Title: Τα πάντα ρει, μηδέποτε κατά τ’αυτό μένειν (Everything flows, it never stays the same): The neurophysiological investigation of epilepsy 

• The progression from interictal discharges to seizures – Premsyl Jiruska (Czechia)
• Beyond spikes – neurophysiological biomarkers of epilepsy – Birgit Frauscher (USA)
• Optically pumped magnetometers – the future of MEG? – Umesh Vivekananda (United Kingdom)
• The virtual brain – making the most of the data – Viktor Jirsa (France)

Title: Targeted Therapies with New Antiseizure Medications (ASMs)

• Genetic landscape for rare epileptic syndromes-how does it lead to personalised medicine? – Rikke Møller (Denmark)
• Development of preclinical and genetic models in drug discovery of new ASMs – Stéphanie Baulac (France)
• New ASMs in development – new targets and drug repurposing – Meir Bialer (Israel)
• Real world clinical and pharmacological experience with new ASMs in targeted patient populations – Cecilie Johannessen Landmark (Norway)

Title: Mind Matters: Exploring Trends in Psychiatry of Epilepsy

• Impact of psychiatric disorders on long-term prognosis: Why do they matter? – Jakob Christensen (Denmark)
• Managing depression and anxiety in children with epilepsy – Kette Valente (Brazil)
• Functional/dissociative seizures: one symptom for many – Coraline Hingray (France)
• Psychiatric side effects of ASMs: are new generation drugs better tolerated than previous ones? – Marco Mula (United Kingdom)

Title: Cellular Crosstalk in Epilepsy: Let’s just for a moment forget about neurons

• Astrocytes and Seizure Modulation: Glial Contributions to Network – Nathalie Rouach (France)
• Neurons and interneurons: beyond excitation and inhibition – Vadym Gnatkovsky (Germany)
• Oligodendrocytes and Myelination in Epilepsy: White Matter in Neuronal Circuit Dynamics – Ragnhildur Thóra Káradóttir (United Kingdom)
• The void between cells: ECM contribution to epilepsy – Alexander Dityatev (Germany)

Title: Is it time to abandon open surgery?

• Minimal invasive open surgical approaches – No time to abandon resective epilepsy surgery – Christian Dorfer (Austria)
• Radiofrequency thermocoagulation – Revival of an underutilized method in the past – Sarah Ferrand Sorbets (France)
• Laser interstitial thermal therapy – The dominator among the ablation methods – Martin Tisdall (United Kingdom) 
• Neuromodulation – The opportunity to reversibly modulate epileptic networks – Lukas Imbach (Switzerland)
• Epilepsy surgery – More a matter of access and education than methods – Nico Enslin (South Africa)

Title: Aetiology Matters: Exploring Trends in Paediatric Structural Epilepsies

• Hypothalamic Hamartomas – J Helen Cross (United Kingdom)
• Sturge-Weber syndrome – Alexis Arzimanoglou (Spain)
• Focal Cortical Dysplasias and LEATs – Laura Tassi (Italy)
• Tuberous Sclerosis Complex – Lieven Lagae (Belgium)
• MRI-negative but still structural – Kees Braun (Netherlands)

Title: Current and promising applications of Al in adult epileptology

• The potential of AI for low-and-middle impact countries – Philippe Ryvlin (Switzerland)
• AI to improve the clinical diagnosis of epilepsy – Arjune Sen (United Kingdom)
• AI-based automatic analysis of scalp and intracerebral EEG – Sándor Beniczky (Denmark)
• Progress in predicting outcomes using AI – Lara Jehi (USA)
• The expected impact of Large Language Models in epilepsy – Eric Van Diessen (Netherlands)
  

Title: Radically Advancing Epilepsy Research — The Importance of International Collaborations

• Sharing expertise across Europe: an example from EpiCARE – Kees Braun (Netherlands)
• Implementation of the lntersectoral Global Action Plan on Epilepsy and Other Neurological Disorders (IGAP): demonstrating global leadership – Anna Jansen (Belgium)
• Effective collaborations from the perspective of an early career clinical researcher – James Mitchell (United Kingdom)
• Changes in the collaboration landscape over time and new opportunities – Maša Malenica (Croatia)

Title: From Micro to Macro: Multi-center knowledge integration for multimodal insights in epilepsy diagnosis and care

• Introducing EPICLUSTER, HBP Medical Informatics Platform and EBRAINS Human lntracerebral EEG platform – Philippe Ryvlin (Switzerland)
• Multimodal combination of neuroimaging methods for localizing the epileptogenic zone in MR-negative epilepsy – Matthias Koepp (United Kingdom)
• Multimodal approach to characterize surgically removed epileptogenic zone from tissue of patients with focal drug-resistant epilepsy – Mastaneh Torkamani Azar (Finland)
• Digital twins and virtual epileptic patient to optimize patient selection and surgical planning – Fabrice Bartolomei (France)

Title: Breaking down the barriers between generalized and focal seizures: The age of the Thalamus and beyond

• Connectivity Mapping of thalamic nuclei to the cortex: Insights from presurgical SEEG evaluation – Lukas Imbach (Switzerland)
• The evolution of RNS from stimulation of discrete foci to network based thalamic stimulation – Stanislas Lagarde (France)
• Changing concepts of optimization of stimulation parameters adaptive and Al assisted – Ekaterina Pataraia (Austria)
• Spatiotemporal dynamics of the corticothalamic network at seizure onset: Is there a chance for cortical stimulation? – Yaroslav Winter (Germany)

Title: A stroke of insight: Predicting, treating and preventing post-stroke epilepsy

• Predicting Epilepsy after Stroke: Strengths, Limitations and Clinical Applications – Kai Michael Schubert (Switzerland)
• Drug Repurposing in Epilepsy: Can We Prevent Epileptogenesis? – Eugen Trinka (Austria)
• The Role of EEG in Predicting Post-Stroke Seizures: Advancing Prognostic – Carla Bentes (Portugal)
• Imaging Lesional Epilepsy Brain Networks: Mapping Connectivity and Predicting Seizure Risk – Anna Elisabetta Vaudano (Italy)

Title: (Neuro)Psychological Challenges and Interventions in Pediatric Epilepsy Care

