Scientific Programme - Full programme (by theme)

The Main Sessions of the congress will be supplemented by the extensive programme of Discussion Group Sessions, Teaching Sessions, Skills Workshops over 5 days as well as several special Symposia and a comprehensive schedule of free communications in the form of both oral and poster presentations.

Drug Therapy       Basic Science       Adult Epileptology     Neuroimaging

Neurophysiology    Paediatric      Epileptology  Psychiatric / Social Issues

Drug Therapy

Discussion Group
Any progress in the treatment of epilepsy in pregnancy?
Tomson, Torbjörn (Sweden), Chair

Major congenital malformations and AEDs: what have we learned from the pregnancy registries?
Battino, Dina (Italy)

Prenatal exposure to AEDs and long-term cognitive development: are there drug specific adverse effects?
Eriksson, Kai (Finland)

Pregnancy induced alterations in AED kinetics: how can dosage be optimised?
Johannessen, Svein I. (Norway)

Mechanisms of AED developmental toxicity: state of the art and could pregnancy registries be used to advance our understanding?
Finnell, Richard (USA)

Discussion Group
Structure modifications to improve antiepileptic drugs (AEDs)  risk/benefit ratio
Johannessen, Svein I. (Norway), Chair

Structure-activity relationships (SAR) for AEDs
White, Steve (USA)

Strategies for structure modifications: candidate compounds, rationale, preparation and screening
Klitgaard, Henrik (Belgium)

Improving pharmacokinetics and safety through structural modifications: lessons from Valproic Acid derivatives
Bialer, Meir (Israel)

Structural AED analogues in clinical development: an overview
Perucca, Emilio (Italy)

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Discussion Group
Does prenatal exposure to carbamazepine or valproate impair cognitive development?
Gaily, Eija (Finland), Chair

Impact of parental exposure to valproate and carbamazepine on cognition in animal studies
Frisch, Christian (Germany)

Confounding factors in humans: does maternal epilepsy per se affect cognitive development in the offspring?
Eriksson, Kai (Finland)

Does prenatal valproate exposure cause cognitive impairment?
Adab, Naghme (UK)

Is prenatal carbamazepine exposure safe for cognitive development?
Gaily, Eija (Finland)

Teaching Session
Treating epilepsy
Kasteleijn Nolst Trenite
, Dorothée (Netherlands), Chair

Diagnosis and misdiagnosis
Genton, Pierre (France)

Starting and stopping treatment
Gil Nagel, Antonio (Spain)

The place of polytherapy
Brodie, Martin (UK)

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Teaching Session
Pharmacogenomics: its place in the clinical management in epilepsy
Sisodiya, Sanjay (UK), Chair 

Pharmacogenomics: has it changed clinical practice in other fields?
Pirmohamed, Munir (UK)

Pharmacogenomics: why consider it in epilepsy?
Delanty, Norman (Ireland)

Pharmacogenomics: how might it integrate into patient management in epilepsy?
Baulac, Michel (France)

Teaching Session
To treat or not to treat? – decisions under uncertainty
Sillanp
ää, Matti (Finland), Chair

Drug treatment after first seizure?
Trinka, Eugen (Austria)

Do we have to treat all childhood epilepsy syndromes?
Bauer, Gerhard (Austria)

Drug treatment in childhood status epilepticus – when do risks of treatment outweigh the benefits?
Arzimanoglou, Alexis (France)

How urgent and aggressive should we treat non-convulsive status epilepticus?
Shorvon, Simon (UK)

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Basic Science

Discussion Group
Analysis of brain function with antiepileptic drugs and therapeutic monitoring
Stefan, Hermann (Germany), Chair

Brain function and AED in animals
Kubova, Hana (Czech Republic)

Mechanisms of action detected by transcranial magnetic stimulation
Paulus, Walter (Germany)

Quantification of epileptogenicity in humans
Stefan, Hermann (Germany)

Neuropsychological changes during antiepileptic drug treatment
Aldenkamp, Albert P (Netherlands)

Discussion Group
Can we replace the term “generalized” seizures?
Tinuper, Paolo (Italy), Chair

Cortical trigger in generalized seizures in rodents and humans
Lopes Da Silva, Fernando (Netherlands)

Brainstem and forebrain networks in generalized seizures in rodents and humans
Mares, Pavel (Czech Republic)

Why some antiepileptic drugs are effective on generalized seizures?
Schmidt, Dieter (Germany)

