Wide range of topics were addressed at the 16th meeting, ranging from dementia to stroke
By Wolfgang Grisold
The large exhibition of the history of neurology in Mexico. The walk-through at the congress opening.
The 16th meeting of the Academia Mexicana de Neurologica took place Oct. 31 to Nov. 5, in the town of Veracruz, Mexico. Veracruz, also known as Mexico’s door to the world, is a historic city and presently a critical seaport.
The famous Fort San Juan de Ulúa gives vision to the historic development. Several arches document different time epochs, and the first arch on the image reminds one of an Arabic arch.
The congress is the Mexican Academy of Neurology’s most important academic event of the year. This year’s slogan was Building Bridges and Breaking Walls. The Academy invited many international experts to speak on scientific developments and new aspects of neurologic diseases. It is noteworthy that special sessions were dedicated to nursing in neurology. In the same manner, teaching sessions for non-neurologists were also held. This is a valuable step into multiprofessional education to improve care.
Model of a brain in the exhibition hall.
The WFN has close connections with Mexico, and the first WFN Teaching Center in the Americas will commence its work in January next year.
The congress opened with an impressive opening ceremony, followed by a tour through the history of neurology in Mexico. (See photo above and the related article by Dr. San-Esteban.) Sessions were dedicated to brain tumors, dementia, epilepsy, headache, neuroimmunology, neuromuscular disease, stroke, substance abuse, and several other important topics. The local and international faculty was large, and representatives included neurologists from Austria, Canada, Spain, Switzerland, and the U.S., Dr. Ralph Sacco, president of the American Academy of Neurology, reassured Mexico on the cooperation of the AAN.
Stroke
Picture of the hippocampus, based on the drawings of Ramon y Cajal.
Among the many interesting and outstanding topics, the stroke sessions increased participants’ knowledge toward the recent important developments in stroke management.
Several topics were directed toward autoimmune disease, and also the important topics of neoplastic disease and autoimmune encephalitis were discussed. Dr. Dalmau from Barcelona held a fascinating talk on the current situation of autoimmune encephalitis and expected future developments.
Opening Ceremony with a marine instrumental band.
Many of the health problems in neurology in Mexico and in the Americas were discussed in various talks. The huge population of Mexico and the large variety of health services, ranging from world-renowned institutions to the need for basic neurological care across the population, are challenges for the Mexican Society of Neurology.
This high-quality program will contribute to the understanding of neurology in Mexico as well as in Central and South America. All efforts to decrease the treatment gap will continue to need to be made, and the WFN is privileged to contribute with the establishment of the WFN Teaching Center in Mexico.