• Integrated mental health in epilepsy – Sophie Bennett (United Kingdom)
• Assessment methodologies in Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies (DEEs): what do we (not) measure? – Sam Geuens (Belgium)
• Survey on Neuropsychological Practice in Childhood Epilepsy: Exploring Severe Developmental and Cognitive Challenges - Findings from the ERN EpiCARE – Cinzia Correale (Italy)
• Understanding the impact of and providing psychological support to families of children with DEEs – Colin Reilly (Sweden)

Title: Neonatal Status Epilepticus: Challenges and Evolving Solutions

• Effect of status epilepticus on the developing brain - evidence from animal models - Solomon Moshe (USA)
• Time to redefine Status epilepticus in Neonates - report of ILAE Task Force – Ronit Pressler (United Kingdom)
• Current and emerging treatment options for status epilepticus in neonates – Carmen Fons (Spain)
• Neurodevelopmental outcome of neonatal status epilepticus – Marina Trivisano (Italy)

Title: Ultra long-term EEG monitoring in epilepsy: where are we now?

• Overview of ultra long-term EEG monitoring devices in epilepsy and their indications – Pedro Viana (United Kingdom)
• When and in whom to perform ultra long-term EEG monitoring – Rodrigo Rocamora (Spain)
• Ultra-long term EEG monitoring in the clinics: challenges and yields – Guido Rubboli (Denmark)
• Seizure forecasting and circadian rhythms – Maxime Baud (Switzerland)

Title: Epilepsy care in Europe: Inequalities and disparities

• Diagnostic screening in the era of genetics – Marietta Papadopoulou (France)
• How to overcome disparities in access to surgical treatment – Petia Dimova (Bulgaria)
• Affordability and impact of ASM authorisations on epilepsy care – Vicente Villanueva (Spain)
• Emergency situations, displaced populations and epilepsy care – Volodymyr Kharytonov (Ukraine)

Title: Beyond the diagnosis: Insights and Innovations on Functional/Dissociative Seizures

• Interoception and the neurobiology of Functional/Dissociative Seizures – Mahinda Yogarajah (United Kingdom)
• What diagnostic tools? What level of diagnostic certainty – Sofia Markoula (Greece)
• Suicidal and non-suicidal self-injurious behaviors in people with Functional/Dissociative Seizures – Mikhail Zinchuk (Russia)
• Functional/Dissociative Seizures: New approaches and future challenges in children – TBC

Title: Repeat expansions and myoclonic epilepsies: the tip of the iceberg?

• From Progressive Myoclonic Epilepsy Type 1 to Familial Adult Myoclonic Epilepsy: The Evolution of Repeat Expansion Disorders in Epilepsy – Josè Serratosa (Spain)
• Beyond Epilepsy: Are Other Neurological Conditions Leading the Way? – Isabel Silveira (Portugal)
• Molecular Insights into Repeat Expansion Diseases: Unraveling Genetic Complexity – Christel Depienne (Germany)
• Current treatment and future perspectives: is precision treatment a dream or future reality? – Ayşe Deniz Elmali (Turkey)

Title: Time Flies Faster: How Epilepsy Ages the Brain

• Reading the Brain's Calendar: Epigenetic Clocks and Biological Aging in Epilepsy – Katja Kobow (Germany)
• Turning Back Time: Fighting Senescence in Focal Brain Malformations – Stéphanie Baulac (France)
• Dynamics in TLE and Post-Traumatic Epileptogenesis – Pablo Casillas-Espinosa (Australia)
• Old Before Their Time? Clinical Evidence and Implications of Brain Aging in Epilepsy – Marian Galovic (Switzerland)

Title: Common genetic variation in epilepsies: Important, measurable and clinically applicable

• Common variation in the causation of epilepsies – Remi Stevelink (Netherlands)
• Common variants and drug resistance in epilepsy: We are finally there! – Costin Leu (USA)
• Clinical applications of common variants: Polygenic risk scores – Karen Oliver (Australia)
• Rare and common genetic variants in epilepsy: A complementary toolkit for personalized medicine? – Gaetan Lesca (France)

Title: Astrocytes: The Other Janus Side in Epilepsy

• Spatio-temporal regulation of K+ buffering by astrocytes in epilepsy – Nariman Kiani (Canada)
• Targeting astrocytes with gene therapies in epilepsy – Rob Wykes (United Kingdom)
• Cytokine-induced uncoupling of astrocytes contributes to the initiation and progression of temporal lobe epilepsy – Peter Bedner (Germany)
• Oligodendrocyte dysfunction and myelin plasticity in epilepsy and associated comorbidities – Helena Pivonkova (Czechia)

Title: Can we treat epilepsy with diet and lifestyle

• The ketogenic diet: the good, the bad and the ugly – Natasha Schoeler (United Kingdom)
• Do we need the ketones? The role of fatty acids – Robin Williams (United Kingdom)
• Natural treatments: dispelling the myths – Mackenzie Cervenka (USA)
• Train your brain: How sport affects the course of epilepsy – Barbara Tettenborn (Switzerland)

Title: When the lights go out: Sleep and Epilepsy

• Circadian Rhythms, Sleep, and Epilepsy – Andreas M Koupparis (Cyprus)
• Epilepsy Syndromes Associated with Sleep – Anna Szűcs (Hungary)
• Sleep Structure Across Epilepsy Syndromes – Renee Proost (Belgium)
• SHE vs. DOA: Intersecting Paths Across the Lifespan – Francesca Bisulli (Italy)

Title: Optimizing the Diagnostic Trajectory in Pediatric Epilepsy: From Early Detection to Targeted Therapies

• Early Diagnosis in Pediatric Epilepsy: The Role of Multidisciplinary – Nicola Specchio (Italy)
• Genetic Testing in Epilepsy: A Paradigm Shift Towards Precision Medicine – Ingrid Scheffer (Australia)
• Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies: Challenges and Future Directions – Jo Wilmshurst (South Africa)
• Advanced Neuroimaging and EEG: Enhancing Diagnostic Accuracy – Sophie Adler (United Kingdom)
• From Diagnosis to Therapy: The Era of Targeted Treatments in Pediatric Epilepsy – Alexis Arzimanoglou (Spain)

