BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//132.216.98.100//NONSGML kigkonsult.se iCalcreator 2.20.4// BEGIN:VEVENT UID:20260505T004529EDT-1559u0ssJU@132.216.98.100 DTSTAMP:20260505T044529Z DESCRIPTION:\nThe Neuro Epilepsy Day 2026: Epilepsy Across Multiple Scales  \n\nThe Neuro Epilepsy Day will be a full-day program\, exploring epilepsy research and treatment across all scales: molecular\, cellular\, circuit\ , and connectome.\n\n\nRegister Now\n\nTo watch online\, click here\n\n\nC all for Abstracts\n\nWe invite undergraduate\, graduate\, and postdoctoral trainees to submit abstracts for poster presentations at The Neuro Epilep sy Day 2026. \n\nWe encourage abstracts at any stage of a project’s develo pment—from literature reviews and research questions to pilot data and ong oing studies.\n\nSubmission deadline: March 30\, 2026\n\nTo submit an abst ract\, click here\n\nSelected abstracts will be featured in the poster ses sion\, and five outstanding posters will be invited to give a short oral p resentation during the program.\n\n\n\n \n Programme\n Speakers\n The Pierre G loor Lecture\n Location\n Sponsors\n Scientific Committee\n \n\n \n Thursday\, M ay 28\, 2026\n\n Preliminary Program \n\n \n \n \n 9:30\n \n Arrival & Registrati on\n\n  \n \n \n \n 10:45\n \n Welcome and Introduction\n\n Edward Fon\, MD\, FRCP (C)\n Scientific Director\, The Neuro\n\n Boris Bernhardt\, PhD\n Associate P rofessor of Neurology and Neurosurgery\n Epilepsy Group Leader (Research)\, The Neuro\n \n \n \n 11:00\n \n Keynote Lectures\n\n Improving Epilepsy Surgery Planning Using MR Fingerprinting\n\n Irene Wang\, PhD\n Research Director an d Staff Scientist\n Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center\n\n Advanced Brain Imag ing in Neurodevelopmental Disorders: Semantic Mapping\, Multimodal DBS Mod eling\, and MRI Lesion Synthesis\n\n Seok-Jun Hong\, PhD\n Associate Profess or of Biomedical Engineering Department\, SKKU\n Sungkyunkwan University - ɬ﷬\n\n Surgical Approaches and Innovations in FCD\n\n Roy Wil liam Dudley\, FRCSC\n Assistant Professor\, Department of Pediatric Surgery \, Department of Neurology & Neurosurgery\n Montreal Children's Hospital\n \n Alexander G. Weil\, FRCSC\, FACS\n Associate Professor\, Neurosurgeon\, R esearcher\, Director\n University of Montreal - Sainte-Justine Hospital Res earch Centre\n\n Jeffery Allan Hall\, FRCSC\n Assistant Professor of Neurolo gy and Neurosurgery\n Epilepsy Programme\, Neurosurgery Clinic\, Brain Tumo ur Clinic\n\n Sami Obaid\, MD\, PhD\, FRCSC Clinical Assistant Professor\, Neurosurgeon Department of Surgery\, Faculty of Medicine Centre hospitalis er de l'Université de Montréal\n \n \n \n 1:00\n \n Lunch and Poster Session 1\n \n \n \n 2:00\n \n Oral Presentations\n \n \n \n 3:00\n \n Coffee Break\n \n \n \n 3:15\n \n Pierre Gloor Lecture\n\n Brain Mosaicism in Epilepsies and Cortical Malfo rmations\n Stéphanie Baulac\, PhD\n Research director and Group Leader\n Inse rm and Paris Brain Institute (ICM)\n \n \n \n 4:15\n \n Discussion Panel\n\n Alex ander Weil\, MD\n\n Irene Wang\, PhD \n\n Stéphanie Baulac\, PhD \n\n Andrea Bernasconi\, MD  \n\n Neda Ladbon-Bernasconi\, PhD    \n\n Olivier Aron\, Ph D \n\n Sara Larivière\, PhD\n \n \n \n 5:00\n \n Cocktail Reception and Poster Se ssion 2\n \n \n \n \n \n\n \n Speakers\n\n Keynotes:\n\n Irene Wang | Epilepsy Cent er\, Neurological Institute\, Cleveland Clinic\n\n Dr. Irene Wang is the Re search Director and Full Staff at the Cleveland Clinic Epilepsy Center and an Associate Professor of Neurology at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner Colleg e of Medicine. Her research advances surgical treatments for MRI-negative epilepsy patients through innovative imaging and neurophysiology technique s. As a trained biomedical engineer with a strong foundation in clinical n europhysiology and neuroimaging\, Dr. Wang has pioneered the integration o f advanced imaging into clinical practice to enhance patient care. She has authored over 120 peer-reviewed papers and serves as Associate Editor for Epilepsia. Dr. Wang has received continuous support from the National Ins titute of Health and serves as a charter member of the NIH Imaging Technol ogy for Neuroscience study section. Dr. Wang also chairs the MRI Data Task Force of the ILAE Big Data Commission and serves on the Imaging Task Forc e of the ILAE Diagnostic Methods Commission.