What are generalized seizures and epilepsies ?
Hirsch, Edouard (France)

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Discussion Group
Fast activity at seizure onset in human and animal temporal lobe
Köhling, Rüdiger (Germany) and Chauvel, Patrick (France) Chairs

Characterization of fast discharge in various type of human partial epilepsies
Bartolomei, Fabrice (France)

Electrographic patterns of seizure onset: can they tell us about the triggering mechanisms?
Bragin, Anatol (USA)

Fast network oscillations preceding seizures in rat hippocampus
Jeffreys, John G R (UK)

Network mechanisms of fast activity at seizure onset in the entorhinal cortex
De Curtis, Marco (Italy)

Discussion Group
From gene profiling to identification of new antiepileptogenic targets
Aronica, Eleonora (Netherlands), Chair

Gene expression during epileptogenesis in the rat: on the search for antiepileptogenic targets
Gorter, Jan (Netherlands)

From profiling data to functional analysis of genes: focus on plasminogen system
Pitkänen, Asla (Finland)

Human temporal lobe epilepsy: from microarray to biological networks
Becker, Albert J (Germany)

Genomic approaches to developmental disorders associated with epilepsy
Aronica, Eleonora (Netherlands)

Single-cell gene expression analysis: implications for cortical malformations
Crino, Peter B. (USA)

Discussion Group
Involvement of limbic seizure circuitry in absence epilepsy
Onat, Filiz (Turkey), Chair

Cerebral glucose utilization of limbic structures in absence epilepsy models
Nehlig, Astrid (France)

Limbic excitability in absence epilepsy models
Van Luijtelaar, Gilles (Netherlands)

Is limbic seizure circuitry involved in absence epilepsy models?
Onat, Filiz (Turkey)

Co-existence of absence and temporal lobe epilepsies in humans
Ozkara, Cigdem (Turkey)

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Discussion Group
Pathophysiological role of GABAergic transmission in epilepsy
Köhling, Rüdiger (Germany), Chair

Tonic GABAergic inhibition in epilepsy
Walker, Matthew (UK)

GABAergic synchronization as a promoter of epileptiform activity
Avoli, Massimo (Canada)

Pathophysiological role of chloride transporters in epilepsy
Kaila, Kai (Finland)

GABA and the initiation of ictal activities in tissue from patients with temporal lobe epilepsies
Miles, Richard (France)

Discussion Group
Search of biomarkers for epileptogenesis
Pitkänen, Asla (Finland), Chair

Use of EEG in search of biomarkers for epileptogenesis - review of animal data
Pavel, Mares (Czech Republic)

Use of EEG in search of biomarkers for epileptogenesis - review of human data
Halasz, Peter (Hungary)

Hypes and hopes for MR/SPECT/PET  imaging as a sensor for epileptogenesis
Nehlig, Astrid (France)

CSF as a candidate source for biomarker identification
Kurkinen, Kaisa (Finland)

Assessment of cognitive function - does it reveal the patients at risk?
Helmstaedter, Christian (Germany)

Discussion Group
The role of parahippocampal brain areas in temporal lobe epilepsy
Sperk, Guenther (Austria), Chair

Morphological and neurochemical plasticity of parahippocampal areas in the kainate model of TLE
Sperk, Guenther (Austria)

Metaplasticity at CA1-subiculum synapses in temporal lobe epilepsy
Behr, Joachim (Germany)

Acute ictal discharges in the entorhinal-perhirinal cortices
De Curtis, Marco (Italy)

Threshold behavior in the initiation of hippocampal population bursts
De La Prida, Liset Mendelez (Spain)

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Workshop Session
Sodium channel defects in genetics and pharmacogenetics of epilepsy
Lerche, Holger (Germany), Chair

SCN1A and SCN2A mutations in epilepsy
De Jonghe, Peter (Belgium)

Lessons from SCN1A knock-out mice
Mantegazza, Massimo (Italy)

Potential role of a neonatal SCN1A splice variant in drug response
Schorge, Stephanie (UK)

Correlation of drug response to Na channel blockers in vivo and in vitro
Beck, Heinz (Germany)

Workshop
Gap-junctions and epilepsy
Spreafico, Roberto (Italy), Chair

Gap - junctions and connexins expression in the CNS
Condorelli, Daniele (Italy)

Gap junctional communication in astrocytes and neuroglial interaction
Giaume, Christian (France)