Title: Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies (DEEs): A Driver for Neurological Decline and Therapeutic Challenges

• Status Epilepticus in Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies: A Progressive Threat – Nicola Specchio (Italy)
• Neuroprotective Strategies Against SE-Induced Brain Injury: Insights from Clinical and Experimental Models – Stéphane Auvin (France)
• Refractory Status Epilepticus in DEEs: Why Standard Treatments Fail – Rima Nabbout (France)
• Early Prevention and Intervention in Genetic Epilepsies: Aiming for Better Outcomes – TBC

Title: Patient-Public-Involvement in Epilepsy: From ASM-Pipeline to Medical Education

• Public patient involvement in epileptology — the IBE perspective – Francesca Sofia (Italy)
• Involving patient advocates into ASM development leads to optimized therapeutic options – Sandra Silva-Arrieta (Spain)
• Patient public involvement in campaigns for the prevention of SUDEP - the perspective of an advocacy organization – Sina Lang (Germany)
• Involvement of experts-by-experience into university teaching: A new approach in medical education – Christian Brandt (Germany)

Title: Comprehensive methodological and operational approach to clinical trials in rare and ultra-rare epilepsies

• Talking about patients' needs in Clinical trials: where do we stand? ePAGs/ERN EPICARE perspective – Isabella Brambilla (Italy)
• How to optimise the multisource data use in rare epilepsies natural history and bio-markers generation? – Geert Molenberghs (Belgium)
• Upscaling CT Trial Results in Rare Epilepsies: Integrating Historical, Observational, and Randomized Data-The EPISTOP Trial Example – Kasia Kotulska-Jóźwiak (Poland)
• The added value of the European Consortium for Epilepsy Trials (ECET) - Sébile Tchaicha (Spain)

Title: Drug resistant epilepsy — Revisiting the concept

• Revisiting the DRE concept: a proposal by the ILAE/AES Joint DRE Task Force – Aristea Galanopoulou (USA)
• Clinical management and trials of DRE – Sylvain Rheims (France)
• Translational research – Gabriele Lignani (United Kingdom)
• Basic science research – Heidrun Potschka (Germany)

Title: IGAP at the Midway Point: Accelerating Progress in Epilepsy Care, Research and Education in Europe

• IGAP implementation - the WHO perspective – TBC
• Four years of IGAP journey: where we are now? – Alla Guekht (Russian Federation)
• IGAP implementation at the country level in Europe: successes and challenges – TBC
• US National Plan - What can be learnt for Europe? – TBC

Title: Non-invasive brain stimulation in epilepsy: Current status and future prospects

• Transcranial Direct Current Stimulation and Temporal Interference Stimulation in epilepsy: where do we stand? – Fabrice Bartolomei (France)
• Cortical effects of antiseizure medications: insight from TMS-EEG studies – Ulf Ziemann (Germany)
• Exploring DEEs with TMS: from genotypes to seizures and beyond – Simona Balestrini (United Kingdom)
• TMS combined with EEG in epilepsy: diagnostic and therapeutic aspects – TBC

Title: Progress or Plateau? The Changing Landscape of Pediatric Epilepsy Surgery

• Referral Patterns and Timing – Pavel Krsek (Czechia)
• Presurgical Evaluation: New Tools, New Rules – Georgia Ramantani (Switzerland)
• From Resection to Neuromodulation – Sarah Ferrand Sorbets (France)
• What Has Really Changed? Shifting Perceptions and Attitudes – Luca de Palma (Italy)

Title: SEEG pitfalls — typical scenarios

• Good scenario – Tatjana Liakina (Sweden)
• Lucky Scenario – Petr Marusic (Czechia)
• Ugly Scenario – Ioana Mindruta (Romania)
• Bad Scenario – Philippe Kahane (France)

Title: Vincent van Gogh and his behavior: Part of epilepsy?

• How to interpret the behavioral problems of Vincent? – Panayiotis Patrikelis (Greece)
• How much was due to epilepsy? – Marco Mula (United Kingdom)
• What about the influence of complex visual stimuli as provoking factor? – Piet Voskuil (Netherlands)
• Panel Discussion – All

Title: Breaking through the logjam: biomarkers predicting epilepsy in infants and children after Status Epilepticus 

• Translating basic studies to the clinic; the FEBSTAT experience – Solomon Moshe (USA) 
• Genetic studies linking febrile status epilepticus to epilepsy – Sara Baldassari (France) 
• Prediction model for epilepsy after febrile status epilepticus, using machine learning – Estevo Santamarina (Spain)  
• Designing an antiepileptogenic trial to prevent epilepsy after febrile status epilepticus – Ronny Wickstrom (Sweden) 

Title: Debate Session: Successful epilepsy surgery does not require a seizure-free outcome  

• “Pro” position: epilepsy surgery CAN be deemed successful without the patient attaining seizure freedom – Michael Sperling (USA) 
• “Con” position: epilepsy surgery CANNOT be deemed successful without the patient attaining seizure freedom – Carmen Barba (Italy) 
• Support “pro” position – Floor Jansen (Netherlands) 
• Support “con” position – Sallie Baxendale (United Kingdom) 

Title: ERN EpiCARE in action: Shaping the future of Epilepsy Care in Europe

Co-chairs: Maša Malenica (Croatia) and Eugen Trinka (Austria)

• Managing complexity in rare and ultra-rare epilepsies as a clinician – Nicola Specchio (Italy)
• Evidence generation and impact on fostering research – Lieven Lagae (Belgium)
• Meaningful engagement of people with lived experience – José Ángel Aibar (Spain)
• The European Health Leadership Mission (2026-2030) and ERN EpiCARE – Alexis Arzimanoglou (Spain)

Title: A tribute to Charlotte Dravet: from her vision to modern therapeutic strategies

Co-chairs: J Helen Cross (United Kingdom) and Renzo Guerrini (Italy)

• The historical importance of Charlotte Dravet’s work as European model – Nicola Specchio (Italy)
• From clinical observation to syndrome definition: the origins of Dravet Syndrome – TBC
• Deep phenotyping and disease mechanisms – Ingrid E. Scheffer (Australia)
• Beyond seizures: the neurodevelopmental and systemic burden – Rima Nabbout (France)
• Disease-modifying therapies: where are we now? – TBC
• Charlotte Dravet through the eyes of families – Isabella Brambilla (Belgium)
• Discussion – Renzo Guerrini (Italy) and J. Helen Cross (United Kingdom)

Title: What have we learnt Since the Addition of Levetiracetam 25 years Ago into the Antiseizure Therapeutic Arsenal?

