European Society for the Study of Tourette Syndrome (ESSTS) conference 2017

Posted on 21 June 2017

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At the 2017 European Society for the Study of Tourette Syndrome (ESSTS) conference in Seville Spain, health professional, researchers and representatives from TS patient groups across Europe including: Holland, Norway, Belgium, Finland, Spain and the UK; gathered together in their annual meeting to make collaborative working happen.  Although there are no patient associations in Greece, a Greek researcher who works in the UK attended.  

The key topics explored during the conference were:

Behavioural therapy for tic disorders in both English and Spanish

Patient advocacy groups

Genetics of TS and related disorders

Neurophysiology and neuroimaging

Comorbidities – including impulsivity, compulsivity, Autism Spectrum Traits.

Treatments – including behavioural therapy, deep brain stimulation, cannabinoids.

Professor Alan Apter received the Lifetime Achievement Award for his contribution to the understanding, diagnosis and management of Tourette Syndrome.

And Professor Lorena Fernandez de la Cruz (Karolinska Institute, Sweden) was the winner of the Professor Mary Roberston Award for Research Contribution.  The award includes a prize of £200 which has been endowned by Professor Roberston, the Life President of ESSTS.

Tourettes Action's Research Manager, Seonaid Anderson, who attended the ESSTS conference gives her view on what ESSTS is all about:

"The ESSTs conference is an amazing opportunity for those academics, clinicians and researchers from across the world to come together to present and discuss the most recent research into the treatment and management of Tourettes Syndrome and tics. There is also a session for representatives from patient support associations across the EU to discuss issues concerning patients.  This conference is jam-packed with information in the form of posters and presentations. The networking opportunities mean that experts often sow the seeds of future collaboration and research ideas!"

The following video is Laura Beljaars presenting the findings of the Dutch patient association to the research community at ESST conference 2017.  Click here to view

The 2018 ESSTS conference will be held in Copenhagen.

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