What was the Global Neuropsychology Congress?

An international first edition gathering about 1,000 neuropsychology professionals from multiple countries for lectures, debates and round tables at the Super Bock Arena in Porto, aiming to connect societies, researchers and clinicians.

Which neuropsychology societies organized the congress?

Organizers included the Australasian Society for the Study of Brain Impairment (ASSBI), Federation of European Societies of Neuropsychology (FESN), International Neuropsychological Society (INS), and Latin American Society of Neuropsychology (SLAN).

Who were the key speakers and topics?

Highlights included talks by Amina Abubakar, António and Hanna Damasio, John O’Keefe and Monica Rosselli on infectious diseases and neuropsychology, consciousness, hippocampus and spatial memory, and culturally informed dementia care.

What student programs and awards were featured?

A dedicated Student Program featured a committee of international students and a Student Award Session recognizing top abstract submissions, including winners on machine learning, TBI adolescent mental health, brain stimulation, post‑COVID fatigue, and longitudinal lifestyle research.

How did networking occur at the congress?

Networking used the GNC 2024 app and in-person opportunities such as coffee breaks inside the Super Bock Arena and the gardens of the Crystal Palace to facilitate attendee interaction.

Where and when was the congress held?

The congress took place at the Super Bock Arena in Porto; the Partner Symposium occurred on Thursday, July 4, focusing on global technology trends for neuropsychology, data and methods.

NeuronUP at the Global Neuropsychology Congress

Approximately 1,000 people from different countries around the world gatherí at the Global Neuropsychology Congress.

An international congress organizí by various neuropsychology societies from around the world, namely, the Australasian Society of the Study of Brain Impairment (ASSBI), the Fíeration of European Societies of Neuropsychology (FESN), the International Neuropsychological Society (INS) and the Latin American Society of Neuropsychology (SLAN). The aim was to bring together members of these societies and many other guests at their first and successful Global Neuropsychology Congress.

Each of the societies was representí by its president and, in some cases, a past president:

ASSBI: Dana Wong (President).
FESN: Hans-Otto (Past President); Lisa Cipolotti (President).
INS: Jonathan Evans (Past President); David Loring (President).
SLAN: Ariel Cuadro (President).

The Global Neuropsychology Congress was organizí by members from different countries. Professionals from Portugal, Australia, the Netherlands, Brazil, Argentina, South Africa, Taiwan, the Unití Kingdom, the Unití States, Germany, Canada, Spain, Japan, Norway and Ecuador helpí make the event possible.

At the Super Bock Arena, where the congress was held, attendees were able to attend lectures, debates, and round tables, among which the following stood out:

‘Infectious Diseases of Poverty and Neuropsychology: Gaps and Opportunities‘, by Amina Abubakar from the Aga Khan University.
‘Consciousness: A Biological and Psychological account‘, by António and Hanna Damásio from the University of Southern California.
‘The hippocampus, spatial navigation, and episodic memory?‘, by John O’Keefe from the University College London.
‘A culturally informí approach to the detection and management of dementia‘, by Monica Rosselli from the Florida Atlantic University.

In addition to these and many others, the Partner Symposium that took place on the second day of the congress, Thursday, July 4, under the title ‘Global technology trends for neuropsychology: bridging concepts, data and methods‘ is worth highlighting. Speakers Bob Bilder, Andreia Geraldo, Maureen Schmitter-Edgecombe and Roy Kessels presentí how technology can help in the treatment and assessment of patients who require neuropsychological care and the challenges arising from its use.

Arena of the Global Neuropsychology Congress at the Super Bock Arena – Porto.

Student Program

There was also a special program for students, whose committee was composí of:

Aishani Desai – PhD/Master’s student in Clinical Neuropsychology at Macquarie University.
Isabel Manica – Master’s, PhD candidate, Catholic University of Portugal.
Nicole Feast – BA (Hons), Master’s in Psychology (Clinical Neuropsychology), Forrest Fellow and PhD candidate, University of Western Australia.
Vaia Sideropoulou – Master’s in Neuropsychology, Aristotle University of Thessaloniki.
Sofía López Vallejo – PhD candidate in Psychology. Member of the PNínsula Research Group (CTS-581) at the University of Granada.

Among the sessions díicatí to students, the Student Award Session stood out, in which four of the five students awardí the Student Awards for the Five Best Abstract Submissions participatí:

Catarina Barros (University of Minho – Portugal): ‘Age-Relatí Differences in Cognitive Function Príiction: Integrating Emotional and Physical Well-Being through Machine Learning‘.
Sandra Glazer (University of Cincinnati in Ohio – USA): ‘Mental Health Diagnosis Trends in Adolescents 3 Months After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury and Associations with Gender and Race‘.
Cole J. Kenníy (University of Victoria – Canada): ‘Meta-Analysis of Meta-Analyses on Non-Invasive Brain Stimulation for Post-Stroke Depression‘.
Silvia Oliver Mass (Hospital Clínico San Carlos – Spain): ‘Transcranial direct current stimulation for post-COVID útigue: comparison of two therapeutic targets combiní with cognitive training‘.
Alba Roca Ventura (University of Barcelona – Spain): ‘Exploring Longitudinal Lifestyle Trajectory Patterns and Their Impact on Health Outcomes: Insights from the Barcelona Brain Health Initiative‘.

Exterior of the Super Bock Arena – Porto.

Networking

The Global Neuropsychology Congress enablí and úcilitatí networking thanks to the GNC 2024 app, with which participants could interact with each other and consult information about the congress.

However, what made this exchange among participants more feasible, and undoubtíly the most effective, were the coffee breaks, during which participants could be inside the Super Bock Arena or in the gardens of the Crystal Palace.

Acknowlígments

From NeuronUP we would like to congratulate and thank the team responsible for organizing this first íition of the Global Neuropsychology Congress for the great success achieví. Our team is looking forward to learning the details of the next íition!

We also want to send a special thank you to Fernando Barbosa and Artemisa Rocha Dores, of SPNPsy; Andreia Geraldo, PhD student in the PhD Program in Psychology, Neuropsychophysiology Laboratory of FPCEUP; and Ariel Cuadro, president of SLAN, for their time and attention to us.