The SOC has been working arduously on the congress programme and has established the Main and Parallel Sessions. We now invite further contribution to the programme in the form of proposals for Special Interest Sessions.  

Special Interest Sessions are intended to be less formal than traditional sessions, and to have a workshop flavour and be more interactive. 

All proposals received will be assessed by the Scientific and Organising Committee (SOC). If selected, the proposer will be given the tasks of organising the Session and inviting the Chair (if different from the proposer) and speakers. 

**Please note: Meeting rooms and equipment will be provided; however, because of the budget constraints, it is unfortunately not possible to offer any financial support from the congress for speakers of the Special Interest Sessions if they are not already speakers in the Main or Parallel Sessions. 

Special interest session submissions has now closed

 

Please read the information below carefully before submitting a proposal: 

 

IMPORTANT 

• Special Interest Sessions are of 90 minutes’ duration and are scheduled throughout the congress. 
• Special Interest Sessions are intended to address specialised or focused topics. 
• Special Interest Sessions are intended to be less formal than traditional sessions, and to have a workshop flavour and be more interactive. 

• The format is flexible – it can be a discussion, debate, lightning session, campfire session, TED-style talks... – as long as it is interactive with the audience. 
• Special Interest Sessions should not, however, take the formal format of the regular scientific sessions. The topics can be narrow or broad in scope; the choice of topic, format and speakers is left to the proposer of the session. 
• The session must include some elements that encourage interaction, such as quizzes, polls, breakout groups and so on. Be creative! It is the task of the session proposer/coordinator to ensure the interactivity of the session. 
• Attendance at the sessions is open to all congress delegates. 
• The proposer will be given the tasks of organising the Session, inviting the Chair (if different from the proposer) and speakers. 

• All proposals will be assessed by the Scientific and Organising Committee. A limited number will be selected, and the criteria for selection will be innovation, interest to the congress audience and topic importance. Priority will be given to novel proposals rather than repeat and follow-up of topics addressed at previous IECs. The committee will also attempt to balance the proposals to make an attractive overall programme. 
• Meeting rooms and equipment will be provided; however, because of the budget constraints, it is unfortunately not possible to offer any financial support from the congress for speakers of the Special Interest Sessions if they are not already speakers in the Main or Parallel Sessions. 
• Please also note it is the duty of the proposer organising the Session to inform all participants of this fact. Chairs will receive a free registration to the congress only. 
• Please use the Special Interest Session Proposal form when preparing your proposal. 
• The submission of a proposal does not guarantee approval by the SOC. All proposals will be given due consideration. Notification of the SOC decision will be made following the review. 
  

Special interest session submissions has now closed

 

 

Presidential Symposium title: Defining meaningful outcomes in the genomic era  

• What is a meaningful outcome – the lived experience - TBA
• Setting the scene – are all outcomes relevant in different clinical settings? - TBA
• Are all epilepsies the same – different measures for different epilepsies? - TBA
• Predicting outcome from epilepsy surgery - TBA
• Will IGAP help to achieve meaningful outcomes? Action Amos (including resource poor settings) - TBA

  Next generation networks to improve diagnosis and treatment in the epilepsies

• Network predictors of response to medications and surgery - Simon Keller (United Kingdom)
• Neural network applications to imaging in epilepsy - TBA
• Evoked stimulation responses to guide surgical decisions - Riki Matsumoto (Japan) 
• Network correlates of neuropsychiatric comorbidities - TBA
• Implementing network analysis at the patient level: Barriers and minimum standards - Peter Taylor (United Kingdom)

 

Complex and Rare Epilepsies: The past, the present, and the future  

• Living with a child with complex and rare epilepsy: Quality of life matters! - TBA 
• Developmental and or Epileptic Encephalopathies: The need for an etiology-driven approach - Ingrid Scheffer  (Australia) 
• From catastrophic epilepsies to Developmental and/or Epileptic Encephalopathies: What is in a name? - Elaine Wirrell (USA)
• The unmet needs in the transition to adult care in DEEs and complex epilepsies: Leaving no one behind - Rima Nabbout (France)
• Treatment of DEE in low resource settings: The best and the possible - TBA 
• Epilepsy Surgery in DEE: Can we predict outcomes? - Georgia Ramantani (Switzerland)

