ANA-SEQUINS Global Neurology | Emerging Technologies and their Role in Expanding Access to Neurological Care
Date: October 19, 2026
Time: 3:45 pm to 5:15 pm
Room: Coral 4
Track: Traditional Special Interest Group (SIG)
Session Description
Rapid technological advances are transforming neurological care, but without intentional implementation and equity-focused frameworks, these innovations risk exacerbating global disparities. Emerging tools—including AI-assisted diagnostics, portable low-field MRI, dry-electrode EEG, and gene-based therapies—offer significant potential to expand access in resource-limited settings. The challenge lies in deploying these technologies ethically, sustainably, and inclusively.
This session will bring together leaders in global neurology, innovation, and implementation science to examine how emerging technologies can improve diagnosis, management, and outcomes across diverse care settings. Topics will include AI-enabled clinical decision support, scalable diagnostic platforms, and the ethical and policy considerations surrounding genetic and advanced therapies. Through real-world examples, speakers will provide practical strategies for integrating innovation while promoting equitable access.
Learning Objectives
At the conclusion of this session, attendees will be able to:
- Describe emerging AI-driven and portable diagnostic technologies in neurological care.
- Evaluate strategies for implementing innovative tools in resource-limited and underserved settings.
- Analyze ethical and policy considerations to support equitable access to advanced therapies.
Speakers
- (Chair) Melody Asukile, MBChB, MMED, FC NEUROL (SA)
- (Co-Chair) Clio Rubinos, MD, MS, FANA
- (Speaker) André Fenton, PhD
- (Speaker) M. Brandon Westover, MD, PhD
- (Speaker) Jorge Llibre-Guerra, MD
- (Speaker) Malya Sahu, MD (2026 SIG Oral Presenter)
- (Speaker) María de los Ángeles Álvarez Falcón, MD, (2026 SIG Oral Presenter)
- (Awardee) Roya Edalatpour, MD (2026 IOTS Awardee)
The Utility of Portable and Low-Cost Diagnostics Tests in the Evaluation of Neurological Disorders
Description
Access to timely neurological diagnostics remains a major challenge in low-resource settings, where conventional technologies are often expensive, infrastructure-intensive, and concentrated in specialized centers. Yet advances in electronics, computing, and communications have made portable, clinically useful diagnostic tools increasingly feasible at a fraction of the cost of conventional systems.
This presentation will examine the potential of portable, low-cost electroencephalography (EEG) to improve neurological care, using two applications: epilepsy diagnosis, where access to EEG remains limited despite a substantial burden of disease; and cerebral malaria, where seizures and abnormal electrical brain activity can complicate a life-threatening illness and EEG can help guide treatment. These examples illustrate a broader challenge: technological advances have made high-quality, low-cost EEG possible, but healthcare economics and medical-device markets in well-resourced countries can discourage development and dissemination of affordable systems for resource-limited settings.
The presentation will consider how these barriers might be overcome and how portable diagnostic technologies can expand access to neurological care, improve clinical decision-making, and reduce global disparities.
The Role of AI Tools in Improving Access to Diagnosis and Management of Epilepsy
Description
Electroencephalography (EEG) is essential to diagnosing and managing epilepsy, yet access to expert interpretation remains limited or entirely unavailable across much of the world. Recent advances in artificial intelligence have made it possible to automate substantial portions of EEG interpretation, potentially removing a major barrier to high-quality diagnostic care. At the same time, advances in portable, affordable, and easy-to-use recording technology are creating new opportunities to extend EEG beyond traditional specialty centers.
This presentation will review emerging technologies designed to expand global access to EEG, with particular attention to automated interpretation and recording systems suited to resource-constrained settings. Participants will examine how AI is already being integrated into clinical EEG practice, where current systems perform well, and where important limitations remain. The presentation will also address the clinical validation, testing across diverse populations and settings, workflow integration, and human oversight needed before automated EEG interpretation can become routine, trusted, and widely accepted.
