We congratulate the winners of the Investigator Awards to their presentation during the 2nd EAN Congress in Copenhagen 2016!
The Prize consists of an Award certificate and free registration to the Amsterdam Congress.
For the first time all winners’ presentations were filmed – just click on the winner’s name to see the video or find all videos including an introduction of our President, Professor Günther Deuschl, here: https://www.eaneurology.org/copenhagen2016/Investigator-Awards.3395.0.html
Neuroimaging Research Unit, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy, and Al-Azhar University, Cairo, Egypt
In a large, multicentre sample of patients with multiple sclerosis, focal cervical cord lesions were detected on high-resolution T1-weighted scans at high field, and combining this technique with conventional T2-scans improved reliability of lesion detection and localisation.
Federica Agosta, presenting on behalf of Elisa Canu
Neuroimaging Research Unit, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
Graph analysis detected functional changes in the early phase of Alzheimer’s disease (i.e., mild cognitive impairment) and may improve differential diagnosis among similar neurodegenerative conditions, such as early onset Alzheimer’s disease and the behavioural variant of frontotemporal dementia.
Neuroimaging Research Unit, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
Evaluation of resting state (RS) functional connectivity (FC) over time in patients with multiple sclerosis showed that increased RS FC played an adaptive role in delaying disability accrual and cognitive deterioration, whereas decreased RS FC was associated with worsening cognitive performance.
ICM Institut du Cerveau et de la Moelle Epinière, Pitié-Salpêtrière Hospital, Paris, France
We demonstrated that diffusion-weighted spectroscopy, a novel technique combining spectroscopy with diffusion-weighted imaging, captures the early and potentially reversible phase of dysregulated energy metabolism affecting brain tissues in multiple sclerosis. Reversing this energy dysregulation before axonal degeneration is a potential neuroprotective strategy.
Queen Square MS Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
This is an in-depth analysis of the genetic causes and phenotypes of paroxysmal movement disorders showing that there is an overlap between the different disorders previously thought to be discrete conditions.
Neuroimaging Research Unit, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
Resting state fMRI showed that cross-modal plasticity occurs in neuromyelitis optica spectrum disorder, optic neuritis and myelitis. Disease-target sensory network damage likely elicits compensatory plasticity across brain regions, with a reorganisation of sensory cortices for spared senses to allow for better performance.
Montpellier Cancer Institute, Montpellier, France
A study of anatomo-molecular correlations at the lobar and voxel levels in a homogenous series of patients with diffuse low-grade glioma.
Neuroimaging Research Unit, San Raffaele Hospital, Milan, Italy
Brain structural connectome to describe network organisation abnormalities across multiple sclerosis phenotypes
Department of Neurology, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
Our study shows that prenatal exposure to antiepileptic drugs (mainly valproate) is associated with poorer performance in school tests for Danish children aged 9 to 15.
Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
Apathy or lack of motivation in patients with Parkinson’s disease is associated with blunted sensitivity to reward.
Danish Pain Research Center, Aarhus University Hospital, Aarhus, Denmark
The Danish Whiplash Group Risk Assessment Score done within 10 days after whiplash injury predicts work disability, severe pain and whiplash-related disability after 10 years.
Department of Neurology, Chonnam National University Medical School, Gwanju, South Korea
The btbd9 mutant zebrafish is potentially a good vertebrate model of RLS.
Sobell Department of Motor Neuroscience and Movement Disorders, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
We explored a novel and exciting hypothesis that vibro-tactile stimulation at 80 Hz results in less slowing and decrement in amplitude of a repetitive hand movement versus baseline measures. This mechanism may also influence resetting the beta oscillations in the basal ganglia.
Department of Neurosciences, Odontostomatological and Reproductive Sciences, University Federico II, Naples, Italy
Erythropoietin improves upper limb coordination in Freidreich’s ataxia.
Rambam Health Care Campus, Technion Faculty of Medicine, Haifa, Israel
In our experience, thalamotomy using MRI-guided focused ultrasound offered immediate relief of tremor without invasive surgery, and without long-term adverse events in patients with essential tremor and Parkinson’s disease.
Hospital Francesc de Borja, Gandia, and Hospital Universitari i Politècnic la Fe, Valenica, Spain
GDAP1 mutations are a common cause of CMT2 throughout Spain, and this nationwide study provides insight about the mutational distribution and the genotype-phenotype correlation.
Queen Square MS Centre, UCL Institute of Neurology, London, UK
Structural cortical networks, defined by the statistical correlation between different brain cortical thicknesses, may indicate underlying connections between brain areas. We show subtle but consistent effects compatible with disconnection of structural cortical networks over the first year after a clinically isolated syndrome.
Department of Neurology, University Hospital Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
A practical guide to anticonvulsant treatment of patients with meningiomas.
Department of Neurology and German Centre for Vertigo and Balance Disorders, Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Munich, Germany
The long-term follow-up study on 235 patients with acute unilateral vestibulopathy identified the extent of cerebral vascular lesions as a major risk factor for poor central compensation of a peripheral vestibular deficit.