The third International Congress on Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair (NRR) takes place from 22-24 May 2019 in Maastricht, Netherlands. This 3-day meeting, to bridge the gap between neuroscience and practice, is being organised by the Dutch, Belgian and German Societies for neurorehabilitation and in partnership with ACPIN (Association of Chartered Physiotherapists in Neurology) in the United Kingdom.

The main focus of the congress is to observe and share in the most recent advances in neurorehabilitation research and will provide delegates with a unique and exciting opportunity to share their knowledge, experience and practice in applying evidence-based practice.

Congress Topics

The congress will cover a wide range of topics within the area of neurorehabilitation of adults; from brain injury and stroke to Multiple Sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, spinal cord injury, and neuromuscular disorders. Presentations on both (translational) neuroscience and evidence-based clinical practice will be provided as well as several keynote speakers, focused symposia and free oral and poster presentations.

ACPIN is proud to support the NNR conference for the second successive year as a key partner to this event.

Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair Programme Details

The scientific program includes some of the most esteemed guest speakers within the field of neuroplasticity and neurorehabilitation. Much of their focus will be on managing some of the common conditions including gait and balance control, spasticity, cognitive impairments (also touching on difficulties implementing evidence in the field of strokes), Parkinson’s, Multiple Sclerosis (MS) and neuromuscular disorders.

Who Should Attend the Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair Conference?

Considering that this is a multi-disciplinary conference, it is important that all professionals dedicated to neurorehabilitation should attend the event. This includes physicians, neurologists, physical and occupational therapists, nurses, bioengineers, movement scientists and anyone involved with the management of neurorehabilitation.

Introducing The Conference Speakers

In no particular order, here is a brief introduction to each of the speakers at the 2019 Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair Conference.

Prof. dr. Daniel Corcos

Daniel Corcos obtained his PhD in Motor Control from the University of Oregon in 1982 after achieving his Master’s Degree in Psychology in 1980. He completed his post-doctoral Fellowship in the Department of Neurosurgery at Rush Medical Center from 1983 to 1987.

His primary research aims at helping people with Parkinson’s disease improve their quality of life, their mobility and cognition while slowing down the progression rate. By integrating neuroscience and his expertise in conducting clinical trials, his research focuses on interventions such as resistance exercise and endurance exercises.

The Journal of American Medical Association (JAMA) recently published his current research in Neurology which demonstrates that high intensity endurance actually slows down the progression of Parkinson’s. Being a highly sought-after speaker lecturing nationally and internationally, his focus is on educating and informing physicians, neuroscientists, and patients about the benefits of exercise for people with Parkinson’s disease.

Prof. dr. Gillian Mead

Professor Gillian Mead graduated University of Cambridge and trained in stroke medicine. In 2000, she was appointed Senior Lecturer in Geriatric Medicine at University of Edinburgh and promoted to a personal Chair in 2012.

Her research focuses on Life after Stroke and is internationally recognised for her work on fatigue, sedentary behaviour and exercise training after a stroke. Professor Mead’s research is included in stroke guidelines across the world and she is also co-editor of a book ‘Exercise and fitness training after stroke’. 

Prof. dr. Nick Ward

Nick Ward is currently a Professor of Clinical Neurology & Neurorehabilitation at UCL Institute of Neurology and The National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery. Speaking of true accomplishments, Ward also leads the first dedicated upper limb neurorehabilitation programme in the UK. His research programme uses structural and functional brain imaging to understand the mechanisms of recovery of movement after stroke.

This could enable us to potentially predict optimal treatments of upper limb impairment and the long-term outcomes of strokes. He is Co-editor of the ‘Oxford Textbook of Neurorehabilitation’ and the Associate Editor of the ‘Journal for Neurology, Neurosurgery and Psychiatry’ as well as ‘Neurorehabilitation and Neural Repair’.

Prof. dr. Theresa Jones

Theresa Jones, PhD, is currently a professor in the Psychology Department and Neuroscience Institute at the University of Texas. Her research interests focus on understanding how experience-dependent neural plasticity interacts with neuroregenerative reactions to strokes in terms of shaping patterns of brain reorganisation and functional outcome.

Dr. Ulrik Dalgas

Ulrik Dalgas is an exercise physiologist specialising in the rehabilitation of neurological patients. Most of his research is on the effects of exercise therapy in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). His main research focuses on the effects of different types of exercises and aspects of exercise therapy. This includes resistance training and endurance training related to selected groups of thermo-sensitive or fatigued patients.

Much of his ongoing research is understanding the effects that exercise has on brain function. Ulrik Dalgas wants to determine whether long-term exercise could be a disease-modifying intervention in MS. He was previously an executive board member and secretary for the European organisation Rehabilitation in Multiple Sclerosis (RIMS) and executive board member for the Danish MS Research Association (DAREMUS).

