Conference Programme
Thursday 11th December 2025: Neural Plasticity & Interference
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 09:30 | Registration and Refreshments |
| 09:30 – 09:45 | Welcome - Katja Kornysheva (University of Birmingham, UK) |
| Session 1: Neural Plasticity | |
| 09:45 – 10:45 | Keynote 1: Tamar Makin (University of Cambridge, UK) Sensorimotor skill learning outside the body |
| 10:45 – 11:45 |
Individual Talks: Ken Valyear (Bangor University, UK) Altered digit maps in human primary somatosensory cortex following hand nerve repair. Sara Hussain (University of Iowa, USA) Peaks or troughs? Untangling mu phase-dependent mechanisms of motor sequence learning Catharina Zich (University of Oxford, UK) Movement-related beta activity and plasticity in motor learning and stroke recovery Session Chair: Katja Kornysheva (University of Birmingham, UK) |
| 11:45 – 12:15 | Refreshment Break and Networking |
| 12:15 – 12:45 | Panel Discussion: Harnessing Neural Plasticity for Rehabilitation and Performance |
| 12:45 – 13:30 | Lunch - Served in the hotel restaurant (main building) |
| Session 2: Interference | |
| 13:30 – 14:30 | Keynote 2: Friedhelm Hummel (EPFL, CH) Stimulating the Mind: Non-Invasive Neuromodulation to enhance Motor and Cognitive Functions |
| 14:30 – 15:30 |
Individual Talks: Joseph Galea (University of Birmingham, UK) Reward-Driven Motor Improvements are Resistant to Interference from Brain Stimulation, Drugs, Ageing and Disease Maarten Immink (Flinders University, AUS) Meditation, motor learning, and aging: From context preservation to contextual integration Willem Verwey & Russell Chan (Twente University, NL) The Three-Level System (TLS) architecture predicts fractal data patterns./The Three-Level System (TLS) architecture predicts fractal data patterns. Session Chair: Arnaud Boutin (Université Paris-Saclay, FR) |
| 15:30 – 16:00 | Panel Discussion: Interference – Challenges and Frontiers |
| 16:00 – 17:00 | Poster Session with refreshments |
| 19:00 – 21:30 | Conference Dinner - The Vaults, The Exchange Birmingham. |
Friday 12th December 2025: Disorders & Consolidation
| Time | Session |
|---|---|
| 08:30 – 09:00 | Refreshments and Networking |
| Session 3: Disorders | |
| 09:00 – 10:00 |
Keynote 3: Anna Sadnicka (University College London, UK)
Precision Disrupted: Rethinking the Neural Basis of Task-Specific Dystonia |
| 10:00 – 11:00 |
Individual Talks: Maria Herrojo Ruiz (Goldsmiths University of London, UK) Learning biases in performance anxiety Matthew Weightman (University of Oxford, UK) Sleep-dependent motor learning and functional recovery after stroke Marit Ruitenberg (Leiden University, NL) Movement and cognition in neurodegenerative disorders: A dynamic duo. Session Chair: Maarten Immink (Flinders University, AUS) |
| 11:00 – 11:30 | Refreshment Break |
| 11:30 – 12:00 | Panel Discussion: Challenges and Advances in Treating Motor Learning Disorders |
| 12:00 – 13:00 | Lunch - Served in the hotel restaurant (main building) |
| Session 4: Consolidation | |
| 13:00 – 14:00 |
Keynote 4: Genevieve Albouy (University of Utah, US)
Role of the Hippocampus in Wake- and Sleep-Related Motor Memory Consolidation |
| 14:00 – 15:00 |
Individual Talks: Arnaud Boutin (Université Paris-Saclay, FR) Sleep rhythms underlying motor memory consolidation Simon Steib (University of Heidelberg, GER) Exercise-induced changes in sleep microstructure: A mechanism for enhanced motor memory consolidation? Pierre Vassiliadis (EPFL, CH and University College London, UK) Real-time reinforcement of a motor skill Session Chair: Willem Verwey (Twente University, NL) |
| 15:00 – 15:30 | Panel Discussion: Rethinking Consolidation in Long-Term Motor Learning |
| 15:30 – 16:30 | Poster Session with refreshments |
| 16:30 – 17:00 | Poster Prizes and Closing Ceremony Session Chairs: Russell Chan (Twente University, NL) & Maarten Immink (Flinders University, AUS) |