From the WFN – Page 10

Mohammad Wasay Appointed to National Research Post

Mohammad Wasay MD, FRCP, FAAN.

Mohammad Wasay, MD, FRCP, FAAN, has been appointed as convener, panel of experts and member of the Advisory Committee of the Pakistan Medical Research Council. The PMRC is the premier national institute for promotion of research in Pakistan. This is the first time a person from the field of neurology has been appointed to this position. It is a symbol of recognition of the Pakistan Society of Neurology and neurological research conducted by neuroscience faculty throughout Pakistan.

Dr. Wasay is a professor in the department of neurology and chair, FHS research committee, at Agu Khan University; interim director, Clinical Trials Unit, chair, public awareness and advocacy committee, World Federation of Neurology; president, Pakistan Society of Neurology and editor, Pakistan Journal of Neurological Sciences.

News from the 1st Congress of the European Academy of Neurology

BY Jacques L. Dereuck, MD, PHD

The 1st European Academy of Neurology (EAN) congress will be held in Berlin, Germany, from June 20 to 23, 2015.

Berlin was chosen as a symbolic place, where the walls separating the city in two parts were broken down more than 20 years ago. Now the walls between the European Federation of Neurological Societies (EFNS) and the European Neurological Society (ENS) also have disappeared and a united European Academy of Neurology has been created. The congress is one of the most important achievements in Europe, showing that although there are important differences in practicing neurology in the different European countries some common goals can be achieved.

The EAN congress has been enthusiastically endorsed by most European neurologists and structured as most academies of neurology, with teaching courses, hands-on-courses, plenary symposia, interactive sessions, focused workshops, special sessions, free oral communication and poster sessions. In addition, tournaments in basic and clinical neurology for young neurologists are scheduled.

Almost 2,000 abstracts have been submitted, from which 168 will be presented as oral communications and 1,556 as poster presentations.

The creation of the EAN will reinforce the impact of world neurology on health care, showing that progression in diagnosis and treatment of neurological diseases is one of the most important issues to be reached.

Dr. De Reuck is the chairperson of the WFN Membership Committee.

World Congress of Neurology Oct. 31-Nov. 5

Scenic Santiago, Chile, is host city for the Congress

By Renato Verdugo, MD

We are certain that the World Congress of Neurology will produce an impact. Chile and many countries in South America are at the edge of development. We are leaving behind health problems typical of underdevelopment although now we are facing the diseases related to aging. We are currently developing genetics, neuroradiology, rehabilitation and other techniques with the result being an in increase in the number of young neurologists and an expansion in their geographical distribution. Therefore, this is the right time to host the World Congress of Neurology in Chile, which will produce an impact within the country and in the entire Latin American region. It will not be just another congress, but it will really contribute to changing neurology worldwide, as the slogan of the Congress states.

As usual, the World Congress of Neurology will include the most recent advances in neurological sciences, with the participation of renowned neurologists from around the world. It will also include different social activities to enjoy the traditions of the host country, including its famous wine. It will be an opportunity to get to know an attractive country with a varied geography, which is also easy to reach. Santiago is in the Maipo Valley, with the Andes towards the east and the Pacific Ocean on the west, each just about an hour away. It is a city that embeds the essence of the country’s history with several interesting art, historical and cultural museums, full of restaurants and different neighborhoods with different styles according to the historical period in which they developed.

Santiago is one of the safest cities in Latin America and the main cultural and economic center of the country.

Close by is the port of Valparaiso, a UNESCO world heritage city with its narrow streets climbing up the hills of the coast where one of Pablo Neruda’s houses, “La Sebastiana,” is located. Adjacent to Valparaiso is Viña del Mar, a modern and dynamic touristic city. Flying just an hour north from Santiago you will find the driest desert in the world, and flying one hour south and you will reach a dense rain forest.

The country has developed a safe democratic environment and enjoys one of the most growing economies in the region. Chile is without a doubt one of the most interesting countries in Latin America. Come to the World Congress of Neurology. We will be pleased to show you around.

