The fifth Science School took place in Salzburg, Austria on 13-17 March 2026, bringing together 57 participants from 21 countries.
The event started on Friday evening with a welcome dinner and insightful opening speech by Prof. Radu Tanasescu, Science School Programme Lead and Member of the EAN Scientific Committee.
This year’s overarching theme was Updated Concepts and Emerging Fields in Translational Neurosciences, which was tackled in nine topics across three days through daily morning lectures and afternoon group workshops.
Saturday featured Andreas Horn (Cologne) who talked about the neurobiology behind DBS, followed by a lecture by Suvankar Pal (Edinburgh) on old and new clinical trial methodologies, and a stimulating presentation by Erich Kvas (Graz) on statistics.
To wrap up the first day, we explored downtown Salzburg through a guided walking tour and ended the evening with a delightful traditional Austrian dinner.
The second day was equally enriching, starting with a presentation on the glympathic system in health and disease by Jari Jukkola (Lund), after which Marianna Spatola (Barcelona) shared new concepts in pathophysiology on autoimmune CNS disorders mediated by antibodies, while Messoud Ashina (Glostrup) gave an engaging talk on migraine, from basic observation to new treatments. Then we ended with a very informative presentation on activities and programmes for the EAN Resident & Research Fellows Section (RRFS) by RRFS Treasurer Antonio Malvaso (Pavia).
Michael Khalil (Graz) opened the last day of the Science School with a discussion on the predictive value of biomarkers in neurological disorders. Arman Eshaghi (London) then provided a timely discussion of whether AI is ready to be used for clinical prediction in neurology. Last but not least, Francesca Magrinelli (London) discussed the neurobiology behind gene therapy in neurology.
After three days of engaging lectures and hands-on workshops, participants were awarded their certificates of attendance and came together one final time to celebrate at the farewell party. The experience was truly unique – offering the chance to hear from exceptional and inspiring speakers, connect with peers from diverse backgrounds, exchange ideas and knowledge, and build meaningful, lasting relationships.
