5th EAN Congress: Focusing on the role of neuroinflammation in the development of neurological diseases

5th EAN Congress: Focusing on the role of neuroinflammation in the development of neurological diseases

(Oslo, Saturday, 29 June 2019) Research to be presented at the 5th Congress of the European Academy of Neurology (EAN) in Oslo will demonstrate how neuroinflammation is now linked to the majority of neurological diseases, including those previously considered to be non-inflammatory.

In addition to classical neurological diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS), inflammatory processes are now thought to be involved in the etiopathology of diseases previouslyconsidered to be ‘non-inflammatory’, including Alzheimer’s disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), movement disorders, stroke, migraine and epilepsy. Research over the past few years has highlighted this critical role of inflammation and this increased understanding of neurological conditions now opens up intriguing new pathways for novel treatment strategies.

Inflammatory responses within the brain and spinal cord, as well as their involvement in nervous system disorders, will therefore mark the overarching congress theme in Oslo which aims to improve knowledge on the pathways behind neurological conditions and review current and future treatments for neuroinflammation. 

The meeting’s Plenary Symposium will discuss these newly classified inflammatory conditions and investigate the relationship between neuroinflammation, its treatments and the development of neurological diseases. Professor Annamaria Vezzani, from the IRCCS-Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Milan, Italy, will present findings from animal models that demonstrate the role of inflammation in epileptic seizures. Professor Vezzani’s research explains potential cellular and molecular targets for epilepsy drug development, expanding on the available portfolio of treatment options currently available for patients.

Professor Per Soelberg Sörensen, Director of the Danish Multiple Sclerosis Center, Denmark, will present insight into the mechanisms of neuroimmune disorders and the rationale behind their treatment. Many central nervous system diseases are known to be mediated by inflammation induced by T-cells, of which MS is considered the prototypic T-cell-mediated inflammatory disease, but T-cells are also involved in diseases in the peripheral nervous system and the neuromuscular junction.

 A Focused Workshop – Cannabinoids: between neuroinflammation and neurodegeneration – will deliver practical insights on the endocannabinoid system. The session will delve into the use and future trends of endocannabinoid-targeting medication, as well as a discussion on the legal and therapeutic controversies surrounding the use of cannabinoids, including the risk of abuse. In addition, a focused workshop concentrating on metabolic encephalopathy will encourage discussion around the treatment of neuroinflammation to improve patient care. Metabolic encephalopathy can be defined as a clinical state of global cerebral dysfunction, which can vary in its presentation from mild executive dysfunction to deep coma. Presentations within this workshop will shed light on the potential use of targeting neuroinflammation to treat conditions such as hypoxic, septic and hepatic encephalopathy. 

Experts believe that this discovery of neuroinflammation’s critical role in neurological diseases will lead to new insight into the causes of these diseases and help to identify and transform future treatment strategies to provide optimal patient outcomes.

Experts believe that this discovery of neuroinflammation’s critical role in neurological diseases will lead to new insight into the causes of these diseases and help to identify and transform future treatment strategies to provide optimal patient outcomes.

• The pro-remyelination properties of microglia in the central nervous system
• Neuroinflammatory pathways as treatment targets and biomarkers in epilepsy
• Thrombo-inflammation in acute ischaemic stroke — implications for treatment
• Does inflammation have a role in migraine?
• Neuroinflammation — a common thread in neurological disorders