Physiology of gap-junctions
Heinemann, Uwe (Germany)

Antiepileptic effect of gap-junctions blockers
Cock, Hannah (UK)

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Workshop
Role of aquaporin water channels in pathophysiology of epilepsy
Nagelhus, Erlend (Norway), Chair

Anatomy and physiology of aquaporins
Nagelhus, Erlend (Norway)

Aquaporins, water balance and epilepsy - studies in animal models
Binder, Devin K. (USA)

Aquaporins and temporal lobe epilepsy – genetic aspects
Heuser, Kjell (Norway)

Neurobiology Symposium
Neuro-glia signaling and epilepsy
Steinhauser, Christian (Germany), TBA, Chairs

Astrocytes in the epileptic brain: role in seizure generation and neurovascular coupling in experimental models
Carmignoto, Giorgio (Italy)  

Glia-neuronal signaling during neocortical epileptogenesis
Friedman, Alon (Israel)  

Astrocyte-neuron communication in human brain tissue
Perea, Gertrudis (Spain)

A role for astrocyte dysfunction in human epilepsy
Steinhauser, Christian (Germany) 

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Adult Epileptology

Discussion Group:
Meet the Editors
Pitkanen, Asla (Finland), Schaechter, Steven (USA), Shorvon, Simon (UK)

Discussion Group
Lesion versus epilepsy driven hemisphere dominance in epilepsy?
Helmstaedter, Christian (Germany), Chair 

Language dominance related to epileptiform activity
Woermann, Friedrich (Germany) 

Language fMRI and tractography pre- and post-surgery: evidence for structural and functional plasticity
Bonneli, Silvia (UK) 

Stability of language dominance patterns from before to after surgery 
Alpherts, Willem (The Netherlands)

Postoperative reshift of right into left hemisphere language dominance
Fritz, Navah (Germany)

Discussion Group
Neuromodulation and epilepsy, how to match basic research and clinical practice?
Ben Menachem, Elinor (Sweden), Chair

Neurogenesis in epilepsy, what is the evidence?
Kuhn, Georges (UK)

Neuromodulation in epilepsy, what is the evidence?
Wadman, Wytse J. (Netherlans) 

Neuromodulatory treatments in clinical practice, what is the evidence?
Vonck, Kristl (Belgium) 

Neuromodulatory treatments in the future, what can we expect?
Boon, Paul (Belgium) 

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Discussion Group
The nosology of the epilepsies: what is “idiopathic generalized epilepsy”?

Janz, Dieter (Germany), Chair

Molecular genetics of IGE
Zara, Federico (Italy) 

PET and SPECT findings in IGE
Koepp, Matthias (UK) 

MR imaging and spectroscopy in IGE
Woermann, Friedrich (Germany) 

Reflex epileptic traits in IGE
Wolf, Peter (Denmark)  

Discussion Group
The ominous effects of epilepsy- avoiding, evading and preventing them
Neufeld, Miri (Israel), Chair

Seizure related traumas and injuries
Neufeld, Miri (Israel)

Status epilepticus
Shorvon, Simon (UK)

Sudden unexpected death in epilepsy
Tomson, Torbjörn (Sweden)

Depression and suicide in epilepsy
Elliot, Brent (UK)

Discussion Group
Understanding dissociative (non epileptic) seizures: mechanisms and presentations

Goldstein, Laura (UK), Chair

Predisposing, precipitating and perpetuating factors: an overview
Reuber, Markus (Germany)

Phenomenological aspects of dissociative seizures: clues to mechanisms
Mellers, John D. C. (UK)

Stress physiology and emotional processing in dissociative (non-epileptic) seizures
Roelofs, Karin (Netherlands)

The subjective side of dissociative (non-epileptic) seizures and their psychodynamics: conversational patterns between patients and doctors
Schondienst, Martin (Germany)

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Teaching Session
Adult patients with epileptic encephalopathies of childhood
Genton, Pierre (France), Chair

Dravet syndrome beyond childhood
Dravet, Charlotte (France)

The Lennox-Gastaut syndrome patient as an adult
Nikanorova, Marina (Denmark)

The Rasmussen syndrome: a long-term perspective
Bien, Christian (Germany) 

Teaching Session
Limbic circuitry, emotions and epilepsy. structures involved,  clinical picture and therapeutic possibilities

Martins Da Silva, Antonio (Portugal), Chair

Limbic structures, emotions and epilepsy
Lopes Da Silva, Fernando (Netherlands)

