This important session was held in the main auditorium and started with the lecture on “Ethical considerations during the Covid-19 pandemic” by Marco Vergano from Italy. He made a deep overview on clinical and organisational ethics for the allocations of patients in intensive care. The lecture went through strategies for scarce resources. Prioritising patients is the key point in a pandemic situation. He discussed the situation in Italy since February when the first Covid-19 case was registered and then followed the exponential increase in cases, which made Italy the most affected country by Covid-19 after China. His group has published allocation strategies for ICU resources, including triage principles and criteria. Prof Vergano gave an overview of UK well as American guidelines. Interestingly, some data showed that some patients will never completely recover after ICU admissions. Therefore, “ICU is not a panacea”. Age and associated frailty are the two most important factors in this decision-making process. Finally, the most important lessons of this time is that “tolerating uncertainty” might be the next medical revolution.

Prof. Centonze presented the first lecture on the subject of the pathophysiological basis of functional recovery in multiple sclerosis, starting with a discussion on the key role played by synaptic plasticity in recovery of function. He presented convincing data obtained by means of transcranial magnetic stimulation indicating that synaptic plasticity reserve prevents clinical disability in patients with multiple sclerosis, and that rehabilitation favours synaptic remodeling and plasticity. In the second part of his lecture, Prof Centonze demonstrated the relevant role of the activation of NMDA, cannabinoid, and dopamine receptors, and of neurotrophins in modulating synaptic plasticity to clinically compensate tissue damage in multiple sclerosis. As a result, treatments aimed at activating these receptors such as D-aspartate, phytocannabinoids, or L-dopa, may have the potential to enhance the beneficial effects of rehabilitation by favouring synaptic plasticity.

Prof. Teresinha Evangelista spoke about genetic therapy in neuromuscular disorders. She described the new genetic therapeutic approaches to the treatment of peripheral neuropathies, hereditary transthyretin amyloidosis and limb-girdle muscular dystrophy. She concluded by highlighting that gene therapies are likely irreversible, potentially providing sustained benefits but also carrying a possible risk of long-term adverse effects.

The Opening Session of the sixth EAN Congress, the first Virtual EAN Congress in our society's history, was special in more than one way. The unprecedented upheaval of the global COVID-19 pandemic affects societies across the globe and mirrors the turbulent times we all live in. EAN has made a great contribution to improve this unsettling situation by moving the 6th EAN Congress online and offering free registration to all, providing thousands of medical professionals with important access to medical education.

Symposium 1 focused on the innovative treatment approaches of inherited neuromuscular disorders with four excellent talks.

COVID-19 has swept across Europe and the world since the turn of the year, and resulted in this highly topical session being added to the virtual Congress programme 2020, as a further response to the pandemic. Reflecting the common challenges we all face, and the importance of international cooperation, this was a joint EAN/AAN session, chaired by Professor Claudio Bassetti and Professor James Stevens, the Presidents of our two Associations.

In this paper, Dinkin et al., describe two patients who developed cranial neuropathies within days of respiratory symptoms related to SARS-CoV-2 infection and were found to have abnormal perineural or cranial nerve findings on MRI.

In this study recently published in Radiology, the authors describe brain magnetic resonance imaging findings in patients in the intensive care unit with COVID-19 pneumonia.

In this paper, the authors report the case of a 40-year-old man who developed acute brainstem dysfunction 3 days after hospital admission with symptoms of COVID-19 infection.

In order to inform the neurological community and patients, the Italian Association of the Peripheral Nervous System (ASNP), the Italian Society of Clinical Neurophysiology (SINC) and the Italian Society of Neurology (SIN) have developed a joint document to guide best practice for managing patients with immune-mediated neuropathy during the global spread of COVID-19.

This paper, recently published in Revue Neurologique, summarises recommendations for the care of neuromuscular patients during the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak from the French Rare Health Care for Neuromuscular Diseases Network (FILNEMUS).

In this consensus statement recently published in Neuro-Oncology, an international group of experts present mitigation strategies and treatment guidance for patients suffering from high grade gliomas (HGG) during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Most medical centres are postponing elective procedures and deferring non-urgent clinic visits to conserve hospital resources and prevent spread of COVID-19.