Chrisma Pretorius (South Africa) 
• Neurobiological advances Functional/Dissociative seizures – Irene Faiman (United Kingdom) 
• Therapeutic implications in Functional/Dissociative seizures – W Curt LaFrance (USA)  

 

Parallel Session 27 
Title: EAN Symposium 
Co-Chairs: Stephan Rüegg (Switzerland) and Vasilios Kimiskidis (Greece)  

• The role of EEG in diagnosis, monitoring and outcome prediction in autoimmune encephalitis – Stephan Rüegg (Switzerland) 
• The role of EEG in diagnosis and prognosis of coma – Michel Van Putten (Netherlands)
• The role of postsurgical long-tern video-EEG as predictive outcome parameter compared to routine EEG – Bernhard J Steinhoff (Germany) 
• The role of AI in EEG interpretation – Sándor Beniczky (Denmark) 

 

Parallel Session 28 

Title: Neurobiology Symposium - Integrating genomics, neurophysiology, and precision medicine.  
Co-chairs: David Henshall (Ireland) and Aristea Galanopoulou (USA) 

• The future of ASM use: Integrating genomics, neurophysiology and precision medicine – Raman Sankar (USA) 
• Mechanisms, targets and therapies in Na+ and Ca2+ channel-related epileptic disorders – Holger Lerche (Germany) 
• How are functional studies guiding our choice of antiseizure medication for GABA-related disorders? – Rikke Møller (Denmark)  
• Integrating pharmacology, electrophysiology, in vitro and in vivo models for KCNQ2-related epileptic disorders – Sarah Weckhuysen (Belgium) 

 

Parallel Session 29 

Title: ERN EpiCARE and Clinical Trials in children with Rare and Complex Epilepsies  
Co-chairs: Valentina De Giorgis (Italy) and TBC 

• A critical review of the recent European Medicines Agency Guidelines – Emilio Perucca (Australia) 
• Towards designs adapted to primary endpoints, better reflecting the needs – Floor Jansen (Netherlands) 
• The added value of the European Consortium for Epilepsy Trials (ECET) – Alexis Arzimanoglou (Spain) 
• Trials for repurposed drugs and precision medicine – how, when and by whom? – Lieven Lagae (Belgium) 

 

Parallel Session 30 

Title: Ettore Beghi in Memoriam 
Co-chairs: Alla Guekht (Russian Federation) and J Helen Cross (United Kingdom) 

• In memoriam – Meir Bialer (Israel) and Emilio Perucca (Australia)  
• Epidemiology/burden of disease – Gunter Kramer (Switzerland) 
• Acute symptomatic seizures – Samuel Wiebe (Canada) 
• SUDEP – Torbjörn Tomson (Sweden)  
• Neuropsychiatry comorbidities in epilepsy – Massimiliano Beghi (Italy)

 

Other Sessions 

Title: Symposium of Excellence in Epileptology 
Co- Chairs: Matthew Walker (United Kingdom) and Eugen Trinka (Austria) 

• The classification of epilepsies: A Veteran Pediatric Epileptologist's View – Athanasios Covanis (Greece) 
• European Young Investigator Award 2024 – Gabriele Lignani (United Kingdom) 
• Exploring Deep Phenotyping in Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies: Unravelling the Complexity – Marina Trivisano (Italy) 

 

Title: Congress Highlights Session 
Co-chairs: Matthew Walker (United Kingdom) and Nicola Specchio (Italy)   

• Paediatrics Highlights - Nicola Specchio (Italy) 
• Pharmacology Highlights – Cecilie Johannessen Landmark (Norway) 
• Clinical Highlights – Laura Tassi (Italy) 
• Basic Science Highlights – Elenora Aronica (Netherlands)  
• Neurosurgery Highlights – Christian Dorfer (Austria)  
• Psychology Highlights – Sallie Baxendale (United Kingdom)  

 

Title: Award Symposium: Epilepsia Open 
Chair: TBC 

• Epilepsia Open Clinical Science Prize - Real-world data on cannabidiol treatment of various epilepsy subtypes: A retrospective, multicenter study – Fabienne Kuehne (Germany) 
• Epilepsia Open Basic Science Prize - Ictal vocalizations in the Scn1a+/− mouse model of Dravet syndrome – Lyndsey Anderson (USA) 

 

Title: Award Symposium: Epileptic Disorders 
Chair: Sándor Beniczky (Denmark) 

• Application of the International League Against Epilepsy Neonatal Seizure Framework to an international panel of medical personnel – Elissa G. Yozawitz (USA) 

 

Title: Award Symposium: Epilepsia Prizes - Clinical & Basic Science 
Chair: Michael Sperling (USA) 

• Epilepsia Prize for Basic Science - Dysfunctional sodium channel kinetics as a novel epilepsy mechanism in chromosome 15q11-q13 duplication syndrome – Marwa Elamin (United States) 
• Epilepsia Prize for Clinical Research - Automated, machine learning–based alerts increase epilepsy surgery referrals: A randomized controlled trial – Benjamin Wissel (United States) 

Drug Therapy
Co-Chairs: Cecilie Johannessen Landmark (Norway) and Anthony Marson (United Kingdom

1. NMT.001: Epilepsy disease modification and reversal achieved through therapeutic inhibition of microRNA-134 in mice with chronic drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy – Janine T Erler (Denmark) 
2. Efficacy and Safety of Bexicaserin in Adolescent and Adult Patients With Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies: Results of the Phase 1b/2a PACIFIC Study – Randall Kaye (United States) 
3. Multicenter Study to Assess the Safety, Tolerability, Pharmacokinetics, and Effect on Seizure Frequency and Behavior of Individually Titrated Doses of Radiprodil in Children With GRIN-Related Disorders – Pierandrea Muglia (United States) 
4. Safety and efficacy of a microRNA therapy for naturally-occurring drug-resistant epilepsy in dogs: Interim results of METriC, a canine veterinary clinical trial – David C. Henshall (Ireland) 
5. Expression of SV2A in peripheral cells as a predictive marker for levetiracetam treatment response – Hajo Hamer (Germany) 
6. From bench to bedside: zebrafish childhood epilepsy F0 models for target validation and high-throughput drug discovery – Gentzane Sanchez-Elexpuru (Spain) 
7. Fenfluramine treatment in adults with Dravet syndrome: Experience so far from four UK centres – Lisa M. Clayton (United Kingdom) 

 