\n \n Improving Epilepsy Surgery Planning Using MR Fingerprinting\n\n This talk will focus on MR Fingerprin ting (MRF)\, a novel quantitative MRI technique that enables simultaneous acquisition of multiple tissue parameters within a single\, time-efficient acquisition\, providing a comprehensive multiparametric characterization of brain tissue properties. The talk will include clinical examples and st udies demonstrating the added value of MRF for detection and subtype chara cterization of focal cortical dysplasia\, including cases with subtle or n onlesional findings on conventional MRI. The talk will further explore the potential of MRF-derived tissue metrics to inform in vivo epileptogenicit y in more complex malformations of cortical development\, such as perivent ricular nodular heterotopia and polymicrogyria. Together\, these examples illustrate how MRF can enhance presurgical localization\, optimize SEEG im plantation\, and improve prognostication for epilepsy surgery candidates. \n\n  \n\n Stéphanie Baulac | Pierre Gloor Lecture\n\n Stéphanie Baulac is a Research Director at Inserm and Group Leader at the Paris Brain Institute (ICM) of the MOSAIC Team « Genetic Mosaicism in Epilepsy and Neurodevelopm ental Disorders » Her team implements a comprehensive translational approa ch spanning from the identification and characterization of somatic mutati ons in brain tissues obtained from patients undergoing epilepsy surgery to in-depth functional analysis\, combining functional testing on patient-de rived brain organoids\, and mouse models. \n \n Brain Mosaicism in Epilepsie s and Cortical Malformations\n Focal cortical dysplasia type II (FCDII) is a cortical malformation causing refractory epilepsy\, resulting from devel opmental somatic mutations in mTOR pathway genes. To understand how these mutations create a mosaic pattern of affected cells and lead to cortical d yslamination\, we performed comprehensive single-nucleus analyses of surgi cal samples from genetically-characterized FCDII patients. By combining ge notyping and transcriptomics at single-cell resolution\, we revealed that mutations predominantly affect glutamatergic neurons and astrocytes\, crea ting distinct transcriptional programs in both mutated and non-mutated cel ls. This mosaicism drives cell-type-specific dysregulation of synaptic and neurodevelopmental pathways that likely contribute to epileptogenesis. No tably\, our analysis of cytomegalic cells uncovered pronounced alterations in mitochondrial metabolism pathways and cellular senescence. We uncover a signature associated with cellular senescence in abnormal FCDII cells an d further provide evidence in preclinical FCDII mouse models that senolyti c agents could offer a novel therapeutic strategy for this disorder.\n\n   \n\n Seok-Jun Hong | Associate Professor\, Department of Biomedical Enginee ring\n\n - Seok-Jun Hong\, PhD is an associate professor in the Department of Biomedical Engineering\, and Brain Science and Engineering at Sungkyun kwan University (SKKU) and also affiliated with the Center for Neuroscienc e Imaging Research\, IBS in S. Korea. Before joining to SKKU\, he was a po stdoctoral research fellow in Child Mind Institute at New York\, working w ith Drs. Michael Milham and Adriana Di Martino\, and before that\, in MNI with Dr. Boris Bernhardt. Dr. Hong’s previous research has focused on adva nced in-vivo multimodal magnetic resonance imaging of typical and atypical brain development (epilepsy and autism)\, especially targeting a large-sc ale brain network organization. Building upon expertise in computer scienc e\, statistics and neuroinformatics\, he has developed original approaches to quantitatively describe connectome principles and its developmental pr ocess in the human brain. These days\, his interest is how to inform biolo gical inductive biases learned from the human brain to build up large-scal e biophysical neural network models.