We are deeply saddened to hear the passing of Professor Jean François Marie Aicardi in Paris. A world-renowned physician and child neurologist, Professor Aicardi had friends, students and patients from all over the world . A true giant of Paediatric Neurology, his passing is indeed a great loss to the world of child neurology and to the countless friends and colleagues all over the world. The International Child Neurology Association express it's deepest condolence on the demise of this truly inspirational Child Neurologist.
Jean François Marie Aicardi studied at the Paris Medical School and became an Interne des Hôpitaux de Paris in 1951. He trained at Hôpital de la Salpêtrière under Raymond Garcin (1897-1971)under Raymond Garcin (1897-1971)and at Hôspital des Enfants Malades in Paris under Stéphane Thieffry. He received his doctorate from the University of Paris in 1955 on convulsive disorders in the first year of life . From 1955-1956 as a research fellow at the Harvard Medical School and the Children's Hospital Medical Center in Bostn. On returning to Paris, Aicardi joined the Department of Infantile Surgery at the Hôpital des Enfants Malades as a Paediatrician, where he remained until 1964 while continuing his interest in child neurology. He then worked as an assistant to Thieffry from 1964 to 1979 in the Department of Child Neurology at the Hôpital Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1968 he joined the Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche Médicale (INSERM). He returned with his team to the Hôpital des Enfants Malades in 1979 to create and run a new unit of child neurology.
In 1970 Aicardi was invited to Oxford, England, by Ronald MacKeith (1908-1977) in order to participate in the first meeting of the European Study Group in Child Neurology, an exclusive group of The Spastics Society, an organisation that has played an important role in the development of child neurology in Europe. This group became the European Federation of Child Neurology Societies in 1973 and has branches in most European countries. Following his retirement in 1991, Jean Aicardi was appointed honorary professor of child neurology at the Institute of Child Health and honorary consultant at the Hospital for Sick Children, London. In March 1999 he became the founding editor of the journal Epileptic Disorders.
Aicardi was awarded the Cornelia de Lange Medallion from the Dutch Society of Child Neurology in 1985 and the Hower Award from the American Child Neurology Society in 1986. In 1995 he received the Epilepsy research Award from the American Epilepsy Society. Professor Aicardi is known throughout the world through his encyclopaedic text books and scientific works. He has authored more than 250 original papers which deals with childhood epilepsy, while many are devoted to brain malformations, progressive encephalopathies, and other aspects of child neurology.
Biography source: Aicardi, J. (2013). Jean Aicardi: my circuitous path to becoming a French child neurologist and epileptologist. Journal of Child Neurology, 28(3), 409–15. doi:10.1177/0883073812470212 J_Child_Neurol-2013-Aicardi-409-15_b640f.pdf
Also see:
Krägeloh-Mann I, Board of the Society of Neuropediatrics (2015) Prof. Jean François Marie Aicardi (1926-2015). Neuropediatrics ():. DOI: 10.1055/s-0035-1566445 PMID: 26535874.
Stephenson J, Professor Jean Aicardi (1926-2015) https://www.childneurologysociety.org/about/in-memoriam/professor-jean-aicard
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The 13th Nigeria Society of Neuroscience (NSN) Conference will be held in AFE BABALOLA UNIVERSITY ADO EKITI (ABUAD) in from 11-14 November 2015. The theme of the conference is "Nervous system disorders: African Challenge".
The venue of the meeting is the College of Medicine and Health Sciences, Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, Nigeria. Ado Ekiti is a a city in southwest Nigeria, the state capital and headquarters of the Ekiti. It is also known as Ado. The people of Ado Ekiti are mainly of the Ekiti sub-thnic group of the Yoruba. Ado Ekiti city has a state owned university, the University of Ado Ekiti, now Ekiti state university, Ado-Ekiti, a privately owned University. The Afe Babalola University, Ado-Ekiti, a Polytechnic- the Federal Polytechnic, Ado-Ekiti. Various commercial enterprises operate in Ado Ekiti. The city is the trade centre for a farming region where yams, cassava, grain and tobacco are grown. Cotton is also grown for weaving..
Call for abstracts
Submission of abstracts opens April 1, 2015 and closes October 30, 2015. Submitted abstracts should not exceed 300 words and must include Background, Aims and Objectives, Methodology, Results and Conclusion. A maximum of three relevant references should also be included. Please send your abstracts to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
| Categories | Early Registration | Late Registration |
| Undergrad students |
N1,500.00 |
N2,500.00 |
| Postgrad students | N8,000.00 | N10,000.00 |
| Professionals | N20,000.00 | N25,000.00 |
Local Organising Committee
Chairman
Laofe Ogundipe
+2349035210992
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Secretary
Babwale Olatunji
+2348065302521
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Scientifc Subcommittee Chair
Olalekan Ogundele
+2348153324284
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Media & Pub. Subcommittee Chair
Philip Adeniyi
+2348032922323
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Professor Helen Cross, Executive board member of the ICNA, The Prince of Wales's Chair of Childhood Epilepsy, Deputy Head of Developmental Neurosciences Programme of the UCL Institute of Child Health and Honorary Consultant in Paediatric Neurology at Great Ormond Street Hospital NHS Trust, London and Young Epilepsy, Lingfield, received an OBE (Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire) in the Queen of England's Birthday Honours for her services to Children with Epilepsy.