Drug and Other Therapies
Co-Chairs: Jacqueline French (USA) and TBC

1. Paternal use of valproate during spermatogenesis and risk of offspring congenital malformations and neurodevelopmental disorders – a Danish cohort study – Julie Werenberg Dreier (Denmark) 
2. Five days versus fourteen days of oral dexamethasone therapy in children and adolescents aged 2-18 years with viable parenchymal neurocysticercosis up to 5 lesions: results from a prospective observational study and a randomised clinical trial – Biswaroop Chakrabarty (India) 
3. Dual anti-glutamate therapy in super-refractory status epilepticus after cardiac arrest (SUPER-CAT) – Simone Beretta (Italy) 
4. Personalized music as a treatment of pharmacoresistant epilepsy – Michael Trimble (United Kingdom) 
5. Cenobamate in real word scenario: results on efficacy, adverse effects and retention rate in a single center retrospective study – Randi von Wrede (Germany) 
6. Worsening absence seizures by cenobamate without modifying the neuropsychiatric comorbidities in theWAG/Rij rat model – Francesca Bosco (Italy) 

 

AI and Computational Medicine
Co-Chairs: Lorenzo Caciagli (Italy) and TBC

1. Advancing epilepsy treatment with computational modelling: from SEEG data to personalized models of seizure spread – Edmundo Lopez-Sola (Spain) 
2. Balloon-like cells histopathology detection of focal cortical dysplasia II based on deep learning – Jia-Qi Wang (China) 
3. Diagnosis and surgical outcome prediction models for temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis based on multi-channel Inception-V3 – Xiaohuang Zhuo (China) 
4. Towards a digital twin of the epileptic brain network in patients with medically refractory focal epilepsy – Evi H. M. Dirks (Netherlands) 
5. Machine Learning EEG Biomarkers in SYNGAP1 Rodent Models and Patients – Alfredo Gonzalez-Sulser (United Kingdom) 
6. Identifying high-risk days of upcoming seizure(s): a multimodal and comparative approach – Louis Cousyn (France) 
7. Creating a web tool to predict risk of next seizure using all seizures along a patient’s journey – Thomas Spain (United Kingdom) 

 

Epilepsy Surgery
Co-Chairs: Filiz Onat (Türkiye) and Edouard Hirsch (France)

1. Low-frequency features (<65 Hz) of stereo-electroencephalography are sufficient for correct localization of the epileptogenic zone and postsurgical outcome prediction regardless of state of vigilance – Petr Klimes (Czechia) 
2. Psychopathological outcome after pediatric epilepsy surgery – Elena Cavallini (Italy) 
3. What determines the timing of epilepsy surgery in children with malformations of cortical development and low-grade epilepsy-associated tumors? – Maurits W.C.B. Sanders (Netherlands) 
4. Tailored surgical work-up in patients with periventricular nodular heterotopias – Veronica Pelliccia (Italy) 
5. MR-guided Laser Interstitial Thermal Therapy for Pediatric Epilepsy--Safety, Efficacy and Intraoperative Imaging Predictors of Resultant Brain Lesion – Cameron Elliott (Canada) 
6. Beyond seizures: exploring psychiatric comorbidities in pediatric epilepsy surgery – Licia Salimbene (Italy) 
7. Determinants Of Intellectual And Developmental Outcomes After Pediatric Hemispherotomy – Georgia Ramantani (Switzerland) 

 

Basic Science 1
Co-Chairs: Cristina Reschke (Ireland) and Gaia Colasante (Italy) 

1. MTOR pathway mutations drive chloride co transporters deregulation and GABA depolarization in Focal Cortical Dysplasia IIb – Thomas Blauwblomme (France) 
2. Astroglial calcium signalling and homeostasis in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex – Alessia Romagnolo (Netherlands) 
3. Orexin-A dose-dependently suppresses spike-and-wave discharges in genetic absence epilepsy rats: the role of orexin signaling in absence seizures – Elif Tuğçe Erdeve (Türkiye) 
4. T-type modulation increases sensitivity to levetiracetam in a model of drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy – Pablo M. Casillas-Espinosa (Australia) 
5. Bridging Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery with Basic Science: From sEEG to Intracellular Recordings – Adriano Cattani (Canada) 
6. MALDI imaging mass spectrometry: an innovative tool to investigate white matter alterations in human samples from epilepsy surgery – Dalia De Santis (Italy) 
7. The astrocyte potassium channel Kir4.1 influences seizure susceptibility – Rob C Wykes (United Kingdom) 

 

Basic Science 2
Co-Chairs: David Henshall (Ireland) and Katja Kobow (Germany)

1. Neurons carrying somatic mTOR mutation are involved in HFO genesis in FCD-related epilepsy – Salome Kylarova (Czechia) 
2. Hyperexcitability Underlies Hippocampal Synaptic Dysfunctions in a Lafora Disease Mouse Model – Cinzia Costa (Italy) 
3. Impaired GABAergic Regulation and Developmental Immaturity in Interneurons Derived from the Medial Ganglionic Eminence in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex – Mirte Scheper (Netherlands) 
4. A New Approach for Treating Epilepsy: CNS-targeted Antioxidant Gene Therapy – Tawfeeq Shekh-Ahmad (Israel) 
5. Oligodendrocyte lineage cells loss in a mouse model of focal cortical dysplasia – Bohdana Hruskova (Czechia) 
6. Absence seizures and abnormal sleep in a rat model of GRIN2B related neurodevelopmental disorder – Katerina Hristova (United Kingdom) 

 

Clinical Neurophysiology 1
Co-Chairs: Emilija Cvetkovska (North Macedonia) and Sebastian Ortiz (Denmark)

• Aperiodic EEG connectivity as early diagnostic biomarker for drug-resistant epilepsy – Biagio Maria Sancetta (Italy) 
• EEG-based tracking of sleep onset and offset in ultra long-term recordings – Jonas Duun-Henriksen (Denmark) 
• Recording seizures in the real-world with ultra long-term subcutaneous EEG - a 15-month prospective observational study – Pedro F. Viana (United Kingdom) 
• Advancing mechanistic biomarkers to differentiate infra-clinical paroxysmal discharges from seizures in FCD2 patients – Gabriele Arnulfo (Italy) 
• Connectivity changes after Stereo-Electroencephalography-Guided Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation are unaffected by the proximity to the coagulation site – Justyna Gula (Netherlands) 
• Visual symptoms and response to intermittent photic stimulation in patients with Lafora disease compared to EPM1 – Laura Canafoglia (Italy) 
• Unilateral ultra-long term sub-scalp EEG monitoring in drug-refractory idiopathic generalized epilepsy – Tudor Munteanu (Ireland) 
• Stereo EEG electrical stimulation in primary and secondary motor areas: analysis of clinical responses in pediatric patients – Giulia Nobile (Italy) 

