12th Symposium on Behavioral Neurology

Dear colleagues,

It is our great pleasure to invite you to the 12th Symposium on Behavioral Neurology in Lucerne, taking place on May 9th, 2025. The Symposium will be devoted to emerging disease-modifying treatments of dementia as well as their diagnosis by subtype-specific biomarkers. Furthermore, the diagnosis and management of cognitive-behavioral disorders will be of major interest.

Dementias are referred to as proteinopathies based on the pathological aggregation of various proteins including amyloid, tau and alpha-synuclein. Recent advents in the elucidation of the molecular basis of dementias have enabled the development of targeted treatments using monoclonal antibodies. Experience from successful and failed clinical trials shows that in Alzheimer's dementia, the faster the amyloid plaques are cleared, the greater the clinical benefit of antibody treatments. Progress in the drugs against tau (fronto-temporal dementia) and alpha-synuclein (Parkinson) is also encouraging. Furthermore, for early and effective treatment of dementia, the development of biomarkers in both easily accessible tissues and imaging is crucial. These exciting developments and perspectives are covered in the morning session (extending to early afternoon). Despite recent advances in molecular drug treatment, early diagnosis and management of various cognitive and behavioral problems in dementia remains essential to patient care. Therefore, the second session of the symposium will address some aspects of this topic, including clinical manifestation in primary progressive aphasia, the association between impaired cognition and falls, tablet-based assessment for primary care practice, and impaired social cognition.

We are very pleased that internationally renowned scientists and clinicians agreed to participate and share their expertise with us. The symposium will be of interest for all health care professionals diagnosing and treating patients with dementia, including psychiatrists, neurologists, geriatricians, clinical neuropsychologists and therapists. We look forward to welcome you in the picturesque city of Lucerne.

Prof. Dr. med. Stephan Bohlhalter, Chair Neurocenter
Dr. phil. Gianina Toller, Head of Neuropsychology
PD Dr. med. Maria Blatow, Senior Consultant