• The story and side effects of levetiracetam and beyond – Simon Shorvon (United Kingdom)
• Levetiracetam discovery and how it affected the development of new ASMs – Meir Bialer (Israel)
• Levetiracetam efficacy in epilepsy treatment and beyond – Reetta Kälviäinen (Finland)
• Levetiracetam Mechanisms of action is indeed only the SV2a modulation? – Heidrun Potschka (Germany)

Session Title: The Gut–Brain Axis in Epilepsy: Mechanisms and Implication

• Body-brain communication pathways across the microbiota-gut-brain axis – TBC
• Epilepsy-linked gut microbiota signature in models of epilepsy – Teresa Ravizza (Italy)
• Microbiome: implications for patient stratification and treatment – TBC
• Bioinformatics and machine learning in microbiome research and clinical application – Stefanie Prast-Nielsen (Sweden)

Full-day Teaching Course:

Course title: 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 – Boris Bernhardt (Canada)
• MRI protocol and hints for neonates and infants – Felice D'Arco (United Kingdom)
• Common epileptic pathologies: temporal lobe epilepsy – Niels Focke (Germany)
• Common epileptic pathologies: extratemporal lobe epilepsy – Britta Wandschneider (United Kingdom)
• MRI-negative epilepsy. What are the next steps? – Sophie Adler (United Kingdom)
• Other neuroimaging modalities: PET, SPECT, ASL – Lorenzo Caciagli (Switzerland)
• fMRI (task-based) & EEG-fMRI – Paolo Federico (Canada)
• Diffusion imaging, presurgical image fusion – Luis Concha (Mexico)
• Stefan Rampp (Germany)

Half-day Teaching Courses:

Morning Courses:

Course title: Clinical and genetic diagnostics of epilepsy syndromes

• Phenotype matters! – Guido Rubboli (Denmark)
• Sodium channelopathies – Andreas Brunklaus (United Kingdom)
• The role of common variation in the epilepsies – Karen Oliver (Australia)
• RNUing interest in the intron – Ingrid Scheffer (Australia)
• The era of targeted therapies in genetic epilepsies – TBC

Course title: Epilepsy surgery: learn from cases!

• MRI ‘negative’ epilepsy: making the invisible visible – a case-based approach - Jörg Wellmer (Germany)
• When data don’t align: what’s next in epilepsy evaluation? – Birgit Frauscher (USA)
• Missed by design? SEEG sampling limitation – Philippe Ryvlin (Switzerland)
• Beyond the nodule: network epilepsy in grey matter heterotopia – Philippe Kahane (France)
• Pearls in pediatric epilepsy surgery – Julia Jacobs-LeVan (Canada)
• Case-based approach to surgical failure: re-evaluate, re-operate or stimulate – Jorge Gonzalez-Martinez (USA)

Course title: Let’s read EEGs together!

• Systematic approach to EEG reading. Background activity and interictal abnormalities – Sándor Beniczky (Denmark)
• Ictal patterns – Ioannis Karakis (Greece)
• Normal variants and artefacts – Fabio Nascimento (USA)
• Electroclinical correlations in epilepsy syndromes – Dana Craiu (Romania)

Course title: Optimizing pharmacotherapy in epilepsy

• 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) and 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 adults – Torbjörn Tomson (Sweden)
• Stopping ASM treatment in seizure free children – Stéphane Auvin (France)

Course title: Patient and Public Involvement in Epilepsy Research

• TBC

Afternoon courses:

Course title: Neonatal EEG boot camp

• How to record a better EEG in neonates – Rachel Thornton (United Kingdom)
• Normal EEG maturation – Alex Datta (Switzerland)
• EEG in preterm and term brain injury – Sushma Goyal (United Kingdom)
• EEG in neonatal seizures – Ronit Pressler (United Kingdom)
• EEG in neonatal epilepsy – Monika Eisermann (Germany)

Course title: Status epilepticus

• Eugen Trinka (Austria)
• Giorgi Kuchukhidze (Austria)
• Giada Giovannini (Italy)
• Aidan Neligan (United Kingdom)
• Alexandra Astner-Rohracher (Austria)

Title: Botanists and gardeners ​discussing Lennox Gastaut syndrome in children

• Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome in clinical practice: case presentations – Luca Bergonzini (Italy)
• Evolving definitions of Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome – Adam Strzelczyk (Germany)
• The expanding clinical spectrum of Lennox-Gastaut Syndrome – Ingrid Scheffer (Australia)
• EEG in LGS: Are current criteria still fit for purpose? – Ronit Pressler (United Kingdom)
• Translating definition into treatment: implications for management – Lieven Lagae (Belgium)

Title: Acute (c)EEG: Who, how, and what to do

• Who to monitor – Nicolas Gaspard (Belgium)
• Why to monitor – Pia De Stefano (Switzerland)
• How to monitor – Markus Leitinger (Austria)
• What to do with what you find – Interactive case-based session

Title: VIREPA Basic & Advanced EEG

• The VIREPA BEEG course — Elena Gardella (Denmark)
• Advanced Course for the EEG in the diagnosis & management of epilepsy — Antonio Valentin (United Kingdom)

Title: VIREPA Paediatric EEG & VIREPA MRI

• VIREPA paediatric EEG — Monika Eisermann (France)
• VIREPA MRI — Stefan Rampp (Germany) 

Title: Advanced EEG: source imaging – part 1 (Theory)

• Basic biophysical principles of source estimation: from current dipoles to voltage maps — Sándor Beniczky (Denmark)
• Clinical implementation of EEG source imaging: why, what and how? — Stefan Rampp (Germany)

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

• Source imaging cases — Sándor Beniczky (Denmark)
• Source imaging cases — Stefan Rampp (Germany)