 

Clinical Neurophysiology 2
Co-Chairs: Roberto Michelucci (Italy) and TBC

• EEG Spectral power analysis of generalized spike-wave discharges in patients with absences can contribute to the differentiation between clinical and subclinical events – Stephanie Gollwitzer (Germany) 
• Semi-automated electrical source imaging outperformed the automated approach in epilepsy surgery candidates: a quantitative retrospective experience – Karmele R Olaciregui Dague (Germany)  
• Impact of epilepsy on the dynamics of cortico-cortical responses evoked by single-pulse electrical stimulation during simultaneous stereo-electroencephalography and magnetoencephalography – Odile Feys (Belgium) 
• In vivo characterization of neuronal electrophysiological properties associated with 18FDG-PET focal hypometabolism in MRI-negative human mesial temporal lobe epilepsy – Valerio Frazzini (France) 
• Detection of high-frequency oscillations by magnetoencephalography in pre-surgical assessment of drug-resistant epilepsy – Rosalie Marchal (France) 
• Wake slow waves offset interictal epileptiform discharges at a price of transient cognitive deficits – Laurent Sheybani (United Kingdom) 
• A Novel Biomarker for the Excitation-Inhibition Balance in Epilepsy – Suzanne J. van Norden (Netherlands) 

 

Comorbidities
Co-Chairs: Edward Bertram (USA) and TBC

1. Role of sleep-disordered breathing in adult patients with focal vs generalized epilepsy: an EEG-polysomnographic study – Lilit Atabekyan (Armenia) 
2. Ictal cardiovascular autonomic dysfunction during focal seizures induced by stereotactic direct electrical stimulation – Dmitry Zhuravlev (Russian Federation) 
3. Changes in the QT interval as a SUDEP biomarker? A multicenter case-control study – Eva Diab (France) 
4. Retinal changes in patients with Genetic Generalized Epilepsy – Angelo Battiato (Italy) 
5. Incidence of suicide in epilepsy: A population-based study in Sweden – Sara Melin (Sweden) 
6. High psychological distress and mental health support needs in adult outpatients with epilepsy: results from comprehensive digital mental health screening tool – Andrea Biondi (United Kingdom) 
7. Sense of agency in patients with functional/dissociative seizures: a virtual reality study – Anika Kobialka (Germany) 

 

Genetics 1
Co-Chairs: Francesca Bisulli (Italy) and TBC

1. Natural history and epileptology of adults with KBG syndrome – Allan Bayat (Denmark) 
2. Gain-of-function and loss-of-function GRIA3 variants lead to distinct neurodevelopmental phenotypes – Ilona Krey (Germany) 
3. Characterisation of 100 individuals with biallelic FRRS1L variants: triad of therapy-resistant epilepsy, profound developmental delay and a generalized choreoathetosis – Matthias De Wachter (Belgium) 
4. SCN1A promoter regulation and implications in epilepsy – Susanna Pagni (United Kingdom) 
5. Polygenic background modifies epilepsy phenotype in “monogenic” families – Karen L. Oliver (Australia) 
6. Genetic contributions to epilepsy and febrile seizure: A study of narrow-sense and single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) heritability – Janne Auning Hansen (Denmark) 
7. De novo variants in KCNA3 cause developmental and epileptic encephalopathy – Johannes Lemke (Germany) 

 

Genetics 2
Co-Chairs: Amy McTague (United Kingdom) and Simona Balestrini (Italy)
 

1. Expanding the phenotypic spectrum of FGF12 epilepsy – does prompt precision therapy affect outcomes? – Leo Arkush (Israel) 
2. Development and function in SCN2A -related disorders – Katherine Howell (Australia) 
3. ATP6V0C Variants in Epilepsy: Unraveling Phenotypic Patterns and Genotype Correlations – Ricardo Morcos (Spain) 
4. Prevalence and characteristics of germline genetic variants in unselected adult patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy undergoing presurgical evaluation. A prospective study – Ines Seqat (France) 
5. Quality of life in SCN1A-related seizure disorders across the lifespan – Crista A. Minderhoud (Netherlands) 
6. AFG2A-Related Encephalopathy: Clinical Phenotype and Ketogenic Diet Effect (In Vivo And In Vitro Effect) – Laia Nou-Fontanet (Spain) 
7. Can Clinical Symptoms Predict The Functional Effect Of Genetic Variants In GABRA1? – Sebastian Ortiz-De la Rosa (Denmark) 

 

Neuropsychology
Co-Chairs: Sallie Baxendale (United Kingdom) and TBC
 

1. Role of nocturnality of seizures in emotional background and quality of life of patients with temporal lobe epilepsy – Elza Balian (Armenia) 
2. Amyloid deposition in young adults with drug-resistant temporal lobe epilepsy – Elena Fonseca (Spain) 
3. Seizure freedom and antiseizure medication cessation are associated with postoperative improvements in neuropsychological functioning in children with drug-resistant focal epilepsy – Maria Helena Eriksson (United Kingdom) 
4. Epileptic Networks and Cognitive Profiles: A data-driven Stereo-EEG approach to the Localization of Neuropsychological Deficit – Parveen Sagar (Australia) 
5. Prognostic value of stereo-EEG cortical stimulation induced language deficits on language outcomes following radiofrequency thermocoagulation – Terence O’Brien (Australia) 
6. Cognitive function in children and adolescents with psychogenic, non-epileptic seizures – Siv Bækkelund (Norway) 
7. Exploring Cognitive Neural Mechanisms Using Intracranial Event-Related Potentials (ERPs) in Epilepsy Patients – Firas Fahoum (Israel) 

 

Paediatric Epileptology
Co-Chairs: Cecil Hahn (Canada) and TBC

1. Lesion distribution and functional networks underlying tonic seizures of lesional etiology – Sem L. Kampman (United States) 
2. MONARCH and ADMIRAL: Open-label, Phase 1/2a Studies in US and UK Investigating Safety, Drug Exposure, and Clinical Effect of STK-001, an Antisense Oligonucleotide (ASO), in Children and Adolescents with Dravet Syndrome (DS) – J Helen Cross (United Kingdom) 
3. Long-term outcome of a cohort of patients with pharmacoresistant neonatal epilepsy and negative brain MRI. – Beatrice Desnous (France) 
4. The effect of seizures and Interictal Epileptiform Discharges on sleep macrostructure in Dravet Syndrome: a polysomnography study. – Alberto Cossu (Italy) 
5. Gross and Fine Motor Function in Young Children with Dravet Syndrome: Results from the International Prospective Natural History Study, ENVISION – Susana Boronat (Spain) 
6. Predicting Drug-Resistance from the Child’s First EEG through a Novel Network-based Approach – Cristiana Montebelli (Italy) 
7. Electroencephalographic and epileptological natural history in metachromatic leukodystrophy: a longitudinal long-term follow-up study – Gianni Cutillo (Italy) 