Professor Cross said
Huge progress has been made in the diagnosis and management of epilepsy over the past 20 years. This has required national and international collaboration, as well as constant translation to clinical practice. This award is a great honour, and which I dedicate to all the children with epilepsy with whom I have had contact over the years, who continue to teach us so much more and for whom we strive for better outcome".!
Professor Cross has published widely on seizure, neuropsychological and behavioural outcomes in children who have undergone surgical resection for treatment of their epilepsy.
Her research has focused on improving outcomes for children with early onset epilepsy. Her early research was into improving imaging techniques to determine areas of likely seizure onset in children with drug resistant focal epilepsy and has developed an epilepsy surgery programme based on her research.
She conducted the first randomized controlled trial of the ketogenic diet in the treatment of children with drug resistant focal epilepsy and is endeavouring to conduct the same in the very young and adults. Recognising there was little in the way of control data with regard to neurodevelopmental progress, she initiated the North London Epilepsy in Infancy study, where a cohort of children was recruited at diagnosis in the first two years of life, and has been followed to at least three years. She is now aiming to conduct a similar study over a wider geographical area, also examining phenotypes and genotypes.
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IBRO-UCT African Advanced School on Epilepsy
Cape Town, South Africa
December 2 - 16, 2015
Organizer: Prof. Dirk Lang (University of Cape Town).
Aims and Scope of the School
This advanced school aims to provide advanced research training in both clinical and basic aspects of epilepsy.
Description
The main objective of the IBRO Advanced School on Epilepsy is to provide a platform for junior researchers, postdoctoral fellows and senior PhD students to gain knowledge and experience in the use of advanced neuroscience techniques in clinical diagnosis and electrophysiology. The aim is also to promote collaboration across the continent of Africa and beyond to enhance the level of expertise in the neurosciences. The School will include lectures on state-of-the-art techniques as well as lectures aimed at providing a deeper understanding of e.g. the pathogenesis of epilepsy, the role of surgery in epilepsy, the effect of antiepileptic drugs on behaviour and cognitive function in patients with epilepsy. The basic aspect of the school will provide training in methods aimed at understanding seizures and epilepsy at multiple levels from genes to networks. This includes molecular methods, in vitro recording of seizure-like activity, whole cell-patch clamp, immunohistochemistry and calcium imaging.
Who should apply to this School?
Application is open to PhD & MD students, post-doctoral fellows & junior faculty engaged in clinical and/or basic research pertaining to epilepsy and are currently residing in Africa. Applicants will be selected on the basis of their CVs. Consideration will also be given to ensure participation of trainees from different parts of Africa.
What costs will be covered for selected applicants?
Accommodation and meals will be provided. Assistance with travel expenses to South Africa will be available if required and adequately motivated.
Application deadline: July 1, 2015 (11:59 p.m. CET)
Apply here
For all enquiries, please contact Prof. Dirk Lang at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
Co-sponsored by Society of Neuroscientists of Africa
The ICNA is not affiliated with the International Brain Research Organization (IBRO)
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The ICNA is delighted to congratulate Professor Orvar Eeg-Olofsson on being named as a Honorary Member of the European Paediatric Neurology Society. Honorary membership of the EPNS is the highest distinction for paediatric neurologists who really advanced the field of pediatric during their career. This can be at all levels that are important in the spirit of the EPNS : advancements in research , excellent clinical care and / or educational qualities. More importantly, honorary EPNS members continue to sympathize with our goals and are actively involved in promoting EPNS.
Professor Orvar Eeg-Olofsson was born in 1932 in Sweden and had his training in Sweden. He was the head of paediatric neurology in Upssala Sweden and is now Senior Professor at the same university. He was a board member in the early days of the EPNS. He is an expert in EEG, neurophysiology and epilepsy. He was involved in many educational activities for EPNS and ICNA throughout the world: a real sailing man.
Prof Eeg-Olofsson was also the Chairman of Swedish Child Neurology Association 1994-1996; Board member of European Paediatric Neurology Society (EPNS) 1997 - 2005.; Board member of ICNA since 1998 (Treassurer 2002 - 2010 and re-elected 2010 - 2014) and Member of the ILAE task force group on classification 2000-2005.
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