ECT remains the most effective biological therapy of sever major depressive episodes. However, international and multidiciplinary collaboration researching the neurobiological underpinnings of ECT is cruicial to enhance treatment outcomes and reduce side effects. We will conduct an international workshop entitled “the Future of ECT” in Bergen in September 2022, with different stakeholders for three consecutive days focusing on scientific knowledge dissemination. The event will be organized by the Global ECT-MRI Research Collaboration (GEMRIC) which is the the world's largest research collaboration in the field of ECT and imaging, with groups from 25 sites in 11 countries. We will also invite contributions from the International Consortium on the Genetics of ECT and Severe Depressive Disorders (GenECT-ic) and the Global ECT Network (GENET). We expect about 50-70 participants who will participate on-site but also plan to stream the event for broader and climate friendly attendance.
The workshop will provide a highly focused arena and contribute to building a bridge from world leading researchers to ECT practitioners and patient groups - all with a common goal of providing safer and more personalized treatment for severe and sometimes life-threatening depressive episodes. We will use the event to lay the ground for conveying up-to-date knowledge about ECT to users (partctioners, researchers and patients) and to the general public throughout the world.
The workshop will be organized in five sessions, each dedicated to a specific aim: 1) Scientific progress of GEMRIC; reports and project proposals, 2) Time for a global registry of ECT?, 3) Future of neurostimulation techniques in ECT, 4) Personalized treatment & young researcher perspective, 5) Improving information about ECT to patients and public.
The social program will include a town walk, workshop dinner and Hike to one of the local mountains which surrounds Bergen.
Funding scheme:
BEHANDLING-God og treffsikker diagnostikk, behandling og rehabilitering