Dr. Verdugo is the Congress president.

World Congress of Neurology will Engage Key, New and Non-traditional Stakeholders Across the Globe

By Renato Verdugo

As the XXII World Congress of Neurology (WCN 2015) is just a few short months away, how can we not be excited about a scientific program that will usher in delegates from around the globe and will be led by some of the world’s leading industry experts? Chock-full of plenary sessions, teaching courses and workshops, a Tournament of the Minds, and regional and sponsored symposia, WCN will set the stage for networking opportunities, for learning and for important information sharing.

We are looking forward to receiving research papers from around the world in the coming months. In fact, we’ve had an overwhelming response with papers already received that focus on some of the latest developments in neurology, matched with uniquely innovative research in the field. As a result of the countless papers received to date, we have extended the abstract submission deadline to accommodate our colleagues from around the world. The new deadline for abstract submission is now May 7, 2015.

The major abstract submission topics include: epilepsy, movement disorders, stroke, neuro-critical care, dementia, MS and demyelinating diseases, neuromuscular disorders, headache, pain, neurorehabilitation and CNS infections. Take the opportunity to learn more about abstract submission topics and other congress information on the WCN website, www.wcn-neurology.com.

The months leading up to this influential event have raised the bar on the WCN’s objectives and its activities around the globe. Most important is the bringing together of the world’s scientific experts and true leaders in their fields to catalyze and advance neurology in the scientific community. To that end, the congress is an elite meeting platform for community leaders, scientists and policymakers to promote and enhance programmatic collaboration. It is here that they can effectively address regional, national and local responses to neurology around the world and overcome those obstacles that limit access to prevention, care and much-needed services. Lastly and perhaps, most importantly, is that WCN successfully engages key, new and non-traditional stakeholders across the globe, reaching out to future leaders and decision-makers. It is these men and women in our industry who will embrace the congress theme, “Changing Neurology Worldwide,” helping to make it a reality.

Santiago, Chile, is a prosperous, prominent and colorful stage for WCN 2015. There are numerous reasons to bring WCN to Santiago, Chile. Today, Chile is one of South America’s most stable and affluent nations. It leads other Latin American nations in human resource development, competitiveness, income per capita and globalization, and it reigns supreme as a country on the road to long-term peace and economic freedom. Chile also ranks high on a regional scale in sustainability and in democratic development. In May 2010, Chile became the first South American nation to join the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development. Chile is a founding member of the United Nations, the Union of South American Nations and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States. Since July 2013, Chile has been viewed by the World Bank as a “high-income economy,” and has been deemed a developed nation.

We are extending an invitation to the upcoming World Congress of Neurology in Santiago, Chile, to share in the region’s developments and strengths in research. We are leaving behind the health problems of underdevelopment, and are facing the diseases of aging. We are developing innovative techniques in genetics, neuroradiology, rehabilitation and related disciplines. The result is an explosion in the number of young neurologists and an expansion in their geographical distribution. In this context, it is the right time to host the World Congress of Neurology in Chile. This important industry gathering will have an impact on the country and on in the entire Latin American region. It
will not be just another event. You and your colleagues will have a hand in contributing to the ever-changing neurology landscape.

Remember that Santiago is the nation’s capital and the largest city in terms of population and employment. It is the country’s pride and its center for political, economic, cultural and industrial activities and one of the most modern capital cities on the continent. It is a safe, vibrant
and cosmopolitan center with world-class venues, cuisine and renowned tourist attractions and sites.

If you want to reach key thought leaders, academic and industry researchers and clinicians or learn about the latest developments in neurology in Latin America and around the world, then this year’s World Congress of Neurology in Santiago, Chile, at the prominent CasaPiedra Event and Conference Center, is the place to be October 31 to November 5, 2015. We look forward to connecting with old friends, engaging young neurologists and professionals, and, together, taking the next steps in advancing neurology worldwide.