Neuroimaging
Co-Chairs: Paolo Federico (Canada) and Felice D'Arco (United Kingdom)

1. Characterizing thalamic sodium homeostasis changes in focal epilepsy with 7T 23Na MRI – Roy Haast (France) 
2. The Tractography-Derived Structural Connectivity Between Insular Subregions – Farbod Niazi (Canada) 
3. Scaling the Peaks: A Multiscale Expedition into Temporal Lobe Epilepsy's Morphological Landscape – Karoline Leiberg (United Kingdom) 
4. Ultra-High-Field Susceptibility Weighted Imaging in Focal Epilepsy indicates whole-brain cortical and subcortical iron accumulation – Nina Rebecca Held (Germany) 
5. Can peri-ictal MRI abnormalities predict one-year recurrence in status epilepticus? A prospective study – Pilar Bosque Varela (Austria) 
6. MRI-based disease epicentre mapping reveals clinically distinguished and histopathologically confirmed subtypes in Rasmussen’s encephalitis – Tobias Bauer (Germany) 
7. Clinical add-on value of 7T MRI in drug resistant temporal lobe epilepsy? – Ariadne Zampeli (Sweden) 

 

Mixed Topics
Co-Chairs: Gagandeep Singh (India) and Bosanka Jocic-Jakubi (Kuwait)

1. 2-year outcome of epicranial Focal Cortex Stimulation with the EASEE-system in pharmacoresistant focal epilepsy – Andreas Schulze-Bonhage (Germany) 
2. Investigating the Connectivity Profiles of the Anterior, Centromedian, Pulvinar, and Dorsomedial Thalamic Nuclei and Seizure Onset Areas to guide Target Selection in Neuromodulation. – Giovanna Aiello (Switzerland) 
3. Preictal temperature increase detected by ear canal thermometry. A possible tool for noninvasive seizure prediction. – Masud Seyal (United States) 

Session title: Modern Concepts in Epilepsy Surgery  
Co-chairs: Christian Dorfer (Austria) and TBC 

Lobar/multilobar resection versus disconnection 

• Periinsular anterior quadrantotomy: Technical description – Roy Thomas Daniel (Switzerland) 
• Frontal lobe resection – Jorge Gonzalez-Martinez (USA) 
• Posterior quadrant disconnections – Thilo Kalbhenn (Germany) 
• Posterior quadrant resection – Francesco Cardinale (Italy) 
• Temporal lobe disconnection – TBC  
• Temporal lobe resection – Anna Miserocchi (United Kingdom) 
• The role of MRI in evaluating the completeness of disconnection – Horst Urbach (Germany) 

Round table discussion 

 

The earlier the better- surgical implications 

• Anatomic hemispherectomy in very young children – Mark Dexter (Australia) 
• Anaesthesiological challenges and possibilities for epilepsy surgery in very young infants – Stefan Eckert (Germany) 
• Trends in pediatric epilepsy surgery in the last 20 years: age and country- specific variability Carmen Barba (Italy) 
• Epilepsy surgery for non-drug resistant patients – Laura Tassi (Italy) 
• Surgery for LEATS – TBC 

Round table discussion 

 

Technology in Epilepsy surgery 

• TBD - Luca de Palma (Italy) 
• Current concepts and future perspectives in neuromodulation – Arthur Cukiert (Brazil) 

• The value of robotic applications in epilepsy surgery – Martin Tisdall (United Kingdom) 
• Current role and future perspectives of LITT in Europe – Karl Rössler (Austria) 
• Potentials and Limitations of MRI guided focused ultrasound in the treatment of epilepsy – Gordon Baltuch (USA) 

Round table discussion 

08.00-17.15 Full-day Teaching Course: Neuroimaging in epilepsy - what the clinician should know SOLD OUT
Co-Chair: Anna Elisabetta Vaudano (Italy)

• Introduction to neuroimaging in epilepsy – Anna Elisabetta Vaudano (Italy) 
• MRI physics, sequence names, and MRI epilepsy protocol – Stefan Rampp (Germany) 
• MRI protocol and hints for neonates and infants – Felice D’Arco (Canada)  
• Common epileptic pathologies: temporal epilepsy – Angelo Labate (Italy) 
• Common epileptic pathologies: extratemporal lobe epilepsy – Britta Wandschneider (United Kingdom) 
• Hands-on session – All Speakers and Fernando Cendes (Brazil) 
• MRI-negative epilepsy. What are the next steps? – Boris Bernhardt (Canada) 
• Other neuroimaging modalities: PET, SPECT, ASL – Lorenzo Caciagli (Italy) 
• fMRI (task-based) & EEG-Fmri – Paolo Federico (Canada) 
• Diffusion imaging, presurgical image fusion – Irene Wang (USA) 
• Hands-on session – All Speakers 
• Group discussion/feedback – All Speakers 

 

Neonatal EEG boot camp 

Short description: The aim of this teaching course is to improve participants’ knowledge in neonatal EEG. In this interactive teaching session, speakers will emphasize key concepts of normal EEG maturation as well as EEG abnormalities seen in different types of brain injury seen in term and preterm infants, neonatal seizures and DEE with onset in the neonatal period. 

Co-Chairs: Ronit Pressler (UK) and Monika Eisermann (France) 

AM SOLD OUT

• Normal EEG in the neonate – Alexandre Datta (Switzerland) 
• Brain injury in term and preterm Infants – Sushma Goyal (United Kingdom) 
• EEG in neonatal seizures and epilepsies – Ronit Pressler (United Kingdom) 
• Use of aEEG and qEEG in the NICU – Cecil Hahn (Canada) 

 PM 

• Normal EEG in the neonate – Alexandre Datta (Switzerland) 
• Brain injury in term and preterm Infants – Sushma Goyal (United Kingdom) 
• EEG in neonatal seizures – Ronit Pressler (United Kingdom) 
• EEG in early onset DEEs – Monika Eisermann (France) 

 

 

Half-day Teaching Course: Let´s read EEGs together! MORNING SOLD OUT

Short description: In the first part, the following theoretical blocks will be addressed: how to localize an EEG abnormality, interictal patterns, ictal patterns, normal variants and artefacts. In the second part, the tutors will read representative EEG samples together with the students.  

