XVIII Workshop on Neurobiology of Epilepsy (WONOEP 2025)

Abstracts

The Neurobiology Commission is delighted to invite submission of abstracts for the 18^th Workshop on the Neurobiology of Epilepsy — WONOEP XVIII. The topic and theme of the meeting is “The Resilient Brain.” This meeting seeks to discuss cutting-edge research exploring how the brain resists and adapts to seizures and epilepsy. We encourage contributions that address questions in five topic areas:

Resilience to spontaneous seizures: What factors prevent seizures from occurring more frequently, and how does the brain suppress hyperexcitability? How does the brain switch between ictal (seizure) and interictal (non-seizure) states? What mechanisms prevent the development of a seizure or stop seizures?

Resilience to epileptogenesis: What processes counteract the development of epilepsy, and how can they be enhanced? How do protein-coding and non-coding elements confer resilience? What is the role of neuro- and glio-genesis, neuroprotection, and resident and non-resident inflammatory and immune responses? 

Resilience to co-morbidities: How do cells and brain networks change within local and distant brain regions to counteract the development of cognitive change in epilepsy?

Innovative Technologies: What new technologies—such as advanced imaging, neurophysiology, ’omics, or modeling—are available to study and reveal these processes? And how can this knowledge translate into improved therapies and diagnostic tools for epilepsy?

Treatments: How can resilience mechanisms be exploited to prevent the development of epilepsy or reverse already-established epilepsy? Which genes/targets or cells can be activated or suppressed to facilitate repair and adaptation?

We welcome submissions from both preclinical and clinical research across disciplines providing insights into resilience in epilepsy. To foster critical discussion, we also encourage submissions with counter-arguments and data questioning the brain’s resilience in epilepsy.

Submission deadline: 25 February 2025