Neurology Update Meeting 2023 Report
The 22nd Annual Neurology Update Meeting, directed by Dr. Aoife Laffan, took place on Friday, October 6th at the Radisson Blu St. Helen’s Hotel, Stillorgan, Dublin.
Dr. Laffan opened the meeting, welcoming guests, chairpersons, delegates and sponsors to the meeting. She especially welcomed her guest lecturers, those who had travelled from Edinburgh and London, and those who would join the meeting online from Essen, Germany, and from Toronto, Canada
Dr. Laffan outlined the programme for the day, which was divided into five sessions. Neurology Update Meeting Programme 2023
Meeting Programme
- ▾ Session I - Chair: Prof. Colin Doherty
- ▾ Session II - Chair: Dr. Conor Fearon
- ▾ Session III - Chair: Prof. Siobhán Hutchinson
- ▾ Session IV - Chair: Dr. Karen O'Connell
- ▾ Session V - Chair: Prof. Brian Sweeney
- ▾
Functional Neurological Disorder - Dr. Aoife Laffan
“This year’s Neurology Update Meeting took on a different format to other years, presenting a day on Functional Neurological Disorder (FND), the first of its kind in Ireland. We welcomed many delegates not only from neurological specialties but also psychiatry, psychology, general practice, nursing, physiotherapy, and occupational therapy, underscoring the important role of a multidisciplinary approach in optimizing outcomes.
FND has been shown to be the second most common presentation to new neurology clinics and so despite some reservations within the neurology community that patients with FND would be better served solely by our colleagues in psychological medicine, these patients continue to seek our services, urging us to take responsibility to appropriately diagnose and assist in their management.
Each lecture on the day generated much discussion and showcased the remarkable progress of this sub-speciality including our understanding of the role of multiple neural circuits in the pathomechanism of FND, which complement the previously described psychological models and offer possible neurobiological insights for symptom development.
I sincerely hope that this year’s Neurology Update Meeting marks a significant stride towards much needed FND care in Ireland”. – Dr. Aoife Laffan, Meeting Director