7th Baltic Sea Summer School on Epilepsy

Viimsi, Estonia

18 - 23 August 2013

2013 BSSSE - Peter Wolf leads students — Peter Wolf leads students during a tutorial at the 2013 Baltic Sea Summer School on Epilepsy

The Seventh BSSSE took place in Viimsi close to Tallinn, Estonia, on August 18 – 23, 2013. Our local host was the Estonian League against Epilepsy represented by Dr. Sulev Haldre of Tartu.

The course was attended by 42 participants from 23 countries: Azerbaijan, Belgium, Denmark, Egypt, Estonia, Finland, Georgia, Ireland, Israel, Japan, Latvia, Lithuania, Malaysia, Mexico, Moldova, Netherlands, Portugal, Romania, Russia, Turkey, Ukraine, Uruguay and Uzbekistan. If nationalities are considered, Ecuador, Germany, Iran and Spain can be added. The average age of the participants was 32.2 years, which reflects well the primary target group of this summer school, young post-graduates and PhD students.

The faculty consisted of 14 teachers from the Baltic Sea region: six from Denmark, three from Germany, two from Norway and one each from Estonia, Lithuania, and Finland. They covered the following topics:

Clinical epileptology

Symptomatic epilepsies in adults
Symptomatic epilepsies mimicking idiopathic epilepsies
Subjectiva and objective seizure symptoms
Reproductive aspects in epilepsy
Genetics and epilepsy
Remission in adult patients
Convulsive and non-convulsive status epilepticus
Psychiatric comorbidities

Diagnostics

Seizure semiology and anatomy
Epilepsy diagnostics: what is useful and necessary?
Advanced diagnostic approaches
Epilepsies and non-epileptic conditions of childhood: differential diagnosis
Video quiz: epilepsy or not?

Research

New approaches in preclinical AED development
From mechanisms to biomarkers for epileptogenesis
Ontogenetic excitability changes

Therapy

AED pharmacology: Newest antiepileptic drugs and Orphan drugs
Use of acute drugs in epilepsy management
Radiosurgery and radiotherapy of epilepsy

Basic aspects

Functional neuroanatomy
The present understanding of “generalized” and focal ictogenesis

The study methods at the BSSSE are strongly interactive with only two to three frontal lectures per day; the remainder of the time is tutorials (including journal clubs), case-oriented study, and discussion of cases submitted by participants in small group settings. The course evaluation confirmed once again the students’ high appreciation of the interactive methods, where case-oriented study and the early morning seminars received the highest marks.

The majority of participants attended with bursaries, for which the organisers are very grateful to: