1 The 15th International Conference on Brain Energy Metabolism (ICBEM): Brain Bioenergetics in Aging
2 - Neurovascular and Neurometabolic Coupling and Fuels” will be held September 17-21, 2024 in Ljubljana,
3 Slovenia. Alterations in energy metabolism at the cellular and subcellular level and in neurovascular and
4 neurometabolic coupling are key aspects of brain aging and Alzheimer’s disease, however, little is known
5 regarding the mechanisms and interactions between poorly understood, yet critical aspects of energy
6 metabolism. The goal of 15th ICBEM is to bring together leading experts in emerging techniques and
7 researchers in clinical and basic neuroscience, and radiology who would not otherwise meet. ICBEM 2024 will
8 serve as a driving force for cutting-edge discussions, formulation of incisive experiments, and for fostering
9 collaborations to open novel areas of exploration of energy metabolism that underlie and contribute to aging-
10 related diseases. To enhance interaction, the conference is limited to ~118 attendees and opens with a
11 Keynote talk, by Alzheimer’s Association Lifetime achievement award recipient, Agneta Nordberg. Dr.
12 Nordberg will address advanced imaging and biomarker identification to monitor compromised brain energy
13 metabolism in Alzheimer’s patients. The conference is organized into two special sessions and 8 scientific
14 sessions with 29 session speakers of which 19 (66%) are women, 14 (48%) are early career investigators and
15 3 (10%) are under-represented investigators from the US. The conference brings together experts as well as
16 students and postdocs in a highly interactive forum with 33% of meeting time allocated for discussion of
17 emerging concepts related to coordination of neurometabolic and neurovascular coupling and associated in
18 vivo imaging modalities, metabolic regulation of cognition, astrocyte, microglial and neuronal metabolism, and
19 substrate transport and trafficking in healthy aging and Alzheimer’s disease; and mechanisms of resilience to
20 metabolic insult. Many of the invited speakers work with Alzheimer’s disease patients or animal models, brain
21 aging or neurodegeneration with over half of the speakers working specifically in the area of Alzheimer’s
22 disease. A key concept is that energy metabolism is not just a permissive factor but is a driver of changes in
23 brain function associated with age-associated disease. Trainee presentations are key aspects of the meeting
24 and bring a new generation of scientists into our community to foster their maturation by inclusion as speakers
25 and session co-chairs. In addition to talks by early career investigators, 20 students/postdocs will be awarded
26 travel stipends based on competitive ranking of abstracts, and the top 9, selected by an evaluation committee
27 will present short talks. This conference will provide an outstanding venue for cross-disciplinary interactions,
28 i.e., between basic neuroscientists, clinicians, and neuroimaging scientists. Formal talks and informal
29 discussions are always highlights of this unique conference series that fosters new collaborations and scientific
30 interactions to address emerging issues.