Title: The relevance of animals’ models in epilepsy research and drug discovery

• The relevance of animal models to epilepsy research and drug discovery – Aristea Galanopoulou (USA)
• Clinically-relevant new strategies to study seizure genesis in focal epilepsies – Marco de Curtis (Italy)

Title: Video session – seizure semiology in paediatric epilepsies

• Seizure semiology in neonates – Ronit Pressler (United Kingdom)
• Seizure semiology in children with generalized epilepsies – Nicola Specchio (Italy)
• Focal seizures semiology. Is it the same as in adults? – Alexis Arzimanoglou (Spain)

Title: The power of clinical semiology

• Temporal lobe seizures – Laura Tassi (Italy)
• Epileptic negative motor phenomena – Guido Rubboli (Denmark)
• Paroxysmal events – Matthew Walker (United Kingdom)

Title: Developmental and Epileptic encephalopathies

• What are developmental and epileptic encephalopathies? – Ingrid Scheffer (Australia)
• Holistic care of patients with DEEs – far more than seizure disorders – Federico Vigevano (Italy)
• The path to precision management of DEEs – J Helen Cross (United Kingdom)

Title: Epileptic Spasms – Infantile Epileptic Spasms Syndrome

• Electro-clinical features in infantile epileptic spasms syndrome – Monika Eisermann (Germany)
• Hypsarrhythmia to be or not to be? – Sushma Goyal (United Kingdom)
• Management strategies in Infantile epileptic spasms syndrome – Alexandre Datta (Switzerland)

Title: ILAE seizure classification: an update

• Why and how the update was developed — Eugen Trinka (Austria)
• How to apply the updated seizure classification — Sándor Beniczky (Denmark)

Title: Learn how to apply the ILAE seizure classification: a case-based interactive session

• Case discussions with seizures – Eugen Trinka (Austria)
• Case discussions with seizures – Sándor Beniczky (Denmark)

1. Platform Session: Adult Epileptology 1

Co-chairs: Eva Feketeová (Slovakia) and TBC

• EEG Microstate-Derived Dynamic Network Biomarkers for Lateralization and Structural Etiology in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy – Kailing Huang (China)
• Surgical Treatment of Drug-Resistant Epilepsy Caused by Temporal Encephalocele – Elina Kudieva (Russian Federation)
• Morbidity and mortality after discontinuation of valproate therapy in males: A target trial emulation – Peter M Socha (Denmark)
• Clinical Update: NRTX-1001 GABAergic Interneuron Cell Therapy for Drug-Resistant Focal Epilepsy – Eduardo Dunayevich (USA)
• Cardiovascular events and mortality in adults with late-onset seizures: Focus on Enzyme-modulating Antiseizure Medications – Paola Vassallo (United Kingdom)
• Vormatrigine Rapidly Reduces Seizures in Adults with Treatment-Resistant Epilepsy: Results from the RADIANT Study – Ángel Aledo-Serrano (Spain)
• The Risk of Acute Symptomatic Seizure and Post Stroke Epilepsy in Cardioembolic vs Non-Cardioembolic Stroke – Sheree Finkelshtain (Israel)
• Antiseizure medication choice and outcomes during direct oral anticoagulant therapy in epilepsy: a target‑trial emulation – Kai Michael Schubert (Switzerland)

2. Platform Session: Adult Epileptology 2

Co-chairs: Normunds Suna (Latvia) and Aikaterini Terzoudi (Greece)

• Frailty Index as a marker of drug-resistance and brain aging in adult people with focal epilepsy: a cross-sectional study – Anny Votano (Italy)
• Are Post-Stroke Acute Symptomatic Seizures Truly Acute? A long-term cohort study – Maayan Ben nun Caller (Israel)
• Neurodegeneration Biomarkers Are Associated with Sleep Spindle Disruption in Focal Epilepsy – Thaera Arafat (Canada)
• Psychiatric Risks of First-Line Anti-Seizure Medications: A Real-World Target Trial Emulation – Miranda Stattmann (Switzerland)
• Excess Burden of Acquired Epilepsy and the Protective Role of Treatment: A Real-World Analysis of 2.4 Million Adults – Kai Michael Schubert (Switzerland)

3. Platform Session: Basic Science 1

Co-chairs: Cristina Reschke (Ireland) and Dimitrios Kazis (Greece)

• Exposure to clinical epilepsy practice for basic scientists engaged in epilepsy research – Marco de Curtis (Italy)
• Spatial and transcriptomic profiling reveal cell-specific mechanisms of epilepsy in Focal Cortical Dysplasia Type II – Thomas Blauwblomme (France)
• Unsupervised DNA Methylation Clustering of low-grade Epilepsy-Associated brain tumors – Paraskevi Chasani (Germany)
• Short-chain fatty acids supplementation prevents seizure progression and memory deficits, and rescues brain and gut pathology in a mouse model of acquired epilepsy – Teresa Ravizza (Italy)
• In-silico Mapping of Circadian Transcriptomic Dynamics in an Absence Epilepsy-Associated Gene Network – Aylin Toplu Hocaoğlu (Türkiye)
• Finding the Needle in the Neural Haystack: A Single-Cell AI Pipeline for Identifying Rare Pathological Neuronal Cells – Ehsan Ramezani (Australia)

4. Platform Session: Basic Science 2

Co-chairs: Sebastian Ortiz (Denmark) and Martha Spilioti (Greece)

• Activity-Dependent Neuronal Nrf2 Gene Therapy Attenuates Epileptogenesis – Tawfeeq Shekh-Ahmad (Israel)
• Mosaic expression of SLC35A2 pathogenetic variants impairs neuronal migration and dendritogenesis in the developing cortex – Antonio Falace (Italy)
• Functional characterization of CMIP as a novel candidate in neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders – Amber Declève (Belgium)
• Altered somatostatin receptor 3 expression and functional dysregulation in Tuberous Sclerosis Complex – Mirte Scheper (Netherlands)
• mTOR-driven FCD II in mice links focal hypometabolism to mitochondrial dysfunction and impaired fatty-acid oxidation – Jakub Otáhal (Czechia)
• Deep sequencing of long non-coding RNAs identifies H19 as a critical regulator of epileptogenesis and seizure-associated comorbidities – Gary Brennan (Ireland)