 

Newly diagnosed epilepsy: identification and intervention of neuropsychological sequelae  

• Patient-Centred Perspectives. Two presentations will capture the patient perspective, one from an adult with epilepsy and one from the parent/caregiver of a child with epilepsy. These presentations may be in person or by video, depending on the geographic location of the presenter and ability to attend the meeting.  
• Neuropsychological problems and underlying mechanisms in children with newly diagnosed epilepsy - TBA
• Neuropsychological problems and underlying mechanisms in adults with newly diagnosed epilepsy - Bruce Hermann (USA)
• Neuropsychological Interventions in newly diagnosed epilepsy: a review of the available evidence - TBA
• Management of newly diagnosed epilepsy in both resource-plentiful and resource-limited settings:  Australia, Africa, and India. - TBA
• Neuropsychological interventions: a pragmatic approach. - TBA
• Panel Discussion / Questions and Answers 

 

The chronobiology of epilepsy

• Risks and triggers to seizures – the patient perspective - TBA
• Genetic and molecular mechanisms of seizure cycles - Cristina Reschke (Ireland) 
• Multidien rhythms in the central nervous system - Maxime Baud (Switzerland) 
• Sleep associated epileptic rhythms - Birgit Frauscher (Canada) 
• Multidien rhythms in the autonomic nervous system - Philippa Karoly (Australia) 

 

Evaluating drug resistance, surgical timing, and post-operative medications

• Case presentation - Nirmeen Kishk (Egypt)
• Definition and prediction of medication resistance - TBA
  
• Surgical decision trees – when should we consider surgery? - TBA
  
• Optimal timing of the post-operative medication wean - TBA
  
• Case conclusion and Group Discussion - Nirmeen Kishk (Egypt)
  

 

Clinical diagnostic challenges in the genetic epilepsies and opportunities for precision treatment 

• The lived experience of genetic testing for my epilepsy - Two local patients/families - TBA 
• When should the medical professional consider a genetic test for epilepsy, what test(s) should they order, and what are the other considerations? - TBA
• Looking under the bonnet of a genetic test for the epilepsies - Katherine Benson (Ireland)
• Precision therapies for epilepsy; what’s available and how well do they work? - TBA

 

Plant based therapies for epilepsy: challenges and opportunities 

• Why is there such a demand for plant-based therapies for epilepsy? - TBA
• The cannabinoid story – what we have learned. - Cecilie Johannssen Landmark (Norway) and Finbar O’Callaghan (United Kingdom) 
• Plant-based epilepsy treatments across cultures and world regions - Motlalepula Matsabisa (South Africa) and KP Vinayan (India)
• Potential novel agents and overcoming challenges in bringing to the market. - TBA

 

Climate change and epilepsy: everyone’s challenge 

• Climate change and human health: the big picture - TBA
• Climate change and neuronal networks: resilience? - TBA
• Climate change and epilepsy: the lived experience - TBA
• Climate change and epilepsy: the lived experience - TBA
• Climate change and epilepsy: the lived experience - TBA
• Climate change: the global action agenda - Alla Guekht (Russian Federation)

 

Paediatric epilepsy surgery: rethinking concepts and reimagining possibilities 

• Current international practice in pediatric epilepsy surgery - Sarah Ferrand-Sorbets (France)
• Offering pediatric epilepsy surgery before pharmacoresistance - Kees Braun
• Offering palliative resective surgery in pediatrics - Scott Perry (USA)
• Redefining pediatric epilepsy surgery outcomes - Mary Lou Smith (Canada)

  

Identifying and managing neurobehavioral comorbidities in children with epilepsy - Can we bridge the gap?  