Announcing New Open Access Journal eNeurologicalSci

Bruce Ovbiagele, MD, MSc, MAS, FAAN

Elsevier is delighted to announce the launch of a new Open Access journal, eNeurologicalSci (eNS), on behalf of the World Federation of Neurology. eNeurologicalSci is a companion journal to the Journal of Neurological Sciences.

The journal is under the professional leadership of Bruce Ovbiagele, MD, MSc, MAS, FAAN.

eNeurologicalSci rapidly publishes high-quality articles across a broad research spectrum of neuroscience and neurology, with the potential for understanding mechanisms and informing management of diseases of the human nervous system. The journal especially serves as a venue for papers related to the mission of the World Federation of Neurology, and accepts contributions from basic neuroscience all the way through to community studies submitted by researchers from around the world. eNeurologicalSci also welcomes papers of major relevance to neurologic education and accommodates submissions from trainees in neurology (e.g. residents, fellows, post-doctorate scholars and medical students).

Types of manuscripts for consideration include original research papers, short communications, reviews, study protocols, editorials, perspective pieces, clinical pathologic conference summaries, unique neuroimaging photographs, society conference proceedings (full articles or abstracts), expert-consensus clinical practice guidelines, and letters to the editor. Examples of neurology-related fields of interest include neuromuscular diseases, demyelination, atrophies, dementia, neoplasms, infections, epilepsies, disturbances of consciousness, stroke and cerebral circulation, growth and development, plasticity and intermediary metabolism.

Dear Colleagues,

These are exciting times in neurological research. Neurology is now well beyond being just a great specialty with a logical approach to a varied spectrum of interesting disorders. Compelling advances in the neurological sciences are taking place and even greater new discoveries lie ahead. eNS aspires to be at the forefront of exciting research initiatives in neurology and is poised to be a leading forum for the prompt and widespread dissemination of new knowledge as it accrues in this field. eNS

On top of publishing ingenious discoveries, eNS will take advantage of its primarily online milieu by facilitating enhanced use of audiovisual technology and social media tools, thereby enriching the experience of readers, broadening the exposure of articles, and providing opportunities to better engage with our published scientists.

I invite you to submit your best research to eNS so you can share your science in a very speedy and widely visible manner. If accepted for publication, authors are notified of the decision and requested to pay an Article Processing Fee. Following payment of this fee, the article is made universally available to all on www.sciencedirect.com and www.ens-journal.com.

I look forward to learning with and from all of you.

We are now inviting submissions for the journal. For the full Aims & Scope and to submit your papers online, please visit the journal homepage.

Peter Bakker
Executive Publisher, Neurology/Psychiatry
Elsevier

Neurology and Psychiatry in Babylon

Babylonians described epilepsy, stroke, psychoses, depression, anxiety

By Edward H. Reynolds

James Kinnier Wilson and Edward H. Reynolds.

In the last 25 years I have had the privilege of collaborating with James Kinnier Wilson (JKW) on Babylonian texts of neurological and psychiatric disorders. JKW is a Cambridge-based assyriologist and son of the distinguished neurologist, Samuel Alexander Kinnier Wilson (1878-1937) (see World Neurology, October 2014).

It was believed that studies of disorders of the nervous system began with Greco-Roman medicine, for example, epilepsy, “the sacred disease” (Hippocrates) or “melancholia,” now called depression. Our studies have now revealed remarkable Babylonian descriptions of common neuropsychiatric disorders a millennium earlier.

There were several Babylonian dynasties with their capital at Babylon on the River Euphrates. Best known is the Neo-Babylonian Dynasty (626-539 BC) associated with King Nebuchadnezzar II (604-562 BC) and the capture of Jerusalem (586 BC). But the neuropsychiatric sources we have studied nearly all derive from the Old Babylonian Dynasty of the first half of the second millennium BC, united under King Hammurabi (1792-1750 BC).

The Babylonians made important contributions to mathematics, astronomy, law and medicine conveyed in the cuneiform script, impressed into clay tablets with reeds, the earliest form of writing, which began in Mesopotamia in the late 4th millennium BC (see Figure 1, page 8). When Babylon was absorbed into the Persian Empire cuneiform writing was replaced by Aramaic and simpler alphabetic scripts and was only revived (translated) by European scholars in the 19th century AD.