\n \n Advanced Brain Imaging in Neurodev elopmental Disorders: Semantic Mapping\, Multimodal DBS Modeling\, and MRI Lesion Synthesis\n The recent integration of advanced computational neuroi maging with AI and biophysical modeling is catalyzing a paradigmatic shift in the clinical management of children with neurodevelopmental disorders. This evolution spans the entire translational continuum—from early diagno sis and mechanistic understanding to personalized therapeutic intervention s. In this talk\, I will discuss three distinct yet interconnected proof-o f-concept cases that illustrate the power of these approaches. First\, to uncover the neurobiological principles underlying clinical behaviors in Au tism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)\, I will discuss our recent findings using na turalistic movie-viewing fMRI to construct high-dimensional semantic maps. I will demonstrate how these maps reveal age-dependent distortions in ASD \, their correlation with symptom severity\, and their utility in parsing phenotypic heterogeneity into distinct neurobiological subtypes. Second\, I will present ongoing research regarding Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) in epilepsy. We demonstrate how multimodal MRI can be leveraged to predict DB S efficacy by modeling the structural and functional pathways associated w ith the seizure focus. Notably\, we investigate the specific network mecha nisms that dictate the success or failure of these neuromodulatory interve ntions\, providing a framework for optimized surgical targeting. Third\, I will explore the emerging role of Generative AI in medical imaging\, spec ifically through the lens of MRI lesion synthesis. This section highlights how synthetic data can augment epilepsy research and improve diagnostic i nference\, particularly in clinical scenarios where high-quality data is s parse. Finally\, I will conclude by outlining how these advanced computati onal frameworks are accelerating the realization of precision medicine in neurodevelopmental conditions and offer my outlook on the future landscape of the field.\n\n  \n\n Sami Obaïd | MD\, PhD\, FRCSC\n\n - Dr. Sami Obaïd\ , M.D.\, Ph.D.\, is a neurosurgeon specializing in epilepsy at the Centre hospitalier de l’Université de Montréal (CHUM) and a Clinical Assistant Pr ofessor in the Department of Surgery at the Université de Montréal. He is also a principal investigator at the CHUM Research Centre (CRCHUM)\, where he leads the ONSET lab. His surgical practice is dedicated to epilepsy su rgery\, and in 2024\, he was awarded the prestigious FRQS Junior 1 Researc her status. He underwent specialized training\, including a fellowship in epilepsy surgery at Yale University and a Ph.D. in structural neuroimaging applied to focal epilepsy. Dr. Obaïd focuses his clinical and scientific activities on the identification\, selection\, presurgical evaluation\, op erative and postoperative management of patients with drug-resistant epile psy through innovative neuroimaging techniques. Recognized early for his c ontributions to research\, an asteroid was named in his honor: the minor p lanet Obaïd (21712). He has also been named a Distinguished Citizen of Can ada for his scientific achievements\, listed among the “Top 20 Under 20”\, and one of his articles was awarded Discovery of the Year 2022 at the CRC HUS. He recently had the honor of serving as a guest co-speaker alongside astronaut Chris Hadfield\, reflecting the reach of his work and his commit ment to science communication. A few months ago\, he also signed the Golde n Book of the King of Morocco in recognition of his academic and scientifi c accomplishments. At the ONSET laboratory\, Dr. Obaïd currently supervise s 22 graduate students and two research assistants\, actively contributing to the training of the next generation of neuroscientists.