• When the evidence is so clear these conditions go hand in hand, how can those departments not talk to one another - TBA
• They do their best to help with his epilepsy ..the rest almost nothing - Josefine Soto Jansson (Sweden) 
• Screening for neurobehavioural difficulties in children with epilepsy – what are the challenges? - Kirsty Donald  (South Africa)
• What are the options for treating for treating neuropsychiatric difficulties in children with epilepsy? - Jay Salpekar (USA)

  

A multi-layered and integrative classification scheme for FCD: the ILAE consensus classification update 2022  

• Layer 1: Histopathology subtypes of FCD according to the classification update 2022 - TBA
• Layer 2: When and how to apply neurogenetic testing in surgical tissue specimens of FCD - Dennis Lal (USA)
• Layer 3: How to report and integrate neuroimaging findings of FCD - TBA
• Why, how and when to build an integrated diagnosis of FCD - TBA

 

Innovation Gaps in Epilepsy- Shortening Timelines and Improving Access to New Treatments for Epilepsy 

• Gaps from ASM Development to Accessibility Across the Globe - TBA
• Innovation Landscape in a developing region - Satish Jain (India)
• Relevance of Epilepsy Treatment Innovation in Resource-Constrained Regions - TBA
• Efforts of the ILAE Access to Treatment Task Force: Initial steps in identifying key aspects of the problems and where to go from here - TBA

 

The ILAE syndrome classification as a roadmap for epilepsy-associated comorbidities 

• Autism Spectrum Disorder in Developmental and/or Epileptic Encephalopathies: Under or Overrated? - Colin Reilly  (United Kingdom)
• Delineating behavioral and cognitive phenotypes in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy: Are we missing the forest for the trees? - Kette Valente (Brazil)
• Epilepsy syndromes with onset at a variable age: Red Flags for Behavioral and Psychiatry Comorbidities in Focal Epilepsies - Marco Mula (United Kingdom)
• Using the 2022 ILAE syndrome classification as a roadmap to think about comorbidities screening and diagnosis - TBA

 

Reducing the treatment gap and and mitigating economic implications in pediatric epilepsy 

• Treatment gap in pediatric epilepsy: The size, causes and consequences of the problem - Sebastian Ortiz (Columbia)  
• Structured interventions in a busy clinical setting - Symon Kariuki  (Kenya)
• Education and health literacy: Building a training program for people with epilepsy and their families - TBA
• Domesticating the IGAP’s 90-80-70 cascade target for the epilepsy treatment gap in low- and middle-income settings - TBA

 

Creating small lesions to treat epilepsy 

• Balancing seizure outcome and invasiveness in epilepsy surgery - TBA
• Thermal ablation for epilepsy - TBA
• Radiofrequency ablation to treat lesions and networks in epilepsy - TBA 
• Focused ultrasound: lesioning and neuromodulation in epilepsy - Hsiang-Yu Yu (Taiwan)

 

"I’m terrified of my epilepsy”: Managing the challenge of anxiety in epilepsy patients 

• Patient perspectives: We will hear from both a paediatric and adult patient about their experience of living with epilepsy and anxiety. - Sophie Bennett (United Kingdom)
• Development and maintenance of anxiety in epilepsy: the latest science on neurobiological and psychosocial perspectives - Milena Gandy (Australia)
• Best practice and practical tips for the diagnosis and management of anxiety across the lifespan. - Sophie Bennett (United Kingdom)
• Panel Discussion: How well we are meeting the challenge of identifying and managing anxiety in epilepsy and further research needed. - TBA

 

Imaging, electrophysiology, and genetics: At the interface of epilepsy inheritance risks and lifespan plasticity 

• Bringing imaging, genetics and other modalities together: some examples - TBA
• Imaging-transcriptomic signatures in focal and generalized epilepsies - Sara Lariviere (USA)
• Heritability of cognitive and imaging traits in idiopathic generalized epilepsy - TBA
• Heritability of MEG/EEG phenotypes among patients with generalized epilepsy and their siblings - TBA

 

Multi-omics in acquired epilepsies: beyond genes and transcripts

• Proteomics and metabolomic dysregulation in models of acquired epilepsies - Pablo Casillas-Espinosa (Mexico/Australia)  
• Commonalities between multi-omics studies in basic and clinical epilepsy, do they translate?- Iscia Lopes-Cendes (Brazil) 
• Systems biology integration to identify novel disease-modifying targets in epilepsy- Jeffrey Loeb  (USA) 
• Should we treat pathways rather than single molecular targets in acquired epilepsies?- Heidrun Potschka (Germany) 

 

 Autoimmune epilepsy and immune-mediated epilepsy - two sides of the same coin? 

