One in four U.S. adults suffer from a diagnosable neurological disorder, and a quarter of these are seriously disabled as a result. These patients endure immense physical and emotional suffering, and their family members and caregivers bear a heavy emotional and financial burden. That’s why thought leaders in research, engineering, industry, and clinical settings from around the world will descend on Portland for the 2nd annual NeuroFutures Conference, July 15-17. Sponsored by the OHSU Brain Institute, the Allen Institute for Brain Science, and the University of Washington, this annual conference explores innovations in neurotechnology.
NeuroFutures Conference
Wednesday, July 15 through Friday, July 17
Sentinel Hotel, 614 S.W. 11th Ave., Portland
Topics covered at the conference include:
- Neuroethics
- Neuromodulation
- Metabolic imaging
- Brain computer interface
- Big data analytics
- Tools and techniques
- Macro imaging
- Micro imaging
- Translation barriers
A number of distinguished OHSU experts will present, including Dennis Bourdette, M.D., Kim Burchiel, M.D., Damien Fair, P.A.-C., Ph.D., Jim Galbraith, Ph.D., Kathleen Grant, Ph.D., David Huang, M.D., Ph.D., and Jeff Iliff, Ph.D. For a complete list of speakers and panelists, check the conference website. A full agenda is located on the site, too.
Abstracts are being accepted until July 1. Submission guidelines are here.
This conference focuses on the intersection of several fields: Neuroimaging and brain mapping, the biology underlying healthy and disease state, and neuromodulation to stimulate the nervous system to treat certain neurological diseases. Recent advances illustrate the promise of neurotechnologies–for example, new medical devices have been able to restore hearing to deaf children via cochlear implants, restore vision to a blind person via retinal prostheses, control tremors in Parkinson’s patients via deep brain stimulation, and reduce the frequency and impact of epileptic seizures via neural stimulation. Extending these successes to stroke, Alzheimer’s, traumatic brain injury, depression, and other diseases is the goal.
Bonus opportunity
Haven’t had enough of the brain? NeuroFutures 2015 attendees are invited to attend the Portland International Neuroscience Symposium, also in Portland, July 17-19. Top neuroscience physicians and scientists will address state-of-the-art clinical topics and related research important to neuroscience. Topics include dementia, headache, neuro critical care, terminal care and ethics, and more. For more information, visit the symposium website.