5. Platform Session: Clinical Neurophysiology

Co-chairs: Sofia Kasradze (Georgia) and Dimitrios Zafeiriou (Greece)

• Dynamic excitation/inhibition balance preceding seizure onset and its link to functional and structural brain architecture – Gian Marco Duma (Italy)
• To compare the efficacy of intranasal dexmedetomidine vs oral melatonin vs oral triclofos as procedural sedative for drug induced sleep EEG in children: a double-blind, parallel design, randomized clinical trial – Shankar Dhungel (India)
• Neurons recorded in vivo in human mesial temporal structures show distinct interictal electrophysiological properties in the Seizure Onset Zone – Valerio Frazzini (France)
• Seizure-associated Spreading Depolarization in Temporomesial Regions Revealed by Microwire Recordings in Human Epilepsy – Adrián Gutiérrez Gómez (Germany)
• Ultra long-term EEG monitoring for complex epilepsies and DEEs: a prospective study using subscalp EEG – Leonardo Affronte (Italy)
• Sensitivity and Specificity of ultra long-term subcutaneous EEG recordings compared to long-term video EEG – Andreas Schulze-Bonhage (Germany)
• Organization of Subjective Ictal Manifestation Networks in Patients with Drug-Resistant Epilepsy: A Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG)-Guided Intracranial Electrical Stimulation Study – Cristiana Gheorghe (Romania)
• The influence of the seizure onset zone (SOZ) localization on the inter-ictal cardiovagal output in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy: a stereo-EEG study – Fedele Dono (Italy)

6. Platform Session: Neuroimaging

Co-chairs: Çiğdem Özkara (Türkiye) and TBC

• A Multimodal Portrait of Thalamic Network Adaptation in Paediatric Focal Epilepsy – Xiyu Feng (United Kingdom)
• Automated Segmentation of Post-Surgical Resection Cavities on MRI in Focal Epilepsy: A MELD Study – Jieun Seo (United Kingdom)
• Shared and divergent neuromagnetic network signatures in childhood absence epilepsy and self-limited epilepsy with centrotemporal spikes – Peilin Jiang (China)
• What, when and where: Atlassing focal epilepsy lesions in the MELD dataset – Helene Kaas (Denmark)
• Peri-ictal MRI abnormalities across the seizure–status epilepticus continuum: a prospective neuroimaging study – Giorgi Kuchukhidze (Austria)
• Evaluating Thalamo-Lesional Connectivity Signatures of Focal to Bilateral Tonic-Clonic Seizures in Focal Cortical Dysplasia-Related Epilepsy – Nathan T. Cohen (USA)
• Divergent effective connectivity profiles of the Default Mode Network - hippocampal network in left and right temporal lobe epilepsy – Benjamin Sinclair (Australia)
• Irreversible grey matter loss in refractory status epilepticus across multiple etiologies (IMPOSE RDA) – Marian Galovic (Switzerland)

7. Platform Session: Epilepsy Surgery 1

Co-chairs: Aleksa Pejović (Serbia) and Stylianos Giannakodinos (Greece)

• Seizure outcome after epilepsy surgery: Outcome and predictors over 20 years in a national cohort – Anna Edelvik Tranberg (Sweden)
• Imaging correlates of seizure outcomes after corpus callosotomy in children: Analysis of callosal and white matter volumes and disconnection extent – Omar Mahroof (United Kingdom)
• Neurosurgical management of periventricular nodular heterotopia-related epilepsy: outcomes in paediatric-onset disease (systematic review) – Srishruthi Thirumalai (United Kingdom)
• Staged epilepsy surgery based on repeated intraoperative electrocorticography; a single center experience – Wouter Daniel Maathuis (Netherlands)
• Sixteen Years of Pediatric Stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG): Retrospective Descriptive Study of a French Cohort of 111 Patients – Athanasios Vasilopoulos (France)
• Quantifying the Impact of Seizure-Onset Zone Resection on Epilepsy Surgery Outcome – Zhengchen Cai (Canada)
• Stereoelectroencephalography-Guided Radiofrequency Thermocoagulation: Transitioning from Diagnostic Mapping to a Therapeutic Intervention – Rodrigo Rocamora (Spain)
• Hemisperotomy - Evolution from a maximally invasive procedure to a bloodless surgery – Poodipedi Sarat Chandra (India)

8. Platform Session: Epilepsy Surgery 2

Co-chairs: Luca de Palma (Italy) and Dionysios Pandis (Greece)

• Higher-Order Redundancy: An Emerging Network Signature of the Epileptogenic Zone – Jacob Knight (France)
• Habitual Stimulation-Induced Seizures During SEEG: Association with Surgical Decision-Making and Stimulation Characteristics – Raja Ahmad Reza Raja Lope Ahmad (United Kingdom)
• Does Focality matter? The 5-SENSE Score and its prediction of seizure freedom in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy – Pilar Bosque-Varela (USA)
• Direct cortical stimulation eliciting ocular or oculocephalic phenomena – Daniela Chiarello (Italy)
• Hierarchical clustering analysis of video-EEG ictal signs and symptoms in a pediatric epilepsy surgery cohort – Concetta Luisi (Italy)
• A game-inspired analysis of connectivity changes identifies epilepsy surgery targets in a multicenter study – Alessandro Principe (Spain)
• How much can scalp EEG and MEG tell us? Insights from simultaneous high-density EEG/MEG and stereo-EEG – Nicolas Roehri (Switzerland)
• Polymorphous low-grade neuroepithelial tumor of the young (PLNTY): electroclinical features and molecular findings – Giuseppe Didato (Italy)

9. Platform Session: Drug Therapy and Clinical Trials

Co-chairs: Janet Mifsud (Malta) and Papacostas Savvas (Cyprus)