Prof. Dr. Jules Dewald

Dr. Dewald has a Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Physical Therapy and Motor Rehabilitation as well as a PhD in Neurophysiology and Biophysics. In 2010, Dewald became full professor in PTHMS, BME and PM&R where he is now director of the neuroimaging and motor control laboratories. His research is funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the department of education (NIDRR), the National Science Foundation (NSF) and the American Heart Association (AHA).

He has worked for over 20 years in characterising mechanisms underlying the loss of independent joint control and spasticity. This involves brain injuries due to strokes and cerebral palsy. Dr. Dewald’s research combines the fields of neurobiology, engineering, and clinical sciences. It incorporates applications of brain imaging (MRI, DTI, and high density EEG), rehabilitation robotics and pharmacological manipulations of the motor system.

Dr. Christian Dohle

Dr Dohle studied physics and medicine at the Universities in Cologne, Cambridge (UK), Düsseldorf and Grenoble. During his studies, he also joined the special research area “Relations between structure and function in the sensorimotor cortex and its disorders” at the Düsseldorf University Hospital.

His primary scientific interests are motor control and motor rehabilitation strategies, especially employing cognitive strategies or mirror therapy. Dohle has performed and led several imaging studies, clinical trials and systematic reviews and is now working on augmented and virtual reality implementations. He is also co-author of the “DGNR Clinical Practice Guideline for rehabilitation of mobility after stroke (ReMoS)”.

Prof. Dr. Friedhelm Hummel

Friedhelm Hummel is Full-Professor and Director of the Defitech Chair of Clinical Neuroengineering at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology (ETH Lausanne). His research focuses on neuroplasticity, motor control, healthy aging and stroke recovery. A special emphasis is placed on multi-modal evaluation of underlying mechanisms of functional recovery after brain lesions. This knowledge is used to develop and apply neuro-technologies including non-invasive brain stimulation to support recovery.

Dr. Anna Kuppuswamy

Anna Kuppuswamy is a Wellcome Trust Sir Henry Dale Fellow looking at mechanisms of perceptual fatigue in human stroke model at Institute of Neurology, UCL. Anna trained as a physiotherapist in India before completing her MSc in Neuroscience at Queen Square UCL. She went on to complete her PhD at Imperial College London researching upper limb motor control in incomplete spinal cord injuries.

Dr Anna Kuppuswamy established the ‘Effort Lab’ in 2016 courtesy of funding from the Wellcome Trust and Royal Society. Her team investigates the neural basis of perceptual fatigue in neurological conditions using a wide range of techniques. These include behavioural paradigms, non-invasive brain stimulation, brain imaging and computational modelling.

Prof. dr. Joachim Liepert

Having studied Medicine, Psychiatry and Neurology with numerous awards and scientific developments, Professor Liepert is currently a distinguished Professor of Neurology in Germany. His main scientific interests are plasticity, motor systems, transcranial magnetic stimulation, the effects of drugs and physical interventions on brain excitability and medicine supporting recovery from strokes.

Prof. dr. Thomas Nyffeler

Prof. Nyffeler is group head of the Perception and Eye Movement Laboratory of the Gerontechnology and Rehabilitation Group, ARTORG Center for Biomedical Engineering Research at the University of Bern, Switzerland and head of neurorehabilitation at the Luzerner Kantonsspital in Lucerne.

His work focuses on the control mechanisms of eye movements in people using state-of-the-art and unique eye-movement measurement tools. Nyffeler also uses non-invasive brain stimulation (TMS and tDCS) to research the physiology and pathophysiology of normal patients with isolated cerebral lesions. Another great interest is in stroke recovery and spatial neglect.

Prof. dr. Frederike van Wijck

Frederike is a qualified physiotherapist and human movement scientist in The Netherlands. She is a professor of Neurological Rehabilitation at the School for Health and Life Sciences at Glasgow Caledonian University. In addition, van Wijck also co-leads the ‘Living with stroke and other long term neurological conditions’ Research Group. 

This research focuses on optimising functional recovery after stroke by using targeted training, skill acquisition and behavioural change strategies. Her portfolio includes systematic reviews on the effects and experiences of physical activity after stroke, studies on measurement of physical activity and sedentary behaviour, impact of goal setting and the design and evaluation of new physical activity interventions for people with stroke at various stages of their pathway. 

Final Word from the Partners and Sponsors

This International multi-disciplinary congress brings together scientists and clinicians to optimise patient treatment. The neurorehabilitation and neuroscience fields aim at discussing current and emerging research and clinical practices to further improve our knowledge. If you’re in any of these fields of study, this conference is not be missed and you can register here.

Visit our website for more information about the conference and if you’d like to sign up as an ACPIN member, renew or change your membership details.