• The immune foundations of epilepsy - Annamaria Vezzani (Italy)
• The immune crossroads of the brain - what lessons can epilepsy and multiple sclerosis teach us - TBA
• Autoimmune encephalitis, anti-neuronal antibodies and seizures - no smoke without fire - TBA
• Looking back, moving forward - possible directions for future research in immune dysfunction and inflammation in epilepsy - Derrick Chan (Singapore)

 

Innovations in the prevention and treatment of epilepsy in tuberous sclerosis complex  

• The experience of one mother and her child with TSC and epilepsy - Cathy Evanochko (Canada)
• Disease modifying therapies in TSC - TBA
• Alternative antiseizure medications in TSC - Rima Nabbout (France)
• Neuroinflammation and epilepsy severity in TSC - TBA
• The role of epilepsy surgery in people with TSC, including recent advances in how appropriate candidates are chosen.
  - TBA

 

The multifarious mTOR signaling pathway in the epilepsies  

• Brain somatic mutations in mTOR pathway genes leading to focal cortical dysplasia - TBA
• Modelling somatic mosaicism and targeted therapies - TBA
• Downstream and parallel targets of mTOR signaling for epilepsy treatment - TBA
• Differential roles of mTORC1 and mTORC2 in epilepsy development - Steve Danzer (USA) 

 

Moving exercise in epilepsy forward – steps towards success  

• Experimental findings for exercise effects in epilepsy - TBA
• Physical fitness and activitiy levels in children and adults with epilepsy - Elinor Ben-Menachem (Sweden)  
• Optimizing exercise effects for people with epilepsy - Halley Alexander (USA)
• Improving exercise engagement and trial participation for people with epilepsy – considering social determinants of health - TBA
• Relationship between exercise and metabolic syndrome in epilepsy – Sudhindra Vooturi (India)

Decision support tools in epilepsy: are we there yet? 

• Precision medicine in epilepsy: from rare monogenic to common epilepsies - Karl Martin Klein (Canada) 
• Engaging patients to improve seizure forecasting and deploy wearable devices - TBA
• Strategies for data collection in the future - TBA
• Clinical prediction tools in epilepsy: current models outperform physicians and should be widely deployed - Carolina Ferreira Atuesta
• Clinical prediction tools in epilepsy: from premonition to certainty - TBA

 

Hypothalamic hamartoma – evolving understanding of evolution and treatment of an epileptic syndrome 

• Genetic and clinical workup for HH – what do we need? - Samuel Berkovic (Australia)
• Cognitive and behavioral development in HH – what do we know? - Kathrin Wagner (Germany)
• To treat or not to treat: the role of gelastic and other seizure types - Julia Jacobs (Canada)
• New treatments for unilaterally and bilaterally attached hamartomas - TBA

 

Neonatal Seizures and Epilepsy - From the past to the future: Why we still have controversies?

• What has changed with the new Classification of Neonatal Seizures? - TBA
• How precision medicine might improve early diagnosis and therapy? - TBA
• Status Epilepticus in Neonates: Is it time for new definitions and guidelines?  - Magda Lahorgue Nunes (Brazil) 
• Neonatal EEG Monitoring : who? when? how (aEEG x EEG x cEEG) ? - Nicholas Abend (USA)
• Treatment of Neonatal Seizures: What can we expect from the updated WHO/ILAE guidelines - Hans Hartmann  (Germany)

 

Digital systems help in diagnosis and treatment of epilepsy?  

• Seizure detection systems are needed - TBA
• Seizure detection systems can produce mainly false positive and negative alarms - Sándor Beniczky (Denmark)
• Clinical decision systems will improve daily life - TBA
• Clinical decision systems are not suitable for daily life - TBA

 

Acute symptomatic seizures: what is benign, what needs treatment?  