• Monitoring anti-seizure medication change using ultra long-term EEG - a multicentre study – Pedro Viana (United Kingdom)
• Results From the Phase 3 X-TOLE2 Study Evaluating Azetukalner, a Novel, Potent KV7 Channel Opener, in Adults With Focal Onset Seizures – Jacqueline French (USA)
• Fenfluramine in CDKL5 Deficiency Disorder: Primary Efficacy and Safety Results From a Phase 3, Randomized, Double-blind, Placebo-controlled study – Sam Amin (United Kingdom)
• POWER1 – A Double-Blind, Randomized, Multicenter Registrational Study Evaluating the Efficacy and Safety of Vormatrigine in Adults with Focal Onset Seizures – Marcio Souza (USA)
• Antiepileptogenic Effects of JAK/STAT Pathway Inhibition in Humans: A Large-Scale Matched Cohort Study – Katharina Schuler (Switzerland)
• Interim Safety and Preliminary Efficacy of ETX101, a Gene Regulation Therapy for SCN1A+ Dravet Syndrome: Results from the POLARIS Phase 1/2 Program – Ingrid E. Scheffer (Australia)
• Dual mechanism of Anti-Seizure Medications in controlling seizure activity – Billy Smith (United Kingdom)

10. Platform Session: Paediatric Epileptology

Co-chairs: Maria Gogou (United Kingdom) and TBC

• Decoding Developmental Epileptic Encephalopathy Through Human Brain Models and Gene Therapy – Rami Aqeila (Israel)
• Unmasking Rasmussen’s Encephalitis: Insights from a large Paediatric Cohort – Evangelia Ioannidou (United Kingdom)
• Efficacy and Safety of Relutrigine in Pediatric Participants with SCN2A- and SCN8A-Related Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies: Results from the EMBOLD Study – Samata Kamireddy (USA)
• Epilepsy and motor trajectories in patients with STXBP1-related disorders: interim analysis of the ESCO Natural History study – Merel Swinnen (Belgium)
• Zorevunersen demonstrates disease-modifying potential in patients with Dravet syndrome with improvements in seizure burden, quality of life, and overall clinical status – J. Helen Cross (United Kingdom)
• From Patients to Plates: Using iPSCs to Model Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies (DEEs) and Assess ASO Therapeutics – Ana Raquel Melo de Farias (France)

11. Platform Session: Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies (DEEs)

Co-chairs: Eugenia Roza (Romania) and Vasia Poulidou (Greece)

• Twins elucidate genetic contributions to Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies and Intellectual Disability and Epilepsy – Yew Li Dang (Australia)
• Respiratory dysfunction during sleep in children and adults with Dravet syndrome: a prospective multicenter study – Sylvain Rheims (France)
• Cross-Sectional Motor Function, Verbal Ability and Education/ Employment in a UK Natural History Study Cohort of SCN1A-Related Epilepsies – Alexander Harper (United Kingdom)
• Natural History of SCN1A-Related Epilepsies Across the Lifespan: Baseline Data from a UK National Cohort – Kirsty Hendry (United Kingdom)
• Seizure Semiology Associated with Autism Severity in a 342-Patient SYNGAP1 PATRE Cohort – Lorenz Kiwull (Austria)
• Oxidative Stress and Neurofilament Light Chain as Possible Biomarkers of Disease Burden in Paediatric Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies – Licia Salimbene (Italy)

12. Platform Session: Genetics 1

Co-chairs: Natasa Pejanovic-Skobic (Bosnia and Herzegovina) and Antigoni Papavassiliiou (Greece)

• Focal cortical dysplasia type II is characterized by genetic and immunohistochemical markers of senescence – Barbora Straka (Czechia)
• Y-chromosomal gain is a recurrent genetic finding in mild Malformation of cortical development with OligodendroGlial Hyperplasia in Epilepsy (MOGHE) – Erica Cecchini (Germany)
• Integrating common and rare variants to discriminate epilepsy type – Martijn Piet (Netherlands)
• Genotype-phenotype, function correlations and trajectories in 261 Individuals with GABRB1–3 Variants – Sebastian Ortiz (Denmark)
• Rapid functional investigation of Childhood Epilepsy Genes Using Crispant Zebrafish Models – Dorien Imberechts (Belgium)
• Gene-STEPS: Rapid genome sequencing improves diagnostic yield and management for infants with epilepsy – Katherine Howell (Australia)

13. Platform Session: Genetics 2

Co-chairs: Eugenia Roza (Romania) and Pelagia Vorgia (Greece)

• Mirror mutations, mirror effects: A shortcut to understanding GRIA variant function – Allan Bayat (Denmark)
• Advancing molecular diagnosis in drug-resistant epilepsy with genome sequencing: Results from a large French national cohort – Miriam ESSID (France)
• Pathogenic Variants in the Small Nuclear RNA RNU2-2 are Enriched in Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathies – Mark F Bennett (Australia)
• From brain to heart: an update on the phenotypic spectrum of SCN1B-related diseases – Lucrezia Maria Piccicacchi (United Kingdom)
• Beyond SCN1A in Dravet Syndrome: proteomic signatures and drivers of phenotypic variability – Marco Perulli (Italy)
• Phenotypic Heterogeneity in Genetic Sleep-related Hypermotor Epilepsy: Insights From a Novel Cohort – Valentina Rizzo (Denmark)

14. Platform Session: Mixed Topics

Co-chairs: Anastasios Bonakis (Greece) and TBC

• Analysis of a New Engagment Metric on the Helpilepsy Dataset – Joe Davies (United Kingdom)
• Abnormal functional connectivity patterns in temporal lobe epilepsy – an international ENIGMA-Epilepsy study – Victoria Ives-Deliperi (South Africa)
• Assessing SEEG implantation adequacy using electrophysiological features: dissecting sampling and resection effects on epilepsy surgery outcome – Chifaou Abdallah (Canada)

15. Platform Session: Epilepsy and Reproductive Health

Co-chairs: Kateriine Orav (Estonia) and TBC

• Impact of Pregnancy on the Burden of Interictal Epileptiform Activity: A Pilot Study with Chronic Intracranial Recordings – Yi Li (USA)
• Assessing the impact of prenatal exposure to antiseizure medication on fetal brain development: insights from super-resolution MRI – Isabel Pugna (Austria)
• Prenatal Antiseizure Medication Exposure and DNA Methylation in Cord Blood: An Epigenome-Wide Association Study – Kaja Kristine Selmer (Norway)

