The Association of British Neurologists (ABN) Cognitive Specialist Interest Group (SIG) meeting took place on 10 January 2025 at the East Midlands Conference Centre, Nottingham, bringing together a diverse group of clinicians, researchers and specialists in cognitive neurology.

The ABN Cognitive SIG Chair, Dr Akram Hosseini, reported the following updates to the SIG community: 

  • The SIG continues to provide a forum for UK neurologists interested in cognition to meet, share information, and discuss relevant issues. 
  • Efforts remain ongoing to promote and support good practices within neurology-led memory clinics through evidence-based consensus, negotiation, and communication. 

Reflecting on discussions from the previous SIG meeting in May 2024 in Edinburgh, the Chair highlighted the initiative to strengthen collaboration with Old Age Psychiatry colleagues. While the original objectives were centred on neurologist-led memory clinics, today’s meeting represents an important step towards expanding the SIG’s reach and impact. By fostering interdisciplinary partnerships, the SIG aims to engage a broader community of specialists, extending its support beyond neurology-led services to a wider network of memory clinics. If successful, this approach could help shape the SIG’s future objectives, ensuring that advancements in evidence-based practice benefit a diverse range of clinicians involved in memory care. 

Attendance and Community Engagement

The meeting saw an impressive turnout, with over 170 registered attendees representing a wide range of clinical specialties, including neurology, psychiatry, geriatrics, acute medicine, stroke medicine, and neuroradiology. The event also attracted a significant number of trainees and early career researchers. Attendees were encouraged to join the ABN Cognitive SIG community and connect with committee members for further engagement. 

Speakers and Sessions

The meeting featured a distinguished lineup of speakers, introduced by session chairs Dr Chris Butler (Imperial College London), Dr Tim Rittman (University of Cambridge), Prof. Elizabeta Mukaetova-Ladinska (University of Leicester), Dr Tobias Langheinrich (Greater Manchester Neuroscience Centre), and Dr Rhys Davies (The Walton Centre, Liverpool). 

Morning Session

Prof. Sudha Seshadri, University of South Texas: Prof. Seshadri, a leading behavioural neurologist, is the Director of the Glenn Biggs Institute for Alzheimer’s and Neurodegenerative Diseases in South Texas at San Antonio and a senior investigator at the Framingham Heart Study. She leads neurology working groups within the Cohorts for Heart and Aging Research in Genomic Epidemiology (CHARGE) consortium, the Alzheimer’s Disease Sequencing Project (ADSP), the Cross Cohorts Consortium (CCC), and the Transomics for Precision Medicine initiative. With expertise in both Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and vascular contributions to cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID), including experience in administering amyloid-targeting therapies and trials such as AHEAD 3-45, she brings extensive knowledge in epidemiology, biomarker discovery, genetics, and international collaborations. 

Prof. Seshadri provided insights into the U.S. experience with emerging Alzheimer’s therapies, discussing findings from clinical practice since the first of the two new FDA-approved drugs was licensed in the U.S. less than a year ago. She also highlighted the challenges and opportunities in delivering these new treatment options for Alzheimer’s disease. 

Prof. Cath Mummery, University College London: Professor Mummery is a consultant neurologist leading the Cognitive Disorders Service at NHNN, head of novel therapeutics at the Dementia Research Centre, UCL, senior investigator on over 20 early-phase dementia drug trials, deputy director of the Leonard Wolfson Experimental Neurology Centre, and deputy director of the NHSE Neurosciences Clinical Reference Group. 

Prof. Mummery shared insights from her extensive experience in early-phase clinical trials, discussing alternative therapeutic targets beyond amyloid therapies, including tau and gene therapy approaches aimed at preserving or restoring synaptic integrity. 

Dr Damian Crowther, TRIMTECH Therapeutics: Dr Crowther, Chief Scientific Officer at TRIMTECH Therapeutics, discussed the development of non-amyloid therapies for Alzheimer’s disease, including novel molecules with potential for future pre-clinical oral therapies. 

