Important lessons from the plenary symposium

Today’s Plenary Symposium at EAN included Carl E. Clarke discussing whether neurology trials informed clinical practice; Cristina Granziera asking how appropriate development and implementation of diagnostic technologies in neurology can be ensured; Maurizio A. Leone questioning whether guidelines were a useful tool for improving neurology outcomes; and Barbara Tettenborn discussing how, in an era of information overload and increasing complexity, neurologists can find what is important and relevant to their practice.

Treatment strategies for best practices

There is debate on how newer therapies fit into current strategies in neurology

Controversy session, symposia, and special symposia including a variety of topics:

• Controversies regarding first line treatment of migraine, such as whether the use of monoclonal antibodies against calcitonin gene-related peptide should be considered here
• Best therapeutic strategies for young patients with Parkinson’s disease with motor fluctuations, including discussion on deep brain stimulation
• The contribution of Vienna to the brain science topics of neurotransmission, inflammatory demyelinating CNS disorders, and encephalitis lethargica
• Updates from Arab countries regarding neuromuscular disorders, including spinal muscular atrophy, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis
• Talks looking at holistic and global perspectives on brain health
• A session dedicated to dementia care in Latin America, including evaluation, genetics, and diagnosis
• A further session by the European Federation of Neurological Associations on the theme of Patient and Public Involvement in Personalized Healthcare
• Current knowledge of diagnostics and therapy for myasthenia gravis
• Whether or not to use neuronal autoantibody testing in psychosis and epilepsy
• Progress made in definitions, treatment, and prevention of Alzheimer’s disease and frontotemporal dementia

Oral sessions and ePresentations included continuation of a number of topics such as ageing, dementia, and sleep-wake disorders; autonomic nervous system diseases and peripheral nerve disorders; neurogenetics, neuroepidemiology and neurological manifestation of systemic diseases; neuroimmunology; motor neuron disease; neuro-oncology; MS and related disorders; cerebrovascular diseases; movement disorders; COVID-19 and infectious diseases; and epilepsy.

There were also sessions on neuro-ophthalmology/neuro-otology and coma and chronic disorders of consciousness; neurocritical care; autonomic nervous system diseases; and neurogenetics.

Sessions continue in the realms of multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, and post-COVID-19 infection issues

In the ‘scientific theatre,’ talks included:

• A study on current versus optimal management of chronic pain
• The function of sleep and the burden of sleep disorders
• Neurogenic urogenital dysfunction
• Autonomic issues following COVID-19 infection
• Movement disorders following COVID-19 and other infections

Several satellite symposia took place, covering the topics of MS and related disorders; headache, migraine and pain; movement disorders; aging and dementia; rare muscle and neuromuscular junction diseases; neurological manifestations of systemic diseases, and peripheral nerve disorders; and education in neurology.

Opportunities to extend clinical practices

Today also included a number of focused and case based workshops; hands-on and teaching courses; and interactive sessions with choices including:

Practical sessions combined with neurologist-led teaching

• The human functional connectome in neurological diseases
• Escalation, induction, and combination treatment strategies for MS
• Managing cluster headache
• Using big data in neuroepidemiology to get evidence into practice
• The present and future of ultrasound and electrophysiological examinations in neuromuscular neuron disorders
• Palliative care in neurological disorders
• Neurological point of care ultrasound
• Neuro-COVID, post-COVID, and COVID vaccines
• Getting evidence of recent developments in neurointensive care into practice
• Painful and small fiber neuropathy
• Immunology behind the efficacy of medications for MS
• Rare disorders of special perception and orientation
• A diagnostic workflow developed by European scientific societies for biomarker-based diagnosis