The European Brain Council had the chance to attend the European Associations of Neurosurgical Societies 2024 Congress which was held from 13-17 October 2024 in Sofia (Bulgaria). Attended by 2.000 neurosurgeons from Europe and all over the world, the EANS Annual Congress is the main meeting point of the European Neurosurgical Community, and the connecting link between European Neurosurgery and all continental neurosurgical societies. This year, the theme was “Innovation, Education, Leadership”, reflecting the current need to thoroughly discuss the future of neurosurgery in connection with technological advances that can improve neurosurgical education, training and treatment, aiming to create the next leaders of neurosurgery in Europe and all over the globe.

The EANS congress started with a grand opening ceremony by EANS President Prof. Torstein Meling, an appearance of Kukeri dancers as well as a traditional Bulgarian dance. 

EBC took part in a session titled “Building Brain Health in Europe”. This session featured a series of presentations by prominent experts in the field of brain health. Prof Torstein R. Meling chaired the session. Speakers included Prof Thomas Berger, Prof Suzanne Dickson, Tarek Yousry, Prof Johnny Duerinck, Dr Niklas Marklund, Majda Thurnher, Dr Ricardo Chavarriaga, and Dr Eric Suero Molina. Topics covered various aspects of brain health, including neuroradiology, the impact of brain tumours, traumatic brain injury, and stroke, as well as the role of neurosurgery in modern psychiatry.

Prof. Suzanne Dickson, EBC President, presented the advocacy work in the brain space undertaken at the European level and explored the importance of the work currently being done. Furthermore, she highlighted the potentials for strengthened collaboration and the needs going forward for the benefit of all within the brain space, particularly with a spotlight on neurosurgery, neurology and neurological conditions (including the clinicians that treat them and the patients that live with them). Dr Ricardo Chavarriaga explored the ethics of neuroprosthetics and looked into the development of government mechanisms for the use of technology (such as artificial intelligence and big data) to safeguard rights on mental privacy. This protects individuals from the use of data obtained during the measurement of their brain activity without their consent and expressly prohibits any commercial transaction involving this data. His work focuses on leveraging neuroscience, AI, and ethics for advancing responsible innovation and governance of human-centred technology.

With EBC currently leading the drafting on a European Charter for the Responsible Development of Neurotechnologies, this important topic was also brought forward. The growing accessibility and portability of neurotechnologies have now expanded their use into the general consumer market, which raises crucial ethical and societal issues. Medical devices cannot be placed on the European market without conforming to strict requirements and non-medical applications (including products for neurostimulation and neurofeedback in work, education, entertainment and marketing) show lack of thorough scientific assessment, ethical supervision and regulation. The European Charter for the Responsible Development of Neurotechnologies builds on existing mechanisms of governance and complements existing legislation by contributing to human-centred risk evaluation, addressing gaps and shedding light on grey areas deserving robust governance. For this, EBC brought together organisations of people living with brain conditions, organisations of professional actors in health, research and ethics, policymakers and industry to support greater wellbeing and sustainable economic growth and guide public policy, activities of companies and investment.​

​Lastly, EBC was present at the Congress with a booth in the exhibition area, where we shared more information about ongoing projects, latest activities, and upcoming events! We are looking forward to next years’ EANS congress, taking place from October 5 to 9 in Vienna!

The European Brain Council had the chance to attend the 32^nd European Congress of Psychiatry which was held on 6-9 April 2024 in Budapest (Hungary). The Congress took place under the motto ‘Mental Health: Open and Inclusive!’. It highlighted three core aspects of modern psychiatry:

• Mental health as a broad dimension from mental health prevention and resilience building to the treatment of specific disorders.
• Open refers not only to our fundamental human rights but also to open mindedness and curiosity for novel approaches and ideas.
• Inclusive implies welcoming and respecting differences between people.

EBC held the Symposium “Assessing the value of mental health treatments for youth in Europe” on Sunday 7 April 2024 to raise awareness on mental disorders and their societal impact. The session highlighted the case studies falling under the 2nd round of the Value of Treatment project, coordinated by EBC.  

The morning kicked off with a welcome address from the meeting Chairs: Prof. Danuta Wasserman, M.D., Ph.D. Professor of Psychiatry and Suicidology, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden and Prof. Judit Balazs, Chair, EPA Scientific Section on Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Eotvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary, Oslo New University College, Oslo, Norway. Danuta Wasserman and Judit Balazs stressed the importance to join forces for policy implications towards an enabling ecosystem for mental disorders focusing on youth needs.    

Throughout the congress, EBC held a booth in the exhibition space where the participants had the chance to learn more about the current projects, the ongoing activities and the upcoming events.

The next edition of the European Congress of Psychiatry will take place on 5-8 April 2025 in Madrid (Spain). The Congress will be held under the overarching theme “Towards Real-World Solutions in Mental Health”. You can look forward to excellent science, high-level educational programmes and a clear focus on clinical implementation.