16. Platform Session: Status Epilepticus

Co-chairs: Pilar Bosque-Varela (USA) and TBC

• European biorepository for New-Onset Refractory Status Epilepticus (NORSE): preliminary findings - Aurélie Hanin (France)
• Non-convulsive status epilepticus: treatment adequacy matters more than treatment sequence – Francesco Misirocchi (Italy)
• Serum biomarkers of neuro-axonal and glial injury in Status Epilepticus and epileptic seizures: final results from a prospective multicenter study – Silvia Bozzetti (Italy)
• Cerebral Perfusion Asymmetry in Status Epilepticus: Arterial Spin Labeling vs. Conventional MRI Contrast Perfusion – Lukas Machegger (Austria)
• Clinical and Electroencephalographic correlates of mortality, survival, and neurological outcome in New-onset refractory status epilepticus – Giada Pauletto (Italy)

17. Platform Session: Late-breaking Abstracts

Co-chairs: Joana Ribeiro (Portugal) and Theodora Afrantou (Greece)

Title: Modern Concepts in Epilepsy Surgery

Session 1: Controversies in Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Surgery

Moderators: Christian Dorfer (Austria) and Nikolaos Foroglou (Greece)

• The advantages of standard temporal resections – Fountas Kostas (Greece)
• Why not individualize temporal lobe resections? – TBC
• Surgery for LEATs in the temporal lobe: extended? narrow? How to decide? – TBC
• LITT for temporal lobe epilepsy: A game-changer? – Ido Strauss (Israel)

Session 2: Complications in epilepsy surgery and how to avoid them

Moderators: Christian Dorfer (Austria) and Nikolaos Foroglou (Greece)

• Management of hemorrhagic complications – Sarah Ferrand Sorbets (France)
• How can Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) help avoid neurological deficits? – Anna Miserocchi (United Kingdom)
• Postoperative CSF disturbances: Prevention strategies and management – Karl Rössler (Austria)
• My lessons learned from complications – Olaf Schijns (Netherlands)
• My worst complications – Jonathan Roth (Israel)

Session 3: Targeting and brain connectivity

Moderators: Olaf Schijns (Netherlands) and Stefanos Korfias (Greece)

• Targeting in SEEG, LITT and DBS: Pros and Cons of different methods – Daniel Nilsson (Sweden)
• The landscape of targets in Deep Brain Stimulation – Arthur Cukiert (Brazil)
• Personalized targeting for electrical stimulation – Jorge Gonzalez-Martinez (USA)
• The role of thalamic SEEG in childhood epilepsy – TBC

Session 4: How to avoid incomplete disconnection in hemispheric surgery

Moderators: Olaf Schijns (Netherlands) and Stefanos Korfias (Greece)

• Perisylvian Hemispherotomy: Critical steps and potential sites for failures – Thilo Kalbhenn (Germany)
• Failures in parasagittal hemispherotomy and how to address them – Georg Dorfmüller (France)
• The interhemispheric vertical approach: Pros and Cons – Thomas Blauwblomme (France)
• Tips and tricks for endoscopic hemispherotomy – Sandi Lam (USA)

Session Title: Successful transition in epilepsy care: overcoming barriers and advancing learning across Europe

• Concept of transition in epilepsy care – TBC

Part 1: Promoting successful transition from paediatric to adult epilepsy care: a European nursing perspective

Part 1 lead: TBC

• What does transition look like in Europe – TBC
• What age does transition start in your country, and why? – Group discussion
• Barriers and positive practice: nursing solutions for a good transition – TBC
• Transition from adult service perspective – TBC
• Identify one barrier to transition in your service. Identify one local solution you are currently using to overcome this barrier – Group discussion

Part 2: Transitioning adults with epilepsy and learning disability: safe moves from home to care settings

Part 2 lead: TBC

• Adult services perspective: promoting safe transition – TBC
• The challenges of emergency protocols: making them work in real life – TBC
• What are the training needs of paid carers and family carers during transition? How do we address these needs? How do you promote their confidence to meet the needs of the individual? – Group discussion

Part 3: Transition in older people with epilepsy: managing comorbidities, risk, and care transitions

Part 3 lead: TBC

• Epilepsy in older people: comorbidities and risk – TBC
• Transition into supported or residential care – TBC
• List one thing that often gets lost during transition and one thing that must never be lost – Group discussion
• Collaborative working with care providers – TBC

ILAE Wikipedia Workshop Title: Let us help ILAE contribute to Epilepsy Content on Wikipedia and AI

Co-chairs: Nandan Yardi (India) and Joanna Riberio (Portugal)

• The importance of the ILAE Wikipedia project for AI – Samuel Wiebe (Canada)
• Wikipedia Editing Principles: Hands-On Editing Session Demonstration – Amin Azzam (USA)
• Editing an existing epilepsy article to improve content quality and add citations: How it is done – Jonah Fox (USA)
• Avoiding Copyright Violations and role of expert community – Nandan Yardi (India)
• How Epileptologist community can contribute to enhance content on Wikipedia – Georgia Ramantani (Switzerland)
• Creating a stub article on an epilepsy topic not currently covered in Wikipedia – John Byrne (United Kingdom)

Brainstorming sessions:

Session Title: Epilepsy and Genetics: Bridging basic science and clinical practice
Moderator: Aleksandre Kotetishvili (Georgia)

• Rikke S Moller (Denmark)

Session Title: Depicting epilepsy semiology in art: From ancient Greece to the 21st century
Moderator: Panagiota Tsalouchidou (Greece)

• Alexis Arzimanoglou (Spain)
• Eugen Trinka (Austria)

Session Title: Shedding light on women’s epilepsy: Challenges and insights
Moderator: Miranda Stattmann (Switzerland)

• TBC

Career development sessions:

Session Title: Navigating epilepsy careers: Science, Clinical Practice, and Industry
Moderator: Chloé Algoet (Belgium)

• Science – TBC
• Clinical Practice – Pedro Viana (United Kingdom)
• Industry – Robert Roebling (Belgium)

Session Title: Dare to lead - Leadership skills for young epileptologists
Moderator: Sara Parreira (Portugal)

• J Helen Cross (United Kingdom)

Session Title: Writing and publishing a scientific paper: A Practical Guide
Moderator: Estefanía Conde (Spain)

• Merab Kokaia (Sweden)