A Babylonian cuneiform text on epilepsy. Obverse of BM47753 in the British Museum.

The Babylonians were remarkably acute and objective observers of medical disorders and human behavior. In texts located in museums in London, Paris, Berlin and Istanbul, we have studied surprisingly detailed accounts of what we recognize today as epilepsy (Figure 1), stroke, psychoses, obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), psychopathic behavior, depression and anxiety. For example, they described most of the common seizure types we know today, e.g., tonic clonic, absence, focal motor, etc., as well as auras, post-ictal phenomena, provocative factors (such as sleep or emotion) and even a comprehensive account of schizophrenia-like psychoses of epilepsy. Early attempts at prognosis included a recognition that numerous seizures in one day (i.e., status epilepticus) could lead to death.

The Babylonians recognized the unilateral nature of stroke involving limbs, face, speech and consciousness, and distinguished the facial weakness of stroke from the isolated facial paralysis we call Bell’s palsy. They did not, and perhaps could not, describe what we call transient ischemic attacks as they had no method of expressing small units of time such as seconds or minutes. The distinction between a transient ischemic event and some epileptic seizures would have been difficult, as it can be today.

The modern psychiatrist will recognize an accurate description of an agitated depression, with biological features including insomnia, anorexia, weakness, impaired concentration and memory. The obsessive behavior described by the Babylonians included such modern categories as contamination, orderliness of objects, aggression, sex and religion. Accounts of psychopathic behavior include the liar, the thief, the troublemaker, the sexual offender, the immature delinquent and social misfit, the violent and the murderer.

A bas-relief of a wounded lioness from the Palace of Ashurbanipal at Nineveh, in the British Museum.

The Babylonians had only a superficial knowledge of anatomy and no knowledge of brain or psychological function. Although they had no knowledge of the spinal cord, the Babylonians and the Assyrians clearly understood that an arrow in the center of the back led to paralyzed hind legs, another important clinical observation (figure 2). They had no systematic classifications of their own and would not have understood our modern diagnostic categories. Some neuropsychiatric disorders, e.g., stroke or facial palsy, had a physical basis requiring the attention of the physician or asà», using a plant and mineral-based pharmacology. Most disorders, such as epilepsy, psychoses and depression, were regarded as supernatural due to evil demons and spirits, or the anger of personal gods, and thus required the intervention of the priest or aÅ¡ipu. Other disorders, such as OCD, phobias and psychopathic behavior, were viewed as a mystery, yet to be resolved, revealing a surprisingly open-minded approach.

From the perspective of a modern neurologist or psychiatrist, these ancient descriptions of neuropsychiatric phenomenology suggest that the Babylonians were observing many of the common neurological and psychiatric disorders that we recognize today. There is nothing comparable in the ancient Egyptian medical writings and the Babylonians therefore were the first to describe the clinical foundations of modern neurology and psychiatry.

A major and intriguing omission from these entirely objective Babylonian descriptions of neuropsychiatric disorders is the absence of any account of subjective thoughts or feelings, such as obsessional thoughts or ruminations in OCD, or suicidal thoughts or sadness in depression. The latter subjective phenomena only became a relatively modern field of description and enquiry in the 17th and 18th centuries AD. This raises interesting questions about the possibly slow evolution of human self awareness, that is central to the concept of “mental illness,” which only became the province of a professional medical discipline, i.e., psychiatry, in the last 200 years.

References

Kinnier Wilson JV, Reynolds EH. Texts and documents. Translation and analysis of a cuneiform text forming part of a Babylonian treatise on epilepsy. Med Hist. 1990; 34:185-98.

Reynolds EH, Kinnier Wilson JV. Stroke in Babylonia. Arch Neurol. 2004; 61:597-601.

Reynolds EH, Kinnier Wilson JV. Neurology and Psychiatry in Babylon. Brain. 2014; 137: 2611-2619.