Chair: Sándor Beniczky (Denmark) 

• Background activity and interictal abnormalities (identification & localization) – Sándor Beniczky (Denmark) 
• EEG in epilepsy syndromes – Dana Craiu (Romania) 
• Normal variants and artifacts – Fabio Nascimento (USA) 
• ictal abnormalities and correlation with semiology – Margitta Seeck (Switzerland) 

 

Half-day Teaching Course: Neuropsychology for neurologists 

Short description: This course provides an overview of the role of neuropsychological assessments and interventions in both clinical and research settings. It is designed for neurologists, neurophysiologists and other professions working with people with epilepsy.  

Chair: Sallie Baxendale (United Kingdom) 

• Sallie Baxendale (United Kingdom) 
• Timothy Ainger (USA) 
• Sarah Wilson (Australia) 
• TBA  

 

Half-day Teaching Course: Syndrome Classification 

Short description: 

This interactive session will use a case-based approach to new ILAE Syndrome classification.  

Co-chairs: Elaine Wirrell (USA) & Nicola Specchio (Italy) 

• Syndromes with onset in Neonates/Infants – Nicola Specchio (Italy) 
• Syndromes with onset in Children – Elaine Wirrell (USA) 
• Syndromes with Onset at a Variable Age – Simona Balestrini (Italy) 
• IGEs and GGE syndromes – Edouard Hirsch (France) 

 

 

Optimizing pharmacotherapy in epilepsy. SOLD OUT

Half-day Teaching Course: Which ASM to start with? When to stop? 

Short description: 

This session will address the choice of first ASM and discuss the factors that are important for making this decision. In addition, the speakers will discuss the way the ASMs are introduced, when and how to stop them, and the options after the first and second failed ASM. 

Co-Chairs: Torbjörn Tomson (Sweden) and Stéphane Auvin (France) 

• First ASM for children – Stéphane Auvin (France) 
• First ASM for adults – Anthony Marson (United Kingdom) 
• Uptitration and dose optimization – Torbjörn Tomson (Sweden) 
• Strategy when 1st monotherapy fails switch or add-on a debate – Anthony Marson (United Kingdom) & Jacqueline French (USA) 
• Which ASM to consider if 1st monotherapy fails – Jacqueline French (USA) 
• What is the role of the newest ASMs? – Michael Sperling (USA) 
• Stopping ASM treatment in seizure free children – Stéphane Auvin (France) 
• Stopping ASM treatment in seizure free adults – Torbjörn Tomson (Sweden) 
   

 

Half-day Teaching Course: Epilepsy surgery: learn from cases! 

Short description: 

This session will describe the challenges of presurgical evaluation, using case-based learning.  

Co-chairs: Ivan Rektor (Czechia) & Birgit Frauscher (USA) 

• MR negative epilepsy – Ivan Rektor (Czechia) 
• Standard resective vs. minimally invasive procedures – Philippe Ryvlin (Switzerland) 
• Important semiological considerations for epilepsy surgery – Philippe Kahane (France) 
• SEEG-informed surgery: do's and dont's – Birgit Frauscher (USA) 
• Specific pediatric considerations in epilepsy surgery – Julia Jacobs (Canada) 

 

Half-day Teaching Course: Status epilepticus  SOLD OUT

Short description: 

This session will provide an overview of challenges diagnosing classifying and treating a highly dynamic condition, using case-based learning.  

Co-chairs: Eugen Trinka (Austria) & Aidan Neligan (United Kingdom) 

• Definitions and epidemiology of status epilepticus – Eugen Trinka (Austria)  
• Investigation and causes of status epilepticus – Giada Giovannini (Italy) 
• Treatment of early and established status epilepticus – Aidan Neligan (United Kingdom)   
• Treatment of refractory and super-refractory status epilepticus – Alexandra Astner-Rohracher (Austria) 

 

Half-day Teaching Course: ‘Implementing epilepsy genetics in clinical practice.’ 

Short description: 

This session will give an overview on the clinical use of genetic testing in patients with epilepsy. 

Co-chairs: Guido Rubboli (Denmark) and Ingrid Scheffer (Australia) 

• Why and when should I perform genetic testing in my patients? – Ingrid Scheffer (Australia) 
• Selecting the right genetic test for my patient and how to interpret the results – Rikke S. Møller (Denmark)  
• Common variants: the next frontier of genetic testing – Karen Oliver (Australia) 
• “Precision medicine” in genetic epilepsies: hype or hope? – Amy McTague (United Kingdom) 
• Implementing genetic testing to transform clinical medicine – Andreas Brunklaus (United Kingdom) 

Morning Teaching Sessions 

2 sessions each day, 08.00-09.30 

 

VIREPA Basic & Advanced EEG 

• Elena Gardella (Denmark) 
• Antonio Valentin (United Kingdom) 

 

VIREPA Paediatric EEG & VIREPA MRI 

• Monika Eisermann (France) 
• Stefan Rampp (Germany) 

 

Advanced EEG: source imaging  

• Sandor Beniczky (Denmark) 
• Stefan Rampp (Germany) 
• Pieter van Mierlo (Belgium) 

 

Video session – paediatric 

• Ronit Pressler (United Kingdom) 
• Nicola Specchio (Italy) 
• Alexis Arzimanoglou (France) 

 

Video session – adult 

• Guido Rubboli (Denmark) 
• Matthew Walker (United Kingdom) 
• Laura Tassi (Italy) 

 

Immunity, inflammation and epilepsy 
Co-Chairs:  Sukhvir Wright (United Kingdom) and Sarosh Irani (United Kingdom) 

• The immunology underlying of autoimmune epilepsies – Sarosh Irani (United Kingdom) 
• Epileptogenic mechanisms of human autoantibodies – Christian Geis (Germany) 
• Management of patients with suspected autoimmune epilepsy – Tiziana Granata (Italy) 
• Autoimmune epilepsy in paediatric patients – Sukhvir Wright (United Kingdom) 

 

Epileptic encephalopathies 

• Federico Vigevano (Italy) 
• Alexis Arzimanoglou (France) 
• J Helen Cross (United Kingdom) 
• Ingrid Scheffer (Australia) 

 

Ictal Semiology of Gelastic Seizures: a clue for aetiology?  
Co-Chair: Gaetano Cantalupo (Italy) 

