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First of all, I would like to wish you a very happy holiday season and every success in the New Year! As we approach the end of 2019, we can look back on another highly productive year for EAN with yet another successful congress. The number of delegates was an all-time high and we can boast on eminent keynote speakers, and well-attended scientific sessions and teaching courses. As our main mission is to promote excellence in neurology across Europe, we aim to continue this success and hard work into the future. With that in mind, I would like to tell you a little about some recent changes and plans that EAN has in order to support this important mission to the benefit of neurologists and patients throughout Europe.

For December 2019, we have selected: Cree et al., Inebilizumab for the treatment of neuromyelitis optica (N-MOmentum): a double-blind, randomised placebo-controlled  phase 2/3 trial Lancet 2019 Epub ahead of print Sept 5.

Armenia is located in the South Caucasus, bordered by Georgia from the north, Iran from the South, Azerbaijan from the north-east and the south-west and Turkey from the west. The Republic of Armenia occupies a territory of 29,800 square kilometres. The capital is Yerevan. According to the general census of 2011 the population of Armenia is 3,018,854, 1.1 million of whom live in Yerevan.

In a recent article published in the August 2019 issue of the EAN Pages, we presented the framework based on which the collaboration between the EAN and the EFNR is currently unfolding. The Memorandum of Understanding between the two organizations, signed in 2017, is the guiding document that formally governs this partnership, which focuses on three key pillars for development: facilitating evidence-based clinical guideline production, promoting multidisciplinary education, and hosting joint sessions within the main scientific events organized annualy by these institutions. This article will focus on the latter priority for our collaboration, with the goal of disseminating relevant updates how our community benefits from the interaction between the EAN and the EFNR.

This month’s selected paper addresses the risk of neurological deficits in people with cavernomas treated with antithrombotic medication. Perhaps counter-intuitively, the authors report a lower risk of intracerebral haemorrhage in patients taking antithrombotic medication (mostly antiplatelet therapy). The study therefore provides reassurance for clinicians managing patients with this relatively common, and often incidental, vascular finding that antithrombotic therapy does not appear harmful; conversely, there could be some benefit, but this requires further evaluation in a randomised controlled trial.

Spain is the fourth-largest country in Europe, with a population of just more than 47 million, and is made up of mainland Spain, occupying the majority of the Iberian Peninsula, the Balearic islands in the Mediterranean, the cities of Ceuta and Melilla in North Africa, and the Canary Islands in the north-east Atlantic Ocean. Spain’s capital is Madrid, and the country is divided into 17 autonomous communities, which provide free, universal healthcare to all their inhabitants.

I am happy to share with you that Prof. Franz Fazekas’s health has greatly improved.  We are in regular contact with him and his wife and expect (and wish) further recovery. Unfortunately, his current condition does not allow him to resume his function as President of our Society. As a consequence, the board has decided to ask me to take over his duties from September 1, 2019. To support the board and in accord with our bylaws, Prof. D. Vodusek, who already served in the EAN board, was appointed as member at large (until the next elections in Paris). I am very thankful to the entire board, the office, and particularly to Prof. G. Deuschl for their trust, support and advice in this delicate transition period.

This month’s selected paper is a working group report that addresses a recently described disorder, limbic-predominant age-related TDP-43 encephalopathy (LATE), which is emerging as an important cause of cognitive impairment in the elderly. The group make recommendations for standardised neuropathological evaluation and identify research avenues to better understand this evolving new disease phenotype.

Sweden, population 10 million, is the largest of the Nordic countries. The population is concentrated to the southern large-city areas, including the capital Stockholm (population 2 million) and the cities of Gothenburg and Malmö. Geographically, Sweden is the third largest country in the EU. The northern parts of the country extend above the artic circle, but the climate is relatively mild (average temperature about 0°C in January and 21°C in July) on account of the Gulf Stream carrying warmer Caribbean water to the region.!

It is my pleasure to introduce the backbone of our society, the Scientific Panels, to you in my role as the Scientific Committee Chair. EAN Scientific Panels cover a wide range of subspecialties and play a significant role in the EAN everyday activities. These member-led groups are a perfect opportunity to network with colleagues

For September 2019, we have selected two scientific papers with a common theme: Goadsby et al., Trial of galcanezumab in prevention of episodic cluster headache NEJM 2019; 381: 132-41, and Lipton et al., Rimegepant, an oral calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonist, for migraine NEJM 2019; 381: 142-9.

Switzerland is a beautiful country in the heart of Europe, stretching east to west from the lake of Constance to the lake of Geneva, and north to south from the river Rhine to the lago maggiore. Switzerland encompasses wonderful sceneries in the Alps, the middle lands and the Jura, which offer all kinds of outdoor activities in summer and winter, but also countless cultural events in his small but also metropolitan cities. Switzerland is a successful example that a multilingual and multicultural country can work. German, French, Italian and Roman are the national languages, and, with a population of 8.42 million inhabitants, Switzerland hosts more than 25% of foreign inhabitants from all over the world, all contributing to a beautiful, colorful and multicultural country, which regardless is deep-rooted in his traditions of independence, liberty, and direct democracy.

The 5th EAN Congress held in Oslo from June 29 to July 2 is now over and it’s time to look back. The Congress was a great success for EAN and for us in the local organising committee in Norway. Number of participants was the highest ever with 6919 registered delegates, and the number of submitted abstracts was all-time high at 2250. Number of applications for the tournament for young investigators was up about 40% for basic and more than 20% for clinical research. These figures illustrate the high and rapidly increasing activity in our society. At the same time, EAN definitely managed to make its mark on the city of Oslo with 24 EAN banners on both sides of Karl Johan, the main street of the city.

For August 2019, we have selected Wilson, Sample et al. Clinical metagenomic sequencing for diagnosis of meningitis and encephalitis. N Eng J Med 2019; 380:24;2327-2340

Our cities are well known for the arts, their history , design and fashion, quality of life, and food. The Mediterranean diet was postulated to be protective against neurodegenerative diseases by Ancel Benjamin Keys (1904 - 2004), a famous American physiologist who decided to live in the Cilento, a beautiful Southern Italian area,  and follow the diet himself. Finally, Italian cities are renowned for the human relationships of their inhabitants.