Attendees will leave with a clearer understanding of the opportunities and limitations of AI-enabled EEG and practical insights into how automated interpretation and accessible recording technologies could be evaluated and deployed to improve epilepsy diagnosis and care worldwide.
Genetics and Decentralized Technologies: A Practical Framework for Inclusive Neurological Clinical Trials
Description
Expanding access to neurological clinical trials is essential for ensuring that research findings are applicable to diverse populations and for reducing longstanding disparities in trial participation. Advances in genetics, digital health technologies, and decentralized trial models are creating new opportunities to engage individuals from rural, underserved, and low- and middle-income regions in neurological research.
This presentation will examine how emerging genetic technologies and decentralized research approaches are reshaping access to neurological clinical trials. Drawing on experience from the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network, participants will explore how genetic identification of at-risk individuals, fluid biomarkers, and scalable cognitive assessment tools can facilitate broader participation in prevention trials. Topics will include practical strategies for integrating genetic counseling, remote enrollment, decentralized assessments, and biomarker-guided monitoring into global clinical trial infrastructure. Particular emphasis will be placed on developing inclusive, patient-centered research models that improve access while maintaining scientific rigor across diverse healthcare settings.
Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of how genetics and decentralized technologies can support more inclusive neurological clinical trials and practical strategies for expanding equitable research participation in diverse populations worldwide.
Perceived Severity of Common Neurological Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis Among Healthy Women in Zambia: A Community-Based Participatory Study
Description
Early recognition of multiple sclerosis (MS) depends not only on access to healthcare but also on public awareness and perceptions of neurological symptoms. Understanding how communities interpret common MS symptoms can help identify barriers to timely diagnosis, inform culturally appropriate educational initiatives, and improve access to neurological care in underserved settings.
This presentation will examine perceptions of the severity of common neurological symptoms associated with multiple sclerosis among healthy women in Zambia through a community-based participatory research approach. Participants will review the study design, explore how community members perceive and prioritize neurological symptoms, and discuss the implications of these findings for public health education, healthcare-seeking behaviors, and early recognition of MS. Topics will also include the value of community engagement in developing culturally responsive strategies to improve neurological health and reduce disparities in diagnosis and care.
Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of the role of community perceptions in shaping neurological health outcomes and practical insights into how community-based participatory research can inform education, outreach, and early detection efforts for multiple sclerosis in resource-limited settings.
Speakers
Chronic Child Malnutrition and Risk of Neurodevelopmental Impairment in Rural Ecuadorian Children: Predictive Models and Implications for Early Intervention
Description
Chronic child malnutrition remains a major public health challenge in low- and middle-income countries and may have lasting consequences for brain development. Children living in rural and resource-limited settings are particularly vulnerable, yet opportunities for early identification of developmental risk remain limited. Understanding the relationship between chronic nutritional deficits and early neurodevelopment is therefore essential for targeted prevention and intervention.
This presentation will examine the association between chronic child malnutrition and neurodevelopmental risk in children aged 6–60 months from rural communities on the Ecuadorian coast. Participants will review findings from an observational cross-sectional study of 185 children in which nutritional status was assessed using WHO height-for-age Z-scores and neurodevelopment was evaluated with the Denver II screening test. The presentation will explore the prevalence and patterns of developmental vulnerability, with particular attention to language and fine motor domains, and will discuss the independent contribution of chronic malnutrition after adjustment for relevant clinical and perinatal factors. The potential role of chronic growth restriction as a marker of cumulative biological and environmental adversity will also be considered.
Attendees will leave with a greater understanding of the relationship between early-life nutritional status and neurodevelopmental risk in underserved populations, including the importance of language and fine motor surveillance. The presentation will highlight practical implications for integrating nutritional assessment with developmental screening and early intervention strategies, particularly in rural and resource-limited settings where identifying children at risk may provide an important opportunity to reduce long-term developmental disparities.
Awardee Remarks