• Gelastic Seizures: overview – Julia Makhalova-Scholly (France) 
• Detailed Analysis of Ictal semiology in Gelastic Seizures – Laura Mirandola (Italy) 
• Brain network of happiness, smile, and laughter –  Philippe Kahane (France)

Main EEC Forum: The impact of violence on persons with epilepsy and functional (psychogenic nonepileptic) seizures 
Chair: Barbara Mostacci (Italy) 

• Prevalence of psychological and physical abuse on persons with epilepsy – Giulia Battaglia (Italy) 
• Gender-based violence and functional/dissociative seizures – Markus Reuber (United Kingdom) 
• Round table - Recognizing and preventing violence in persons with epilepsy and persons with psychogenic seizures – Coraline Hingray (France), Francesca Sofia (Italy), and Marilisa D’amico (Italy) 

 

Main EEC Forum: 15 years of stereotactic Laser Thermoablation (sLTA) for mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) - from the pros and cons to the future 
Chair: Friedhelm C. Schmitt (Germany)  

• lntroduction of discussion and case: 18 Year old with left sided non-lesional, PET-positive, VEM-confirmed, non-lesional mesial temporal lobe epilepsy – Friedhelm C. Schmitt (Germany) 
• Adult MTLE: seizure outcome in sL-TA and resection – current data – Felix Rosenow (Germany) 
• Paedatric MTLE: seizure outcome in sL-TA and resection -  current data – Ifran Ali (USA) 
• Adult MTLE: Long term neuropsychological data – Slta – Daniel L. Drane (USA) 
•  Paedatric MTLE: Long term neuropsychological data – resection – Georgia Ramantani (Switzerland) 
• TED: Discussion case vote – All Speakers  
• Case - pro stereotactic L-TA – Ido Strauss (Isreal) 
• Case - pro resection – Konstantinos N. Fountas (Greece) 
• TED: Discussion case vote – All Speakers 
• Discussion with audience: Summary and mutual Clinical recommendations -  Karl Roessler (Austria) and above speakers     
• TED: clinical recommendations – All Speakers 

 

Main EEC Forum: Translational research approaches for better understanding autoimmune-associated epilepsy 
Chair: Francesca Colciaghi (Italy)  

• The immunopathogenesis of immune-associated seizures - Adam Handel (United Kingdom)  
• In vivo Mechanisms of Antibody-Mediated Neurological Disorders - Sukhvir Wright (United Kingdom)    
• Antibody induced seizure susceptibility and impaired cognitive performance in a passive transfer rat model of autoimmune encephalitis - Nihan Carcak (Türkiye)   
• Non-invasive biomarkers of autoimmune-inflammatory seizures - Laura Librizzi  (Italy) 
• CNS autoimmune response in a rat model of epileptogenic cortical malformation - Francesca Colciaghi (Italy) 
   

Main EEC Forum: AI applications throughout a patient’s journey 
Co-Chairs: Eric van Diessen (Natherlands) and Luca de Palma (Italy) 

• A practical introduction into AI & prediction- Wim Otte (Netherlands) 
• Assisting early diagnosis in epilepsy: merits and flaws of language models - Eric van Diessen (Netherlands)   
• How NLP can reveal novel clinical insight on complex epilepsies - Alina Ivaniuck (Ukraine) 
• AI as a new “eye” for difficult to recognize lesions in epilepsy surgery - Sophie Adler (United Kingdom) 

 

Main EEC Forum: Pediatricians want to now what happens to their patients after moving to adult care 
Co-Chairs: Federico Vigevano (Italy) and Kette Valente (Brazil) 

• Parents concerns: where do we go now that they are adults? - José Ángel Aibar (Spain) 
• Optimizing seizure therapy during transition - Rima Nabbout (France) 
• Neurodegeneration in adults with DEE? - Danielle Andrade (Canada) 
• Psychiatric issues in adults with DEE - Marco Mula (United Kingdom) 
• TBC - Tommaso Lo Barco (Italy) 

 

Main EEC Forum: The interplay between sleep and epilepsy in the advent of ultra long-term EEG monitoring 
Chairs: Pedro Faro Viana (United Kingdom) 

• Sleep and epilepsy: A snapshot of knowledge and future research lines - Sofia Eriksson (United Kingdom) 
• An overview of the electrophysiology of epilepsy and sleep - Birgit Frauscher (USA) 
• Ultra long-term EEG monitoring systems - Pedro Faro Viana (United Kingdom) 
• Biomarkers of sleep and cognition in ultra long-term EEG - Troels Kjaer (Denmark) 

 

Main EEC Forum: How to tackle complexity in a rare epilepsy syndrome? 
Co-Chairs: Alexis Arzimanoglou (Spain) and Isabella Brambilla (Italy) 

• Genomic complexity in a monogenic condition - Sanjay Sisodiya (United Kingdom) 
• Precision medicine in Dravet syndrome: from a national registry to translational approaches - Simona Balestrini (Italy) 
• Multimodal methods and databases to construct the natural history - Rima Nabbout (France) 
• PROM'S News Scale DAND - Development of the Dravet disease with associated neuropsychiatric disorder (D-DAND) interview - Alberto Cossu (Italy) 

 

Main EEC Forum: A global perspective of genetic testing in the epilepsies – does one size fits all? 
Co-Chairs: Andreas Brunklaus (United Kingdom) and Sopio Gverdtsitei (Georgia) 

• Clinical state-of-the art view – “Who to test and how – case examples with quiz” - Sarah Weckhuysen (Belgium) 
• The global reality of genetic testing – “Challenges across different healthcare settings” - Chahnez Triki (Tunisia) 
• The genetic laboratory perspective – “How can the medical research and industry sectors support improved global genetic testing efforts” - Michael Hildebrand (Australia) 
• Lessons learned from ILAE survey on genetic testing – “Towards a pragmatic approach of testing” - Gaetan Lesca (France) 

 

Main EEC Forum: Neuromodulation in drug-resistant epilepsy: pharmacotherapy meets neurostimulation 
Chair: Ekaterina Pataraia (Austria) 

• Responsive Neurostimulation (RNS) Closed loop Neurostimulation, neurostimulation or neuromodulation – emerging network paradigms as well novel stimulation strategies - Dawn Eliashiv (USA) 
• Deep Brain Stimulation – Trends in utilization and expanding options beyond the Anterior Thalamic Nucleus - Ekaterina Pataraia (Austria) 
• Vagus nerve stimulation meets pharmacotherapy: Goes and No-Goes - Yaroslav Winter (Germany) 
• Influence of Neuromodulation on EEG and connectivity – Lorenzo Ricci (Italy) 