• Mechanisms of acute seizures following brain insults - TBA
• Acute symptomatic seizures in cerebrovascular disease - TBA
• Management of acute symptomatic seizures in the ICU - Vineet Punia (USA)
• To treat or not treat: interactive case based discussion on acute symptomatic seizures - TBA

 

What metabolic pathway should be prioritized for clinical implementation? Debate

• Introduction: Ketogenic diet and beyond: what is on the horizon?  - TBA
• Patient Representative - TBA
• Metabolic pathways to be debated (short talks, 10 mins each): 
  • Adenosine - Detlev Boison (USA)
    
  • Glucose - Chris Dulla (USA)
    
  • Energetics and Lipids - TBA
    
  • Medium Chain Triglycerides - Karin Borges (Australia)
    
• What systems are in play? - Jennifer Dowling (Ireland)
  
• What are the tools for drug discovery? - TBA
  
• Panel discussion and debate  

An Irish challenge – complex cases for the experts 

Interview with a person with epilepsy - Challenging cases for the experts 

Full-day Teaching Course: Neuroimaging in epilepsy - what the clinician should know  

• Introduction to neuroimaging in epilepsy. – Anna Elisabetta Vaudano (Italy)
• MRI physics, sequence names, and MRI epilepsy protocol. – Godwin Ogbole (Nigeria) 
• Common epileptic pathologies: temporal epilepsy. – Fernando Cendes (Brazil) 
• Common epileptic pathologies: extratemporal lobe epilepsy. 
• Hands-on session – Stefan Rampp (Germany) 
• MRI-negative epilepsy. What are the next steps? 
• Other neuroimaging modalities: PET, SPECT, etc. 
• fMRI (task-based)  & EEG-Fmri – Paolo Federico (Canada) 
• Diffusion imaging, presurgical image fusion – Luis Concho (Mexico) 
• Hands-on session - Stefan Rampp (Germany) 
• Group discussion/feedback 

  

Half-day Teaching Course: Is this epilepsy? If not, what is it? 

This session will address differential diagnosis: epileptic seizures vs. non-epileptic paroxysmal events. How to extract relevant clinical information from history and from video recordings. 

Chair(s): Michael Sperling (USA) & Elza Márcia Yacubian (Brazil)

Speakers:

• Markus Reuber (United Kingdom) 
• Michael Sperling (USA) 
• Elza Márcia Yacubian (Brazil) 

 

 Half-day Teaching Course: Syndrome Classification 

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

Chair(s): Elaine Wirrell (USA) & Sameer M. Zuberi (UK)

Speakers:

• Edouard Hirsch (France) 
• Sameer M. Zuberi (UK) 
• Kate Riney (Australia) 
• Elaine Wirrell (USA) 

 

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

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(s): Sándor Beniczky (Denmark)

Speakers:

• Sándor Beniczky (Denmark) 
• Dana Craiu (Romania) 
• Fabio Nascimento (USA) 

  

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

This session will address the choice of first AED, and discuss the factors that are important for making this decision. In addition, the speakers will discuss the way the AEDs are introduced, when and how to stop them. 

Chair(s): Emilio Perucca (Australia)

Speakers:

• Sara Eyal (Israel) 
• Emilio Perucca (Australia)
• Jakob Christensen (Denmark)
• Martin Brodie (United Kingdom)  
  

 

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

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

Co-chairs: Ivan Rektor (Czech Republic) & Çiğdem Özkara (Turkey) 

Speakers:

• Ivan Rektor (Czech Republic) 
• Philippe Kahane (France) 
• Çiğdem Özkara (Turkey)
• Philippe Ryvlin (Switzerland) 

 

 Half-day Teaching Course: Status epilepticus  

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

Chair(s): Eugen Trinka (Austria) & Simon Shorvon (United Kingdom)

Speakers: TBA

 

Half-day Teaching Course: Genetic testing: whom, when and what to test 

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

Chair(s): Guido Rubboli (Denmark)

Speakers:

• Guido Rubboli (Denmark) 
• Renzo Guerrini (Italy) 
• Rima Nabbout (France) 
• Amy McTague (United Kingdom) 

 

Half-day Teaching Course: No response to first ASMs. What next? 