Edward H. Reynolds is former consultant neurologist to the Maudsley and King’s College Hospitals; former director of the Institute of Epileptology, King’s College, London and former president of the International League against Epilepsy.

Peter J. Koehler is the editor of this history column. He is neurologist at Atrium Medical Centre, Heerlen, The Netherlands. Visit his website at www.neurohistory.nl

Editor’s Update and Selected Articles from the Journal of the Neurological Sciences (JNS)

John D. England, MD

By John D. England, MD

The Journal of the Neurological Sciences (JNS) is a broad-based journal that publishes articles from a wide spectrum of disciplines, ranging from basic neuroscience to clinical cases. JNS strives to publish papers with novel, unique, and original observations. An indispensable step in identifying the best papers is the review of manuscripts by expert reviewers. The members of the Editorial Board and I depend heavily upon these individuals to help us make decisions about manuscripts.

Completing a good review of a scientific paper is difficult and time consuming. Several surveys indicate that many reviewers do not feel that they receive adequate recognition for this important work. In order to begin addressing this issue, Elsevier has instituted a “Reviewer Recognition” platform. Using this platform, reviewers can now access their personal review profile page, which shows the “Reviewer Status” and review history for JNS and 310 other journals that are published by Elsevier. Each reviewer is awarded a status, which is based upon the number of completed reviews. Currently, reviewers are awarded one of two statuses per journal: 1) recognized reviewer for completion of at least one review over a two-year period; or 2) outstanding reviewer for reviewers in the upper 10th percentile, based on the total number of completed reviews. Reviewers will also be able to collect other rewards such as certificates, badges or discounts. They may also share their profiles and status with others (e.g., colleagues, deans, chairs, followers or friends on social media).

The “Reviewer Recognition” platform is easy to access. After a review has been completed, each reviewer receives an email providing a direct link to the Elsevier review platform. We are hopeful that reviewers will find this initiative a positive and direct affirmation of their dedication to scholarly activity.

In our ongoing attempt to enhance accessibility of JNS articles to members of the World Federation of Neurology (WFN), we have selected two more “free-access” articles, which are profiled in this issue of World Neurology.

In this issue, we feature two paired articles on hypoglossal nerve stimulation and targeted activation of tongue muscles. Although the featured article is an experimental study in the rat, the results have important implications for the potential treatment of obstructive sleep apnea:

In a series of elegant and detailed experiments, Paul Meadows and colleagues have demonstrated that subsets of hypoglossal nerve axons can be selectively and systematically stimulated in a manner that differentially activates specific lingual muscles and changes the size of the oropharyngeal airway. They achieved this by implanting an electrode array composed of eight independently controllable contacts applied to the hypoglossal nerves of rats. Their experiments showed that unilateral differential coordinated stimulation of the hypoglossal nerve selectively activates tongue muscles, and this muscle contraction can generate a coordinated and smooth opening of the oropharyngeal airway.
Meadows PM, Whitehead MC, Zaidi FN. Effects of targeted activation of tongue muscles on oropharyngeal patency in the rat. Journal of the Neurological Sciences 2014;346:178-193.
In an accompanying editorial, Alan Schwartz from the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine summarizes the study and comments on the importance of these experiments for developing better treatments for obstructive sleep apnea. Several implantable hypoglossal nerve stimulators have been studied as therapy for obstructive sleep apnea, but the results have been suboptimal. Dr. Schwartz states that “Additional work is still required to develop methods for identifying combinations of lingual muscles that act synergistically to maintain airway patency during sleep. These methods may necessitate steering current between specific electrodes as well as novel approaches for visualizing effects of stimulation on tongue shape, position, and stiffness.” Thus, the experiments of Meadows and colleagues have implications for the design and optimization of neurostimulation devices for the treatment of obstructive sleep apnea.
Schwartz AR. Hypoglossal nerve stimulation-Optimizing its therapeutic potential in obstructive sleep apnea. Journal of the Neurological Sciences 2014;346:1-3.

