Symposium: Cerebral compensation in neurological disease

Website: www.cerebralcompensation.com

Many neurological disorders are characterized by focal brain damage. Slow progression of the disease allows the emergence of compensatory mechanisms. These mechanisms may delay or even improve clinical symptoms, but cerebral reorganization could also produce unwanted new symptoms. A better understanding of the anatomical and functional characteristics of cerebral reorganization could lead to new possibilities for diagnosis and treatment of neurological disorders. In this symposium we aim to bring together clinicians and neuroscientists to discuss cerebral compensation in Parkinson’s disease and dystonia, as well as new treatment possibilities. The program contains lectures by excellent speakers such as prof. Mark Hallett, prof. Günther Deuschl, prof. Lars Timmermann, and prof. Hartwig Siebner.

Program:

Monday May 23rd 2011:
9.00 – 9:30  Welcome with coffee
Session 1: Plastic reorganization in Parkinson’s disease
9:30 – 10:30  Compensatory mechanisms in Parkinson patients: what they get is not what you see
(Bas Bloem)
10:30 – 11:00  Compensation by motivation: how anticipating reward reduces cognitive rigidity in
Parkinson’s disease (Esther Aarts)
11:00 – 11:30  Coffee break
11:30 – 12:00  Functional connectivity in Parkinson’s disease: the more the better? (Henk Berendse)
12:00 – 12:30  Questions on cueing in Parkinson’s disease: do patients feel the beat? (Peter
Praamstra)

13:00 – 14:00  Lunch

Session 2: Tremor in Parkinson’s disease
14:00 – 15:00  Is there a paradox of stereotactic surgery for tremor? (Günther Deuschl)
15:00 – 15:30  The rhythm of the beast: Pathological oscillatory activity in parkinsonian tremor (Lars Timmermann)
15:30 – 16:00  Tea break
16:00 – 16:30  Parkinson’s tremor: a tale of two circuits (Rick Helmich)
16:30 – 17:00  Deep brain stimulation for treating tremor (to be announced)
17:00  Drinks

Tuesday May 24th, 2011
9.00 – 9:30  Welcome with coffee
Session 3: Plastic reorganization in dystonia
9:30 – 10:30  Plasticity in dystonia: The bad and the good (Mark Hallett)
10:30 – 11:00  The role of the cerebellum in dystonia (Bart van de Warrenburg)
11:00 – 11:30  Coffee Break
11:30 – 12:00  Tracing sensorimotor plasticity in task-specific hand dystonia (Hartwig Siebner)
12:00 – 13:00  Panel discussion: new treatments for neurodegenerative disorders

15:30 – 17:30  PhD defense Rick Helmich (link: www.rickhelmich.com)