\n\n The Expandi ng Surgical Landscape of Focal Cortical Dysplasia: Integrating Focal and N etwork Approaches\n\n Focal cortical dysplasias (FCDs) are a leading cause of drug-resistant epilepsy and a major indication for surgical treatment. In some patients—particularly early in the disease course—the seizure onse t zone may remain relatively confined to the lesion\, supporting the use o f highly targeted\, lesion-centered interventions such as laser ablation. However\, with increasing disease duration\, the seizure onset zone may ex tend beyond the lesion\, involving distributed networks that are not fully addressed by strictly focal approaches. In these cases\, broader strategi es—including larger resections\, white matter disconnections\, or neuromod ulation—may be required to effectively target the epileptogenic network. I n this talk\, I will discuss how disease evolution influences the balance between focal and network-oriented strategies in FCD-related epilepsy. I w ill highlight how advanced preoperative neuroimaging can be leveraged for connectomic analyses to characterize patient-specific networks beyond the visible lesion. Combined with stereoelectroencephalography (SEEG) analyses \, these approaches enable a more precise delineation of the seizure onset zone and its associated networks\, and support more individualized surgic al planning.\n\n  \n\n Roy Dudley | Associate Professor\, ɬ﷬ Health Centre\n\n - Roy Dudley MD\, PhD is a an Associate Professor at McG ill University and a Pediatric Neurosurgeon at the Montreal Children's Hos pital and the Montreal Neurological Hospital. He did his undergraduate stu dies in Biology and Mathematics at Memorial University of Newfoundland\, a nd his PhD in Experimental Medicine at ɬ﷬ and the MNI with the late Ge orge Karpati. He returned to Newfoundland for Medical School and came back to the MNI for Neurosurgery residency under the epilepsy surgery tutelage of Jeffery Hall and Andre Olivier. He then did his Pediatric Neurosurgery Fellowship at the University of Colorado in Denver. Dr. Dudley specialize s in epilepsy surgery and is an FRSQ-sponsored clinical investigator with research program focused on optimizing the presurgical evaluation of focal epilepsy patients using advanced neuroimaging and electrophysiology\, imp roving the intraoperative localization of malformations of cortical develo pment\, such as focal cortical dysplasia\, and overcoming the limitation o f spatial coverage with SEEG.\n\n Novel Methods in SEEG to Optimize Epilept ogenic Zone Localization and Functional Mapping: Overcoming the Limitation of Spatial Coverage\n\n Surgical treatment of refractory focal epilepsy ca n be curative and should be considered as early as possible\, particularly in children. In challenging (usually MRI-negative) cases\, an intracerebr al investigation via stereo-EEG (SEEG) is often necessary to localize the epileptogenic zone (EZ). Despite advanced neuroimaging/electrophysiology t echniques and robotic technology\, the outcome of SEEG has improved little in 70 years\, the main drawbacks being the often-ill-informed pre-implant ation hypotheses and the sparse coverage of the brain\, resulting in under -sampling or completely missing the EZ and/or its borders\, and suboptimal stimulation for functional mapping. Our ongoing research aims to overcome these drawbacks of SEEG by (1) improving the pre-implantation hypothesis using novel methods in magnetoencephalography (MEG)\, such as virtual elec trodes\, (2) optimizing SEEG signal analysis via simultaneous MEG/SEEG\, a nd (3) refining SEEG-based functional mapping via novel analysis (i.e.