Dr. England is editor-in-chief of the Journal of the Neurological Sciences.

Hachinski Advocates Controlling Vascular Component of Dementia While Studying Other Mechanisms

By Vladimir Hachinski, MD, FRCPC, DSc

Dr. Hachinski with Paro, a Canadian harbor seal robot designed to stimulate patients with cognitive disorders.

Japan has the longest life expectancy and the oldest population in the world. Japanese men on average live to 85 years and women to 87 years. Twenty-five per cent of Japanese are over the age of 65 years. In light of this, the relevance of the focus of the meeting on new models of dementia care and prevention appears clear.

The presence of Prime Minister Shinzo Abe reflected the importance of the meeting. He promised a new dementia strategy for Japan. Yusuhisa Shiozaki, Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare for Japan participated actively, as did the members of the World Dementia Council, Kiyoshi Kurokawa from Japan and Yves Joanette from Canada. Hachinski addressed the question “Can we prevent or delay dementia?” He stated that it was possible only if we adopted new approaches. He spoke of the shortcomings of current diagnostic categories and the desirability of using standardized descriptions recommended by an international group of experts that he led. In addition he emphasized that modern technology allows the “in vivo” study of some of the main mechanisms of dementia, including imaging brain amyloid, tau protein, activated microglia (signs of inflammation) and micro and macrovascular brain disease. He stressed that vascular disease is not only important as a cause, but as a trigger of dementia, illustrated by treatable interactive mechanisms identified by his research group. He also pointed out that in prevention we tend to focus on information, which is not enough. He outlined a three-step approach for successful prevention: 1) Risk assessment, 2) Motivation and 3) Enablement.

The meeting hosted impressive exhibitions of technology, particularly advanced robots, including cuddly Paro, a therapeutic robot Canadian harbor seal that blinks its eyes and moves its tail when hugged (Please see photo).

In the discussion, Hachinski quoted Yogi Berra “When you come to a fork in the road, take it!” He gave reasons why we must take the long road to understanding and treating disease mechanisms, but also why we must take a short road to prevent and control the vascular component that is present in all major dementias, ranging from 60 percent in frontotemporal dementias to 80 percent in Alzheimer disease. The fact that dementia incidence is decreasing in Holland and Sweden, two countries where the stroke incidence has been cut in half in the past two decades, suggests that preventing and treating cerebrovascular disease holds the most realistic promise of preventing or delaying dementia.

Dr. Hachinski is Distinguished University Professor in the Department of Clinical Neurological Sciences, University of Western Ontario, London, Canada.

WFN Launches Open-Access Journal

eNeurologicalSci promises prompt publication of papers

By Bruce Ovbiagele, MD, MSc, MAS, FAAN

Bruce Ovbiagele, MD, MSc, MAS, FAAN

These are thrilling times in neurological research. The field of neurology is now well beyond being just a great clinical specialty with a logical approach to a varied spectrum of interesting disorders. Indeed, major advances in our understanding of and ability to treat neurological diseases are taking place, and it is likely that even more promising new discoveries lie ahead. As such, there is a need to create additional avenues for basic and clinical neuroscientists to publish and debate their work, provide neuroscientists-in-training more career development opportunities to become independent researchers, and do all of this in a relatively speedy and broadly visible manner.

It is with these goals in mind that the World Federation of Neurology (WFN) is launching a new open access journal, eNeurologicalSci (eNS). As an open access journal based on the author-pays model, eNS authors will pay a set fee, a so-called article processing charge, once a peer-reviewed article has been accepted. eNS will serve as a sister journal to WFN’s long-time flagship scientific journal, Journal of the Neurological Sciences (JNS) and JNS will support eNS by referring selected papers to it. On its own, eNS aspires to be a leading forum for the prompt and widespread dissemination of new knowledge as it accrues in this field of neurosciences. The journal will be accepting contributions from basic neuroscience all the way through to community studies submitted by researchers from around the world. eNS will also aim to enhance career development by welcoming papers of major relevance to neurologic education and making accommodations for submissions from trainees in neurology (e.g., residents, fellows, post-doctorate scholars, and medical students).