 

Main EEC Forum: Surgery for Epilepsies of Genetic Origin: Worth a Shot or Hopeless Cause? 
Chair: M. Scott Perry (USA) 

• Should genetic testing be a standard component of pre-surgical evaluation of pediatric drug resistant epilepsy? - Pavel Krsek (Czech Republic) 
• Epilepsy surgery in genetic epilepsies where seizure freedom is expected – Carmen Barba (Italy) 
• Epilepsy surgery in genetic MRI-negative developmental epileptic encephalopathies - Angel Aledo-Serrano (Spain) 
• Can epilepsy surgery be disease-modifying in genetic DEEs? - Kees P.J. Braun (Netherlands) 

 

Mini EEC Forum: The clinical perspective of the two-way-relationship of aging and epilepsy 
Chair: Hermann Stefan (Germany) 

• Prevention – Simona Lattanzi (Italy) 
• Biomarkers – TBC 
• Functional Imaging – Matthias Koepp (United Kingdom) 
• TLE - Christoph Helmstaedter (Germany) 
• Hyperexcitability in AD – Benjamin Cretin (France) 
• ASM - Hermann Stefan (Germany) 
• Innovative individual drug application – Christian Franken (Germany) 
• Surgery - Friedhelm C. Schmitt (Germany) 

 

Mini EEC Forum: Patient co-design epilepsy science: How the experience of people with epilepsy can shape the development of novel epilepsy therapies 
Chair: Pablo Casillas-Espinosa (Mexico/Australia) 

• The importance of patient involvement in epilepsy – Francesca Sofia (Italy) and Torie Robinson (United Kingdom) 
• Science guided by patients - developing novel disease-modifying therapies for drug-resistant TLE – Pablo Casillas-Espinosa (Mexico/Australia) 
• The consumer codesigned outcome epilepsy-Desirability of Outcome Rank (DOOR) as the primary outcome endpoint for the SeLECT Trial for the first medical disease-modification clinical trial in people with drug-resistant epilepsy – Lucy Vivash (UK/Australia) 
• Clinicians' perspective on patient involvement in clinical treatment, follow-up, and decision-making – Luca De Palma (Italy) 
• The importance of carers of children with epilepsy to guide research and clinical decision-making – Isabella Brambilla (Italy) and Laura M'Rabet (Netherlands) 

 

Mini EEC Forum: Epilepsy surgery: Did we forget the children? Cognitive assessment in children 
Chair: Annette Holth Skogan (Norway) 

• Is epilepsy surgery for children fully utilized? – Mary Lou Smith (Canada) 
• Awake surgery with neuropsychological monitoring: From the neurosurgeons´ point of view – Jugoslav Ivanovic (Norway) 
• Neuropsychological monitoring during awake surgery: Methodological issues – Signe Delin Moldrup (Denmark) 
• Cognitive assessment in epilepsy surgery with adults and children: Where do the differences lie? – Lisa Evju Hauger (Norway) 

 

Mini EEC Forum: Sleep frenemies: Navigating the Differential Diagnosis of SHE and DOA through Homemade Video Analysis 
Co-Chairs: Paolo Tinuper (Italy) and Philippe Ryvlin (Switzerland) 

• Who is SHE? – Belén Abarrategui (Spain) 
• Who are DOA? – Sofia Eriksson (United Kingdom) 
• Interactive Video Session – Laura Licchetta (Italy) 
• The key elements for the differential diagnosis – Francesca Bisulli (Italy)  

 

Mini EEC Forum: Epilepsy in mitochondrial diseases 
Co-Chairs: Francesca Bisulli  (Italy) and Ronit Pressler (United Kingdom) 

• Overview of mitochondrial encephalopathies - focus on epileptic manifestations – Grainne Gorman (United Kingdom) 
• Illustrative Clinical case 1 – Laura Licchetta (Italy) 
• Illustrative Clinical case 2 – Marietta Papadopoulou (France)  
• Illustrative Clinical case 3 – Marcello Bellusci (Spain)  
   

Mini EEC Forum: Seizures in Autoimmune Encephalitis: synergy between preclinical and clinical biomarkers  
Chair: Sara Matricardi (Italy)  

• Peripheral biomarkers role in autoimmune encephalitis with seizures – Laura Librizzi (Italy) 
• Experimental models and the epileptogenic role of antibodies in autoimmune encephalitis – Marianna Spatola (Spain)  
• Peripheral or Central: where do antibody mediated seizure syndromes begin? – Sarosh R. Irani (USA) 

 

Mini EEC Forum: Focal Epilepsy is ... 
Chair: Maeike Zijlmans (Netherlands) 

• Focal epilepsy is... ...the seizures - Philippe Kahane (France) 
• Focal epilepsy is... ...the electrographical signal - Fabrice Bartolomei (France)
• Focal epilepsy is... ...the (metabolic) MRI - Gilbert Hangel (Austria)  
• Focal epilepsy is... ... the (outcome of) surgery - Johannes Sarnthein (Switzerland) 
• Focal epilepsy is… … the epileptic tissue - Premysl Jiruska (Czech Republic) 
• Focal epilepsy is… … AI will tell us - Sem Hoogteijling (Netherlands) 

 

Mini EEC Forum: EEG patterns after cardiac arrest: what we know and what we don’t 
Chair: Simone Beretta (Italy) 

• Rhythmic and periodic patterns - Michel Van Putten (Netherlands) 
• Is this EEG highly malignant, malignant or maybe not? - Erik Westhall (Sweden) 
• EEG patterns and neuroimaging - Jong Woo Lee (USA) 
• Status epilepticus and ictal-interictal continuum: guess the prognosis, guess the treatment! - Pia De Stefano (Switzerland) 

 

Mini EEC Forum: Epilepsy beyond seizures – an Epicare initiative 
Co-Chairs: Morten I. Lossius (Norway) and Christoph Helmstaedter (Germany)  

• Challenges with psychiatric comorbidity in patients with epilepsy and intellectual disabilities (ID) - Oliver Johannes Henning (Norway)  
• Exploring integrative approaches: Clinician perspectives on defining patient-centered outcomes in the treatment of rare and complex epilepsies - Julia Taube (Germany) 
• Stigma – still an issue in 2024? - Reetta Kälviäinen (Finland) 
• Tools developed by patient organisations for improving physician-patient communication- Isabella Brambilla (Italy) 

 

Mini Forum: Clash of the Titans: VNS versus DBS for Drug-Resistant Epilepsy 
Chair: Rory Piper (United Kingdom) 

