welcome

Dear Colleague,

Immobility, falls and mental dysfunction have a an enormous impact on the health and well-being of older adults. The tremendous success of the 1st Congress on Gait and Mental Function, held in Madrid earlier this year, clearly underscored the importance of having a conference dedicated specifically to the complex interplay between gait and mental dysfunction. A better understanding of this interplay has great clinical implications, and has proven to be a fascinating area of research.

In this 2nd International Congress on Gait and Mental Function, we will provide delegates with a complete update of this rapidly advancing field. The program will contain a mixture of clinically oriented presentations and the latest scientific highlights, thus providing a mixed menu that should appeal to a broad audience. Specific new elements in this conference include the neuropharmacology behind gait and mental dysfunction; innovative rehabilitation approaches to reduce falls caused by mental dysfunction; and the importance of gait and mental dysfunction in the ageing population. One plenary session will be dedicated to oral presentations by promising young researchers who can compete for the “young-investigator award”. In addition, the conference will feature practical “hands-on” workshops for both clinicians and researchers, thereby providing a forum for interaction between the clinical setting and basic science. Delegates will thus be challenged to cross the borders of their own specialties, and the 1st Congress in Madrid showed just how fruitful this approach can be. As in the previous meeting, lectures will be presented at a leisure pace with ample time for discussion, interaction and social activities.

The 2nd International Congress on Gait and Mental Function will once again bring together researchers and clinicians from all over the world for three days of intensive clinical and scientific interactions. The goal is to review the science that links gait and mental function, to foster cross-disciplinary discussions, and to move this emerging field forward.

Researchers and clinicians from a variety of fields including cognitive neuroscientists, neurologists, neurophysiologists, psychiatrists, geriatricians, rehabilitation specialists, physical and occupational therapists, as well as researchers of gait,posture or mental functions are invited to participate and submit abstracts for the congress.

We hope that you will join this exciting meeting that promises many fruitful discussions, and look forward to seeing you in Amsterdam in February 2008!

Bastiaan Bloem, Neurologist
Marcel Olde Rikkert, Geriatrician
Chairs
Organizing Committee