Semiology and cognitive assessment of seizures with intense emotional component
Meletti, Stefano (Italy)

Functional and structural approach to emotional and autonomic components in epileptic seizures
Bartolomei, Fabrice (France)

Influence of epilepsy surgery on emotions and autonomic components of limbic seizures in non-operated patients
Wellmer, Jorg (Germany)

Teaching Session
Nonconvulsive status: specific features and specific etiologies
Thomas, Pierre (France), Chair

Nonconvulsive status in the ring chromosome 20 syndrome
Zuberi, Sameer (UK)

Nonconvulsive status triggered by anticonvulsants
Thomas, Pierre (France)

Nonconvulsive status in the elderly:diagnostic problems and therapeutic issues
Fernandez Torre, Jose Luis (Spain)

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Teaching Session
Status epilepticus: from basic science to prognosis

Rossetti, Andrea (Switzerland), Chair
 

Epidemiology of status epilepticus
Logroscino, Giancarlo (USA)

Pathophysiology of status epilepticus
Holtkamp, Martin (Germany)

Treatment of status epilepticus
Rossetti, Andrea (Switzerland)

Workshop
EPICURE: EU funded research into functional genomics and neurobiology of epilepsy, a basis for new therapeutic strategies

Avanzini, Giuliano (Italy), Chair

The genetics of human epilepsies
Sander, Thomas (Germany)

Functional analysis of ion channel mutations in genetic epilepsies and pharmacoresistance
Lerche, Holger (Germany)

Acquired channelopathies and loss of control excitation
Walker, Matthew (UK)

Pharmacogenetics of refractory epilepsy
Perucca, Emilio (Italy)

Workshop
Hypermotor seizures : from definition to underlying networks
Nobili, Lino (Italy), Chair

Hypermotor seizures: are they always clinically the same?
Noachtar, Soheyl (Germany)

Do hypermotor seizures always originate from the frontal lobe?
Kahane, Philippe (France)

Hypermotor seizures and sleep: what is the link?
Picard, Fabienne (Switzerland)

Hypermotor seizures: a release phenomenon of inborn behaviours?
Tassinari, Carlo Alberto (Italy)

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Workshop
Relevance of interictal discharges in epilepsy

Pressler, Ronit (UK), Chair 

Pathophysiology of interictal discharge
Avoli, Massimo (Italy)

Effects of epileptiform discharges on the immature brain
Ben-Ari, Yezekiel (France)

Effect of interictal discharges on cognition and behaviour
Pressler, Ronit (UK)

Relevance of nocturnal discharges
Deonna, Thierry (Switzerland)

Workshop
Seizure or parasomnia? the limits of expertise

De Weerd, A. W. (Netherlands), Chair

This is epilepsy! Or is it?
Van Emde Boas, Walter (Netherlands)

This is sleep! Or is it? (Adults)
Kelemen, Anna (Hungary)

This is sleep!  Or is it? (Children)
De Weerd, A. W. (Netherlands)

Intracranial studies: nearer to the source, not always to the solution
Nobili, Lino (Italy)

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Neuroimaging

Workshop
How to get the most of your imaging – a workshop.
Ryvlin, Philippe (France), Chair

Making the most of your MRI
Huppertz, Hans-Jürgen (Switzerland)

Pitfalls in PET imaging
Hammers, Alexander (France)

SPECT
Dupont, Patrick (Belgium)

Pitfalls in fMRI imaging
Koepp, Matthias (UK)

Discussion Group
Simultaneous EEG-fMRI recordings in epilepsy: state of the art and critical review

Siniatchkin, Michael (Germany), Lemieux, Louis (UK), Co chairs

EEG-fMRI in epilepsy: a critical view on methodology
Benar, Christian (France)

EEG-fMRI studies in generalized epilepsies
Laufs, Helmut (Germany)

EEG-fMRI studies in focal epilepsies
Thornton, Rachel (UK)

Special aspects of EEG-fMRI: influence of age, vigilance and type of epileptiform discharges
Siniatchkin, Michael (Germany)

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Neurophysiology

Teaching Session
Pitfalls in waking and sleep EEG diagnosis

Crespel, Arielle (France), Chair

Unusual EEG activities in wakefulness and sleep
Gelisse, Philippe (France)

Pitfalls in activation procedures
Kasteleijn Nolst Trenite, Dorothée (Netherlands)