This session will address the options after the first and second failed AED. 

Chair(s): Torbjörn Tomson (Sweden) & Jacqueline French (USA)

Speakers:

• Torbjörn Tomson (Sweden)
• Jacqueline French (USA)
• Anthony Marson (United Kingdom)
• Kristl Vonck (Belgium) 

 

Half-day Teaching Course: Patient and Public Involvement in Epilepsy Research 
Co-chairs: Reetta Kälviäinen & Donna Walsh (Ireland)

• Definitions, role and impact of PPI in current epilepsy research - Gianpiero Cavalleri (Ireland)
• PPI for brain research in low- and middle-income countries -   Iracema Leroi (Ireland/Global Brain Health Institute)
• PPI solutions for rare and complex epilepsy - TBA
• IBE-INVOLVE project building the knowledge and skills for PPI in epilepsy  - TBA  

VIREPA Basic & Advanced EEG 

Speakers: TBA

 

VIREPA Paediatric EEG & VIREPA MRI 

Speakers:

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

 

Advanced EEG: source imaging – part 1 (Theory) 

Speakers:

• Sandor Beniczky (Denmark)
• Stefan Rampp (Germany) 

 

Advanced EEG: source imaging – part 2 (Hands-on) 

Speakers:

• Sandor Beniczky (Denmark)
• Stefan Rampp (Germany) 
•  

 

Video session – paediatric 

Speakers:

• Alexis Arzimanoglou (France) 

 

Video session – adult 

Speakers:

• Guido Rubboli (Denmark) 

 

Immunity, inflammation and epilepsy
Chair: Christian Bien (Germany)

Speakers:

• The immunology underlying of autoimmune epilepsies - TBA
• Epileptogenic mechanisms of human autoantibodies - Christian Geis (Germany)
• Management of patients with suspected autoimmune epilepsy - Christian Bien (Germany) 
• Autoimmune epilepsy in paediatric patients - TBA

 

Epileptic encephalopathies 

Speakers:

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

Epilepsy Surgery Advances, Access, and Adaptability
Co-chairs: Dario Englot, & Arthur Cukiert

Welcome and Introduction to Symposium Topics

• Novel Surgical Approaches
  Combined Neuromodulation Approaches - Arthur Cukiert (Brazil) 
  Surgical Options for Generalized Epilepsy - TBA
  New Advances in Disconnection Surgery - Taylor Abel (USA)
  
  
• Epilepsy Surgery Access and Throughput
  Epilepsy Surgery Trends and Barriers - TBA
  Access to Surgery in Developing Countries - Jorge Burneo (Canada)
  Building and Running a Large Surgical Program - TBA
  
  
• Case-Based Epilepsy Surgery
  Optimizing an Intracranial Implant in the Modern Era - TBA
  Advanced brain and vagal nerve stimulation programming approaches - TBA
  Novel Imaging Approaches for Challenging Cases - Christian Dorfer (Austria)
  Optimizing Location and Extent of Resection in TLE Surgery - TBA
  Discussion and Conclusions

New Frontiers in Blood brain barrier regulation and epilepsy 

Co-chairs: TBA

• Blood-brain barrier pathology in epilepsy: from bench to bedside - TBA
• BBB restoration  through induction of claudin-5 prevents seizures - TBA
• Pre-clinical models and therapeutics regulating the BBB - TBA
• BBB receptors and epilepsy - TBA
• Mechanosensor channel Piezo1 at the neurovascular unit during seizures and immune modulations - TBA

Epilepsy Nursing Practice: Identifying Common Themes and Innovative Solutions to address the Treatment Gap Co-chairs: Karen Legg (Canada) and TBC 

• Enhancing Nursing Education as a means of improving access - TBD  
• Innovative use of technology and online services to improve access - TBD
• Screening for depression, anxiety and neurocognitive comorbidities during epilepsy assessments - TBD
• Nurse run epilepsy clinics - TBD  
• The Nurse’s role in Reducing Stigma: raising awareness locally, regionally, and globally - TBD