American Neurological Association Announces Key Plenaries for 147th Annual Meeting October 22–25, 2022, in Chicago

Newswise — [MOUNT LAUREL, NJ, March 14, 2022] — The 147^th Annual Meeting of the American Neurological Association (ANA) will explore new frontiers in neurology, including the impact of climate change on the human brain, whether lab-grown brain structures can shed new light on neurologic disease, and how to address disparities in neurologic diagnosis and care for diverse populations. Taking place October 22–25, 2022 at the Hyatt Regency in Chicago, IL, the meeting is the ANA’s first in-person conference since the COVID pandemic began, and is expected to draw approximately 1,000 of the nation’s and the world’s top academic neurologists and neuroscientists, students, and trainees.

More than ever, the 2022 Annual Meeting will leverage the ANA’s unique ability to create multi-specialty collaborations around interdisciplinary topics. Both the keynote sessions and new “cross-cutting” interest groups will spotlight issues with implications for many different diseases and research areas.

“The ANA Annual Meeting has long been known as a venue for chance encounters with the greatest minds in neurology and neuroscience, across all career stages,” said ANA President Frances Jensen, MD, professor and chair of the Department of Neurology at the Perelman School of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania. “While our virtual annual meetings retained that spirit, we look forward to having those in-person encounters again, and sharing the sense of excitement and possibility that comes with tackling the newest and most urgent topics in the field.”

“We have such an exciting range of plenaries, with some phenomenal speakers,” said Rebecca Gottesman, MD, PhD, chair of the ANA’s Scientific Program Advisory Committee and senior investigator and stroke branch chief at the Intramural Research Program of the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke at the National Institutes of Health. “The great thing about this meeting is there is something for every specialty, but also the program is designed so our major sessions are compelling to everyone.”

Key Science

The meeting will host plenary sessions on the following groundbreaking topics in neurology and neuroscience:

• Opening Symposium: Modeling neurological disorders with brain organoids. The meeting’s opening session on Saturday evening will explore how brain-like miniature organs grown from stem cells are helping neuroscientists understand disease in three dimensions. Session co-chairs: Jack Parent, MD (University of Michigan), Sally Temple, PhD (Neural Stem Cell Institute).

• ANA Presidential Symposium: Neurologic dark matter and the exposome. The 2022 Presidential Symposium will present new research that sheds light on the role of the environment—from climate change to chemical contamination—in brain function, and whether environmental exposures explain increased neurologic disease. ANA President Frances Jensen, MD, will chair the session, with two NIH institute directors moderating: Rick Woychik, PhD (National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences), and Walter Koroshetz, MD (National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke).

• Novel perspectives on neurodegeneration. This session features interconnecting and sometimes unexpected phenomena in neurodegenerative disease—for example, interactions between diseases, multiethnic representation in disease genetics, and protein pathways that represent therapeutic targets for multiple diseases like Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s. Co-chairs: Krish Sathian, MBBS, PhD (Penn State University), Stefanie Geisler, MD (Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis).

• Somatic mutations in neurologic disease. This session spotlights emerging research on the role of somatic mutations (non-inherited genetic mutations that occur after conception) in neurological conditions such as epilepsy and autism. It will also discuss the complexities of modeling how these mutations affect the nervous system. Co-chairs: Ann Poduri, MD, MPH (Boston Children’s Hospital), Sattar Khoshkhoo, MD (Brigham and Women's Hospital).

• Peripheral contributions to neurological disorders. The immune system and metabolism affect neurological health and disease in ways we are only beginning to understand. This session will discuss some newer insights on these interactions. Co-chairs: Matthew Burns (University of Florida), Sheng-Han Kuo (Columbia University).

• Health disparities in neurologic disease. This session will highlight inequities in diagnosis and care for neurologic diseases, as well as promising solutions for reducing disparities affecting racial, ethnic, sexual, and gender minority populations in the United States. Co-chairs: Roy Hamilton, MD, MS (University of Pennsylvania), Lesli Skolarus, MD, MS (University of Michigan).

• Innovative research from early career academic neurologists and neuroscientists. The popular Derek Denny-Brown Young Neurological Scholar Symposium returns, featuring cutting-edge research by rising stars in neurologic science.

Cross-Disciplinary Learning

New for ANA2022, cross-cutting Special Interest Group (SIG) sessions will bring attendees together around six themes: Health Services and Health Equity Research, Neurogenetics and Gene Therapy, Neuroinflammation and Neuroinfection, Neurorecovery and Neuroplasticity, Neurodegeneration and Cell Death, and Neurodevelopment. ANA hopes these sessions will inspire multi-specialty collaborations that continue throughout the year.

“These cross-cutting SIGs will bring people together who think about the science perhaps in similar ways, but might not have a chance to interact with each other otherwise,” Dr. Gottesman notes. “The Neurorecovery and Neuroplasticity SIG is one example. I really don't think there's another place where people are being brought together who are excited about recovery and the post-injury setting, whether it's stroke or traumatic brain injury.”

In addition, the meeting brings back popular favorites including Interactive Lunch Workshops on topics such as functional neurological disorders, clinical logic, and autoimmune encephalitis; Professional Development Workshops aimed at different career levels; and regular Special Interest Group sessions for networking and discussing important topics within specialties including epilepsy, headache, and autoimmune disease.

Abstract submission is open now through April 19, 2022.

Early Career Opportunities

As always, ANA2022 will provide special opportunities for early career practitioners—including Professional Development Workshops and a reception hosted by the ANA Early Career Task Force. In addition, several major plenary sessions will feature “data blitz” presentations from emerging researchers selected from among submitted abstracts. A separate Research Careers Reimagined course, held prior to the meeting, will focus on the varied potential pathways to a successful research career.

“I started attending the ANA meeting as a junior member and I have attended every meeting since,” Gottesman said. “This is the best place to network and get to know senior people in the field who will ultimately be helpful in your career.”

For the Media

The meeting will again feature a media roundtable on Tuesday, October 25 from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Central Time at which presenters of the principal symposia will present highlights, discuss the relevance of the work, and answer questions.

Members of the media are welcome to attend the full meeting and will be able to preview the advance program at 2022.myana.org starting in June. Embargoed abstracts will be made available by request in October.

To register and obtain press credentials, please click here.

About the American Neurological Association (ANA)

From advances in stroke and dementia to movement disorders and epilepsy, the American Neurological Association has been the vanguard of research since 1875 as the premier professional society of academic neurologists and neuroscientists devoted to understanding and treating diseases of the nervous system. Its monthly Annals of Neurology is among the world’s most prestigious medical journals, and the ANA’s Annals of Clinical and Translational Neurology is an online-only, open access journal providing rapid dissemination of high-quality, peer-reviewed research related to all areas of neurology. The acclaimed ANA Annual Meeting draws faculty and trainees from the top academic departments across the U.S. and abroad for groundbreaking research, networking, and career development. For more information, visit www.myana.org or @TheNewANA1.