• For Vagus Nerve Stimulation – Kristl Vonck (Belgium) 
• For Deep Brain Stimulation – Lukas Imbach (Switzerland) 
• VNS vs DBS – Michael Hart (United Kingdom) 
• Future directions in neuromodulation – Aswin Chari (United Kingdom) 

 

Mini EEC Forum: Lafora disease – new advances in pathogenesis and treatment 
Chair: Roberto Michelucci (Italy) 

• Clinical Features, Diagnostic Challenges, and Prognostic Factors - Lorenzo Muccioli (Italy) 
• Molecular mechanisms - Cinzia Costa (Italy) 
• Animal models and new therapeutic avenues - Jose M. Serratosa (Spain) 
• Experience and challenges from clinical trials - Berge Minassian (USA) 

 

Mini EEC Forum: SLC6A1 Patient Advocacy Network Translating Science for Patients 
Co-Chairs: Lindsay Randall (United Kingdom) and Leyla Varda (Belgium) 

• 4 Phenylbutyrate - the trial and beyond – Lindsay Randall (United Kingdom) 
• SLC6A1 Portal – Katrine Johanessen (Denmark) 
• Italian Developments – Andrea De Colle (Italy) 
• Intrafamilial Variability in Phenotypes – Angel Aledo-Serrano (Spain) 

 

Mini EEC Forum: Epilepsy Nursing care models in Europe 
Chair: Tolu Olaniyan (United Kingdom) 

• An overview of the needs of women with epilepsy – Ludivine Rohrer (France) 
• Care pathway for women with epilepsy & pregnancy – Annette Hospes (Netherlands) 
• Seizures that go BUMP! – Sinead Murphy (Ireland) 
• Maintaining a sturdy skeleton across the lifespan – Sandra Dewar (USA) 

 

Mini EEC Forum: How to critically appraise and use results of RCTs on epilepsy in clinical practice 
Chair: Francesco Brigo (Italy) 

• Critical appraisal as part of the evidence-based practice (introduction) - Simona Lattanzi (Italy) 
• The mean features of RCTs and the most important risk of bias - Francesco Brigo (Italy)  
• How to critically appraise RCTs on epilepsy - Anthony Marson (United Kingdom)  
• How to apply results of RCTs and meta-analyses of RCTs on epilepsy in clinical practice and public health policies - Nathalie Jetté (USA)  

 

Mini EEC Forum: From bedside to bench to bedside –the circle of technology in epilepsy care   
Chair: Caroline Neuray (Belgium) 

• The center of our attention – patient´s expectations towards technology – Nicolas Zabler (Germany) 
• The bridge between seats – physician´s challenges in delivering technology – Anna Elisabetta Vaudano (Italy) 
• The scout for new paths – hurdles in research in technology – Mark Richardson (United Kingdom) 
• The delivery chain – bottlenecks in bringing technology to the market - Tanja Hellier (Belgium) 

 

Mini EEC Forum: Using and reporting neurotechnology in epilepsy research:  editorial insights from the Epilepsia Open inaugural interns 
Chair: Aristea Galanopoulou 

• Artificial Intelligence and machine learning in preclinical epilepsy research – the promise and challenges for preclinical epilepsy research – Jesús Servando Medel Matus (USA) 
• Optimizing the reporting of advanced neuroimaging studies in epilepsy – Giulia Sofia Cereda (Italy) 
• Optimizing the reporting of brain network analysis of individuals with epilepsy using neurophysiology studies – Naoto Kuroda (USA/Japan) 
• How to write a neurotechnology paper - general recommendations and insights from reviewer comments – Pedro Faro Viana (United Kingdom) 

Title: ILAE Wikipedia Workshop 
Co-Chairs: Nandan Yardi (India) and Michael Sperling (USA) 

• How to publish and review in Epilepsia and Epilepsy Open: Publishing – Michael Sperling (USA) 
• How to publish and review in Epilepsia and Epilepsy Open: Reviewing – Aristea Galanopoulou (USA) 
• The importance of Wikipedia as repository for AI – Samuel Wiebe (Canada) 
• Our experience with improving articles on Wikipedia and Expert communities – Nandan Yardi (India) 
• Let's learn to edit on Wikipedia – Amin Azzam (USA) 
• Contributing to Wikipedia – Jonah Fox (USA) 
• How you can generate stub articles – John Byrne (United Kingdom) 

Session 1 

Title: Brainstorming session   

Sunday:   
Moderator: Rossella Di Sapia (Italy)  
Gut Brain Axis & Epilepsy – Carmen De Caro (Italy) and Dafni Hadjieconomou (France) 

Monday:  
Moderator: Ruba Al-Ramadhani (USA)   
Acute symptomatic seizures – Julia Jacobs (Canada) and Ronit Pressler (United Kingdom) 

Tuesday:  
Moderator: Margarita Maltseva (Germany)  
Will Artificial Intelligence replace epileptologist? – Wesley Kerr (USA) and Boris Bernhardt (Canada) 

Wednesday:  
Moderator: Marietta Papadopoulou (France)  
Climate change and neurological disorders in Childhood – Sanjay Sisodiya (United Kingdom) and Alessandra Rossi (Italy).   

  

Session 2  

Title: Career Development 

Sunday:  
Moderator: Alina Ivanuik (USA)  
“Ask me anything” with ILAE Europe Chair – Matthew Walker (United Kingdom) 

Monday:  
Moderator: Eugenia Roza (Romania)  
Transitioning from clinics/academia to industry – Caroline Neuray (Austria/Belgium) and Wolfgang Löscher (Germany) 

Tuesday:  
Moderator: Robert Terziev (Switzerland)  
Writing Skills: Answering the reviewers’ comments – Emilio Perucca (Italy/Australia)  
  

Session 3  

Title: Career Development  

Structured interview (standard questions plus open questions from audience) with two people each afternoon, focusing on career development (e.g. (i) value of leadership and conflict management; (ii) mentoring and being a mentee; (iii) personal achievement and group achievement) 

Sunday:   
Moderator: Christos Lisgaras (Greece)  
Interview - Simon Shorvon (United Kingdom) and Katja Kobow (Germany) 

Monday:   
Moderator: Sebastian Ortiz de la Rosa (Denmark)  
Interview – Meir Bialer (Israel) and Stéphanie Baulac (France) 

Tuesday:  
Moderator: Eleni Nikalexi (Germany)  
Interview - Federico Vigevano (Italy) and J Helen Cross (United Kingdom)