\, v ideo/SEEG correlates) of spontaneous movements and optimizing the stimulat ion parameters used to illicit ictal versus normal responses.\n\n  \n\n Jeff ery Allan Hall | Epilepsy Neurosurgeon MNI-H\, Associate Professor ɬ﷬ \n\n - Dr. Hall completed undergraduate and graduate degrees in Neuropsych ology and Cognitive Neuroscience before medical training. His Neurosurgica l Residency and Fellowship in the Surgery of Epilepsy were completed at Mc Gill/MNI-H. He has been an Attending on the Epilepsy Service at the MNI-H for more than 20 years. Dr. Hall is fascinated by the introduction of new technology to foster novel treatment options. Over the past decade\, he ha s become interested in the strengths and limitations of Radio-Frequency Th ermo-Coagulation via implanted electrodes (SEEG) as a potential therapeuti c intervention.\n\n Radio-Frequency Thermo-Coagulation via Stereoelectroenc ephalography\n\n This presentation will briefly review the history of Stere oelectroencephalography (SEEG) as initially proposed and the relevant adva nces with new materials and techniques. For more than two decades\, commer cial electrodes have been used to create lesions via Radio-Frequency Therm o-Coagulation (RF-TC). Lesion generation will be demonstrated ex vivo. Fac tors which influence lesion size and geometry will be discussed. Patient c ases will be shown with the view that some pathologies underlying intracta ble epilepsy may be more amenable to RF-TC.\n\n  \n\n Alexander G. Weil | Ep ilepsy Neurosurgeon\n\n - Alexander G. Weil\, MD\, FRCSC\, is a pediatric neurosurgeon and epilepsy surgeon at CHU Sainte-Justine and CHUM in Montre al\, and Associate Professor at the Université de Montréal. His clinical p ractice is dedicated to the surgical management of drug-resistant epilepsy in children\, with a focus on stereo-electroencephalography (SEEG)\, rese ctive and disconnective surgery\, and minimally invasive approaches. His r esearch centers on epileptogenic networks\, connectomics\, and artificial intelligence–driven approaches to precision epilepsy surgery aimed at impr oving outcomes for children with complex epilepsy. Dr. Weil has led and co llaborated on national and international studies advancing epilepsy surger y and the integration of neuroimaging\, electrophysiology\, and computatio nal tools into clinical care.\n\n Targeting Epileptogenic Networks in Focal Cortical Dysplasia: From SEEG to Precision Surgery\n\n Focal cortical dysp lasia (FCD) is one of the most common causes of drug-resistant focal epile psy\, yet it is increasingly recognized as a network disorder rather than a purely focal lesion. A network-based understanding of FCD is critical to improving surgical outcomes\, as the epileptogenic process often extends beyond the MRI-visible abnormality. This talk will show how stereo-electro encephalography (SEEG) helps define the epileptogenic network by identifyi ng seizure onset\, propagation pathways\, and the relationship between epi leptogenic\, symptomatogenic\, and eloquent cortex. I will discuss how thi s framework can guide more precise resection\, disconnection\, and minimal ly invasive ablation\, and how advanced connectomics can further refine in dividualized strategies to improve seizure freedom while minimizing functi onal risk.\n\n \n \n\n \n The Pierre Gloor Lecture\n\n The Pierre Gloor Lecture celebrates the life and legacy of Pierre Gloor (1923–2003)\, who joined T he Neuro (Montreal Neurological Institute-Hospital) in 1952 as a fellow in electroencephalography and neurophysiology. He trained under Wilder Penfi eld and Herbert Jasper and earned his PhD from ɬ﷬ in 1957. Gloor collaborated closely with clinical and research teams at The Neuro i n advancing the understanding and treatment of epilepsy\, gaining internat ional recognition for his contributions to the field.