Afternoon Session

Dr Jagrit Shah, Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust: Dr Shah, a Consultant Neuroradiologist, presented on amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (ARIA), reviewing MRI findings associated with amyloid-related oedema and haemorrhage. He outlined key neuroimaging features for recognising and diagnosing ARIA, discussed diagnostic challenges, and emphasised the need for widespread awareness among stroke, medical and emergency specialties. In particular, Dr Shah stressed the importance of careful evaluation when patients on amyloid therapy present with focal neurological signs, ensuring thrombolysis is only administered when appropriate to prevent catastrophic outcomes. 

Prof. Vanessa Raymont, University of Oxford: Prof. Raymont, Associate Professor, Honorary Consultant Psychiatrist, Associate Director of Dementia Platforms UK, and Joint Deputy Chair of the NIHR Dementia Translational Research Collaboration, leads the Trials Delivery Framework workstream. In her talk, Prof. Raymont provided an overview of recent advancements in blood biomarker research for dementia diagnosis, focusing on their application in real-world clinical practice to enhance screening and diagnostic accuracy. She highlighted key objectives from the READ-OUT study, which she co-leads with Professor James Rowe (University of Cambridge), and discussed the role of the Trials Delivery Framework in supporting dementia research and accelerating clinical trial recruitment. 

Prof. Jonathan Schott, University College London: Prof. Schott, Professor of Neurology and Honorary Consultant Neurologist at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery, is Chair of the Advisory Council of the International Society to Advance Alzheimer’s Research and Therapy and Vice-Chair of the ABN Dementia Panel. In his talk, Prof. Schott discussed the latest findings from the ADAPT study, focusing on the use of various assays to test blood biomarkers for dementia diagnosis. He emphasised the importance of validated assays with high sensitivity and specificity, highlighting the study’s goal of assessing their potential for integration into NHS services. 

The Data Blitz session featured several insightful presentations. Dr Katherine Stockton (Consultant Neurologist, University of Cambridge) presented findings from a national audit of neurology-led cognitive clinics in 2024. Dr Beili Shou (NIHR ACL in Cognitive Neurology, Nottingham, and ABN Cognitive SIG Trainee Committee member) shared results from a six-year observational study conducted within the Nottingham Young-Age Dementia Clinics (CogNID). Dr Chaamanti Menon (Stroke Trainee, Nottingham) was recognised as the winner of the Cognitive SIG Trainee Prize. Additional presentations were delivered by Dr William Bevan-Jones (University of Sheffield) and Dr Afa Ibrahim (Neurology Trainee, Nottingham), further enriching the session with their contributions. 

Panel Discussions

The meeting explored the role of interdisciplinary dialogue in strengthening UK diagnostic services, considering the diverse resources available for early dementia screening, Alzheimer’s diagnosis, the monitoring of emerging therapies, and the preparations required should these therapies become available within the NHS. 

Key topics included: • The role and future of biomarkers, including blood-based markers, MRI, and PET, in Alzheimer’s screening, diagnosis, and treatment monitoring. • The implications of the latest advancements in emerging therapies for UK memory clinics, considering variations in diagnostic and monitoring resources, as well as for acute care teams and emergency medicine. • Challenges and opportunities in delivering new treatments within the NHS framework if they become available. 

Acknowledgements and Conclusion

The ABN Cognitive SIG Chair acknowledged the generous sponsorship from Eisai and Lilly, which supported the organisation of the meeting. The collaboration between Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust and the ABN Cognitive SIG was instrumental in making the event possible. Despite challenging icy weather conditions, the meeting was a resounding success, fostering vital discussions and paving the way for future multidisciplinary collaborations. The meeting provided an invaluable platform for knowledge exchange and interdisciplinary engagement. 

Next ABN Cognitive SIG Meeting

The Cognitive SIG looks forward to its next session on 9th May at the ABN Annual Meeting in Liverpool.