News Release

Highlights of the 24th Congress of the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) 2011

Keeping up Europe’s outstanding tradition of neuroscience as groundwork for medical achievements

Peer-Reviewed Publication

European College of Neuropsychopharmacology

September 2011, Paris, France

The 24th ECNP Congress, which was held from 3 to 7 September 2011 in Paris, France, was once again a great success, bringing together more than 6,700 psychiatrists, neurologists, psychologists and neuroscience researchers from all over the world. ECNP is especially pleased to see an increasing number of delegates coming from outside Europe.

The annual ECNP Congress is the largest scientific meeting on mental and neurological health in Europe, promoting fruitful dialogue between neuroscientists and medical professionals. With more than 150 distinguished speakers from 19 countries, more than 35 sessions and more than 700 poster presentations, the 24th ECNP Congress offered insight into the wide variety of research activities in this field.

In regard of current challenges such as the rising burden of mental disorders and a funding crisis restraining the future of drug development in Europe, the 24th ECNP Congress highlighted the key importance of neuropsychopharmacological research for better therapeutic and preventive management and marked ECNP's ongoing commitment to alleviating the burden and suffering associated with disorders of the brain.

Major topics of the 24th ECNP Congress included a broad scope of issues of public health concern in psychiatric as well as neurological disorders, for instance cutting edge research on Alzheimer´s and Parkinson´s disease, early intervention in schizophrenia, sex and gender differences in mental disorders, or novel drug targets in major depression. The programme was topped off with three press conferences addressing highly topical developments and scientific advances:

  • The size and burden of mental disorders in Europe According to a brand new landmark study prepared by the European College of Neuropsychopharmacology (ECNP) and the European Brain Council (EBC), which was presented for the first time at the 24th ECNP Congress, mental disorders have become Europe's largest health challenge in the 21st century. Each year, 38,2% of the EU's population – or 164.8 million people – suffers from a mental disorder.

    "Taken together with the large and increasing number of 'disorders of the brain', the true size and burden is even significantly higher, and worse than we thought", said ECNP vice-president Professor Hans-Ulrich Wittchen, principal investigator and joint first author from the Technische University Dresden, Germany. "Dramatically increased funding of research on the causes and the treatment of disorders of the brain as well as a better allocation of treatment resources and improved provision of care are needed to address this challenge."

  • The emotional brain in youth: how to diagnose and treat mood disorders in children and adolescents A considerable increase in the number of children and adolescents diagnosed and treated for bipolar disorder has been noted recently. "At the same time, current neurobiological findings have advanced our understanding of emotional dysfunction in youth", explained Professor David Cohen from the famous clinic Pitié-Salpêtrière in Paris. "Recognising bipolar disorder based on biological markers such as brain structure and neural circuits is expected to result in improved, more specific and accurate diagnosis and treatment."

  • ECNP: challenges for the future of neuroscience research, drug development and treatment of mental disorders in Europe Professor Guy Goodwin from the University of Oxford, United Kingdom, stated that the abrupt withdrawal by major pharmaceutical companies from neuroscience research into drug development for mental disorders in Europe not only threatens a key part of Europe's knowledge economy: "The withdrawal of research resources is a withdrawal of hope for patients and their families." Every year around one third of the EU's population suffers from one or more mental or neurological disorder. The currently imperfect treatment options have resulted in highly prevalent disorders such as depression, dementia and addiction now accounting for some 35% of Europe's total disease burden – higher than cancer or heart disease (cf. The size and burden of mental disorders in Europe). Addressing these issues, through improved prevention, intervention and rehabilitation, is Europe's health care challenge of the 21st century.

    Another highlight of the 24th ECNP Congress was the presentation of the ECNP Neuropsychopharmacology Award in Basic Science Research to Bertil Fredholm, Sweden, in recognition of his pioneering work in the brain adenosine system, which is of importance, among others, for the effect of the most widely used psychoactive drug, namely caffeine.

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    For more details, please see the press releases in the enclosure.

    The next ECNP Congress will be held in Vienna, Austria, from 13-17 October 2012, where the ECNP's 25th anniversary will be celebrated.

    ECNP is an independent scientific association whose mission is to advance the science of the brain, promote better treatment and enhance brain health. The annual ECNP Congress attracts scientists and clinicians from across the world to discuss the latest advances in brain research in Europe's largest meeting on brain science.

    For further information about ECNP and its activities please visit the ECNP website: www.ecnp.eu

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