Particularities of deep EEG recordings vs scalp EEG
Wieser, Heinz Gregor (Switzerland)

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Paediatric Epileptology

Discussion Group
“Practical” epileptogenic zone : non invasive definition in children
Chrion, Catherine (France), Chair 

Usefulness and limits of clinical phenomenology?
Tassi, Laura (Italy)

Scalp EEG: truths and pitfalls?
Hirsh, Edouard (France)

When to believe in morphological brain imaging?
Harkness, William (UK)

Functional brain imaging: to perform or not?
Chiron, Catherine (France)

Discussion Group
Focal cortical dysplasia type I: are there electro-clinical and seizure outcome differences between children and adults?
Komárek, Vladimír (Czech Republic), Chair

Neuropathological characteristics of different types of focal cortical dysplasia Blümcke, Ingmar (Germany)

Focal cortical dysplasia type I in adults
Tassi, Laura (Italy)

Focal cortical dysplasia type I in children
Krsek, Pavel (Czech Republic)

'Mild' cortical dysplasia - severe epilepsy (summary and opening the discussion)
Holthausen, Hans (Germany)

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Discussion Group
How many immunomediated epileptic encephalopathies exist in children?
Vigevano, Federico (Italy), Chair

Overview of clinical entities
Fusco, Lucia (Italy)

Immunological markers
Vincent, Angela C (UK)

Devastating epileptic encephalopathies
Dulac, Olivier (France)

Therapeutic prospectives
Bien, Christian G. (Germany)

Teaching Session
Childhood absence seizures, epilepsies, syndromes

Covanis, Athanasios (Greece), Chair

Pathophysiology of human absence epilepsy
Moshe, Solomon (USA)

Clinical variability of absence seizures/syndromes in childhood and adolescence
Covanis, Athanasios (Greece)

Genetics of absence seizures
Pinto, Dalila (Netherlands)

Teaching Session
Deficient energy metabolism presenting as epileptic seizures or status epilepticus

Pihko, Helen (Finland), Chair

The role of mitochondria in epileptogenesis
Pihko, Helen (Finland)

Epileptic encephalopathy in children with Twinkle - mutations
Lonnqvist, Tuula (Finland)

Impaired glucose transport into the brain
Klepper, Jörg (Germany)

Workshop
Treating epileptic encephalopathies: state of the art
Ben-Zeev Ghidoni, Bruria (Israel), Chair

Aggressive treatment for devastating disease
Kramer, Uri (Israel)

Useful, useless or dangerous AEDs
Arzimanoglou, Alexis (France)

Are IV immunoglobulines useful: when, how, for how long?
Lagae, Lieven (Belgium)

Surgery: can it only be palliative?
Cross, Helen (UK)

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Psychiatric/ Social Issues

Discussion Group
Crime and punishment: legal aspects of epilepsy and AED treatment
Trimble, Michael (UK) and Schmitz, Bettina (Germany), Chairs

Epilepsy and motherhood. What are the dangers of mothers with epilepsy injuring their children?
Crawford, Pamela (UK)

Unforeseen Side effects of antiepileptic drugs
Schwabe, Stefan (USA)

Assessment of mental capacity in people with epilepsy
Trimble, Michael (UK) 

Epilepsy and driving - the European perspective
Beghi, Ettore (Italy)

Wokshop
The effects of epilepsy and its treatment on cognitive functioning: immediate and long-term Baker, Steven Kemp (UK)

Natural history of cognitive impairment in children with epilepsy
Aldenkamp, Albert P (Netherlands)

Immediate impact of epilepsy and its treatment in adults
Taylor, Joanne (UK)

The long term outcome of epilepsy and its treatment on neuropsychological function
Steven Kemp (UK)

The theoretical underpinnings of neuropsychological functioning in people with epilepsy
Kälviäinen, Reetta (Finland)

Workshop
Genetically determined epilepsy syndromes associated with intellectual disability
Huber, Bernd (Germany), Chair

Molecular genetic associations between intellectual disability and epilepsy
Daniella Pilz (UK)

Idiopathic' genetic epilepsy phenotypes associated with severe learning disability or Channelopathies associated with epilepsy and severe learning disability
Nabout, Rima (France)

Epilepsy and autonomic disturbance in Rett syndrome
Kerr, Mike (UK)

The epilepsy phenotypes of Angelman's and Fragile X syndrome
Elia, Maurizio (Italy)

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