The types of manuscripts eligible for consideration in eNS include original research papers, short communications, reviews, editorials, perspective pieces, unique neuroimaging photographs, and letters to the editor, all of which can be submitted via an online submission site (www.ens-journal.com: to go live on February 2, 2015). Distinct from JNS, eNS will publish Conference Proceedings (full articles or meeting abstracts) from WFN endorsed neurological meetings from around the world, clinical practice guidelines issued by national and international societies dedicated to combating neurological diseases, Clinical Pathologic Conference articles (cases intended to be informative for developing clinical problem solving acumen), and study protocol articles (manuscripts that incorporate clinical trial or epidemiological study information/methodology/design).

Beyond publishing ingenious discoveries, enhancing career development, and being clinically relevant, eNS will take advantage of its primarily online milieu to promote the use of audiovisual technology and social media tools, thereby enriching the experience of readers, broadening the exposure of articles, and providing opportunities to better engage with our published scientists. Furthermore, we have assembled a diverse group of expert editors and editorial board members to steer the journal into prestige and prominence.

Given all of the aforementioned factors, eNS should be of considerable interest to researchers in the fields of neuroanatomy, neurochemistry, neuroendocrinology, neuroepidemiology, neurogenetics, neuroimmunology, neuroophthalmology, neuropathology, neuropharmacology, neurophysiology, neuropsychology, neuroradiology, neurosurgery, neuro-oncology, neurotoxicology, neurovascular diseases (stroke), epilepsy, movement disorders, neuromuscular diseases, cognitive/behavioral neurology, restorative neurology, tropical neurology, neuro-infectious diseases, and neurology-related health services research.

Dr. Ovbiagele is the Admiral Pihl Professor and Chairman of Neurology, Medical University of South Carolina. He is the Editor-in-Chief of eNS.

Neurosonology WFN Teaching Course in Tbilisi, Georgia

Meeting promotes ultrasonic techniques and research

By Marina Alpaidze, MD, PhD

Participants of the second Regional NSRG WFN meeting. From left to right: Marina Alpaidze, MD, President of NSRG WFN Georgian Chapter and President of Georgian Society of Neurosonology and Cerebral Hemodynamics; Alexander Razumovsky, PhD, FAHA, Secretary of NSRG WFN (U.S.); Natan Bornstein, MD, PhD, Vice-President of World Stroke Organization, President of European Society for Neurosonology and Cerebral Hemodynamics (Israel); and Ekaterina Titianova, MD, PhD, Dsc, President of Bulgarian Society of Neurosonology and Cerebral Hemodynamics.

The Neurosonology Research Group (NSRG) WFN is dedicated to the promotion of science and research as well of education and training in the field of ultrasonic techniques and its clinical utilization. Therefore, international cooperation and the dissemination of scientific information within the field of neurosciences and neurosonology is part of NSRG WFN activities.

During Oct. 25-26, 2014, the Georgian Chapter of the NSRG WFN successfully conducted the second NSRG WFN Regional Meeting in Tbilisi, Georgia. There were also participants from neighboring countries — Armenia and Azerbaijan. This two-day course was designed for individuals who are interested to perform and interpret neurosonology studies. The faculty discussed current status of neurosonology and some specific clinical applications; part of the meeting was dedicated to the hands-on practice. The lectures were delivered by well-known neurologists and neurosonology experts such as N. Bornstein (Israel), E. Titianova (Bulgaria), Z. Nadareishvili (U.S.), M. Alpaidze (Georgia), and A. Razumovsky (U.S.).

This second Georgian meeting was guided and directed under the auspices of the NSRG of the WFN and accredited by Tbilisi Medical University Continuing Medical Education (CME) Board for 10 CME hours.

Dr. Alpaidze is the Head of Ultrasound Laboratory, DEKA Medical Centre, University Clinic Department of Neurology, Tbilsi, Georgia.