International Neuromodulation Society Announces Eighth World Congress In Acapulco, Mexico

Main Category: Neurology / Neuroscience
Also Included In: Conferences;  Stroke;  Depression
Article Date: 05 Dec 2007 - 5:00 PDT

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The International Neuromodulation Society (INS) will host its eighth world congress in Acapulco, Mexico from December 7 - 12. Leading physicians, engineers and neuroscientists will share results from their research in neuromodulation, the alteration (or modulation) of nerve activity by delivering electrical or pharmaceutical agents directly to a target area.

Experts will provide updates on how clinical applications of neuromodulation are being used to help patients living with a variety of conditions, including Parkinson disease, depression, and addiction and eating disorders. Seminars will also be used to discuss the basics of neural engineering and the characteristics of the neuromodulation market. It is the year's largest meeting devoted specifically to neuromodulation.

"Neuromodulation devices and treatments are life changing, affecting every area of the body and addressing nearly every disease or symptom," said Elliot S. Krames MD, President of the INS. "The results and information that will be presented at this year's congress are indicative of the growth and impact this industry will have over the next decade."

The pre-conference seminars are on December 7 and 8 and will discuss the fundamentals of neuromodulation, the basics of neural engineering and the characteristics of the neuromodulation market. The conference portion from December 9 - 12 highlights a different aspect if neuromodulation's capabilities each day:

"Brain Day" (Sunday, Dec. 9) - Presentations on neuromodulation therapies for movement disorders, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression and Parkinson disease.

"Pain Day" (Monday, Dec. 10) - Sessions about the mechanism of headaches and updates on new research on the cellular/physiological mechanisms of stimulation and excitability.

"Functional Electrical Stimulation (FES) Day" (Tuesday, Dec. 11) - Highlights rehabilitation for stroke patients and other neurological disorders.

"Stimulation Organ Day" (Wednesday, Dec. 12) - Sessions emphasizing treatments for gastric, cardiac and urological disorders.

The congress will host more than 50 presentations that cover recent studies in and breakthrough applications of neuromodulation. Some highly anticipated presentations are listed below:

- Heroin Addiction (Sunday, December 9) - Jiwen Xu, MD, PhD will share how deep brain stimulation (DBS) allowed a five-year user of heroin to overcome his addition.

- Emergence from Vegetative State (Sunday, December 9) - Takamitsu Yamamoto, MD, PhD will discuss how DBS therapy led eight patients to emerge from a vegetative state.
- Anorexia Nervosa (Sunday, December 9 - Bomin Sun, MD will demonstrate how DBS is an effective and robust treatment for medically refractory anorexia nervosa.

- Post-Stroke Motor Recovery (Tuesday, December 11) - Robert Levy, MD, PhD will provide an up-date on the Everest Study (a multi-center, prospective, randomized, placebo controlled Phase III pivotal trial) which investigates the efficacy of brain stimulation for motor recovery following strokes.

- Depression (Tuesday, December 11) - Brian Harris Kopell, MD will discuss the significant antidepressant effects of implantable cortical stimulation systems.

- Post-Stroke Limb Rehab (Wednesday, December 12) - Ross Davis, MD will share how a neuroprosthesis that applies surface electrical stimulation has helped hemiplegic stroke patients recover arm and hand function.

- Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (Tuesday, December 11) - Fiacro Jiménez-Ponce, M.D., Ph.D. will present the findings of his study on the use of neuromodulation on the orbitofrontal cortex of patients who have not responded to conventional treatments for Obsessive Compulsive Disorder.

Additionally, pioneering companies in the industry, such as Advanced Neuromodulation Systems (ANS), Boston Scientific, Elan Pharmaceuticals, Medtronic, Second Sight and NorthStar Neuroscience, will share product insights, investment trends, neural engineering partnerships, and start-up opportunities.

For information about these and other presentations not listed, please contact Anita Chordia, CoActive Public Relations, at (415) 621-6626 or achordia@coactivepr.com. On-site telephone interviews will also be arranged for those that cannot attend.

About the International Neuromodulation Society

The International Neuromodulation Society (INS) is a non-profit group of clinicians, scientists and engineers dedicated to the scientific development and awareness of neuromodulation - the alteration of nerve activity through the delivery of electrical stimulation or chemical agents to targeted sites of the body. Founded in 1989 and based in San Francisco, CA, the INS educates and promotes the field through meetings, its journal Neuromodulation and chapter websites. For more information, please visit http://www.neuromodulation.com. For conference information, please visit this link.(Due to its length, this URL may need to be copied/pasted into your Internet browser's address field. Remove the extra space if one exists.).

.International Neuromodulation Society