\n\n Brain Mosaicism i n Epilepsies and Cortical Malformations\n\n Speaker: Stéphanie Baulac\, PhD \n Research director and Group Leader\n Inserm and Paris Brain Institute (IC M)\n\n Focal cortical dysplasia type II (FCDII) is a cortical malformation causing refractory epilepsy\, resulting from developmental somatic mutatio ns in mTOR pathway genes. To understand how these mutations create a mosai c pattern of affected cells and lead to cortical dyslamination\, we perfor med comprehensive single-nucleus analyses of surgical samples from genetic ally-characterized FCDII patients. By combining genotyping and transcripto mics at single-cell resolution\, we revealed that mutations predominantly affect glutamatergic neurons and astrocytes\, creating distinct transcript ional programs in both mutated and non-mutated cells. This mosaicism drive s cell-type-specific dysregulation of synaptic and neurodevelopmental path ways that likely contribute to epileptogenesis. Notably\, our analysis of cytomegalic cells uncovered pronounced alterations in mitochondrial metabo lism pathways and cellular senescence. We uncover a signature associated w ith cellular senescence in abnormal FCDII cells and further provide eviden ce in preclinical FCDII mouse models that senolytic agents could offer a n ovel therapeutic strategy for this disorder.\n\n  \n\n \n \n\n \n Location\n\n T he Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital is at 3801 University Stre et\, north of Pine Avenue West\, on the ɬ﷬ campus opposite the former Royal Victoria Hospital.\n\n Montreal is served by highway Route s 10\, 15\, 20 and 40\, and by Greyhound Bus\, Via Rail and the P-E-Trudea u airport. In the city\, bus and metro service is provided by the Société de transport de Montréal (STM).\n\n Wheelchair access\n\n A wheelchair acces sible entrance is on University Street north of the main entrance. Another wheelchair accessible entrance is in the loading area behind the building : to enter the loading area\, turn into the driveway south of the main ent rance. Please note\, there is no parking in the loading area.\n\n Parking\n \n Parking near the MNI is sometimes difficult. There are parking meters on University Street and a parking lot north of the main entrance. To enter the lot\, turn right into the driveway toward Molson Stadium.\n\n Informati on about parking fees\n\n Taxi Stand\n\n There is a taxi stand on University Street across from the main entrance. You may call a cab from the free ta xi phone in the main lobby near the Security Desk.\n\n Access by Public Tra nsportation (STM website)\n\n Bus\n\n There are four bus stops within walkin g distance:\n\n \n Bus 144 stops at Pine Avenue and University Street\n Bus 3 56 stops at Sherbrooke Street and University Street (Nightbus)\n Bus 107 st ops at Pine Avenue and Docteur Penfield\n Bus 24 stops at Sherbrooke Street and University Street\n \n\n Metro\n\n Take the Metro Green Line to the McGi ll station. Walk north on University Street and cross Pine Avenue. The mai n entrance is on the right\, past the flags.\n\n Jeanne Timmins Amphitheatr e\n\n \n Enter the main lobby\, turn left\, and go down the hallway to the e nd.\n Turn right and go down the second hallway until you see another hallw ay on the left.\n This hallway leads to the Jeanne Timmins Foyer.\n On your  right are the Jeanne Timmins Amphitheatre entrance doors.\n \n \n\n \n Sponsor s \n\n \n\n \n \n\n \n Scientific Committee\n\n Sam Audrain\n\n Alexander Barnett \n\n Boris Bernhardt\n\n Sara Larivière\n\n Raluca Pana\n\n Myriam Srour\n\n   \n\n \n \n\n DTSTART:20260528T131500Z DTEND:20260528T210000Z LOCATION:Jeanne Timmins Amphitheatre\, The Neuro SUMMARY:The Neuro Epilepsy Day 2026: Epilepsy Across Multiple Scales URL:/newsroom/channels/event/neuro-epilepsy-day-2026-e pilepsy-across-multiple-scales-368975 END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR