39th ECNP Congress: Program & Speakers

52 major sessions across 4 days with 149 confirmed speakers — the substantive program for 39th ECNP Congress, October 10–13, 2026 in Munich, Germany. Curated from the official program; excludes posters, exhibits, and social events.

Featured speakers: · · · · · · · · · · · · and 137 more below

Looking for dates, CME credits, pricing, or registration deadlines? They're on the main 39th ECNP Congress page. For every poster and workshop, see the full official program.

October 10, 2026

  • KeynoteKL01 – Welcome, ECNP Awards Ceremony and Keynote Lecture 'Neural mechanisms of social homeostasis'

    Opening keynote by Salk Institute neuroscientist Kay Tye on how neural circuits maintain social homeostasis and encode emotional valence.

  • SymposiumS01 – Clinical trials across psychiatric disorders: the good, bad and the ugly

    · · ·

    Critical look at psychiatric trial design, generalizability, and digital therapeutics, including who gets excluded from RCTs.

  • SymposiumS02 – Rhythms and blues – unravelling circadian-stress interactions in mental health

    · · ·

    How circadian clocks, stress systems, and the gut microbiome interact to shape mental health and sleep.

  • SymposiumS03 – Breaking Hot Topic Symposium – showcasing the timeliest science – Altered immune function in psychiatric disorders and their treatment

    · · · ·

    Late-breaking findings on immune dysfunction in psychiatry, including the MEMOCYCLINE trial, microbiome-guided treatment, and immune-ageing phenotypes of depression.

  • LectureE01 – Targeting the immune pathogenesis for the development of novel diagnostics and therapeutics of affective and non-affective psychosis

    ·

    Educational update on immune-molecular patient stratification and multimodal inflammation measures in early psychosis.

October 11, 2026

  • PlenaryPL01 – Protein monoaminylation in the brain: novel mechanisms of neural development, plasticity, and disease

    Plenary on non-canonical roles of serotonin and other monoamines as direct protein modifications influencing gene expression and plasticity.

  • PlenaryPL02 – ECNP Neuropsychopharmacology Award Lecture – How will we get novel medicines in psychiatry? Lessons from schizophrenia

    Award lecture drawing lessons from schizophrenia drug development for the broader pipeline of novel psychiatric medicines.

  • SymposiumS04 – Updates on bipolar disorder research: advancing translation into clinical practice

    · · ·

    Sex differences, genomics, lithium-response prediction (R-LiNK), and cognitive resilience in bipolar disorder.

  • SymposiumS05 – Biomarker-based prediction and stratification in ADHD – where do we stand?

    · · ·

    Microbiota metabolites, inflammation, epigenetics, and polygenic risk as candidate stratification biomarkers in ADHD.

  • SymposiumS06 – Retinal imaging in mental disorders: a novel lens on central nervous system dysfunction

    · ·

    Retinal neural and microvascular changes as accessible windows on CNS dysfunction in psychosis and autism.

  • SymposiumS07 – Engineering mental health: targeted therapies to restore brain and brain-barrier function

    · · ·

    Blood-brain barrier biology as a therapeutic target, plus stem-cell-derived vesicles and focused ultrasound approaches.

  • SymposiumS08 – Speech, digital phenotyping, and artificial intelligence in understanding and predicting trajectories and upcoming episodes in affective disorders

    · · ·

    NLP on health records, smartphone-based phenotyping, and machine learning to predict mood episodes and classify affective disorders.

  • SymposiumS09 – Beyond borders: exploring the biological correlates of borderline personality disorder and implications for treatment

    · · ·

    Psychobiological models, peripheral molecular markers, REM sleep, and neuroimaging-treatment interactions in borderline personality disorder.

  • LectureE02 – EPA Session – Improving psychiatric care in clinical practice: modern ways for treatment delivery

    ·

    Joint EPA educational session on prevention, early intervention, and implementing digital psychiatry in routine care.

  • LectureE03 – Advances in Tourette syndrome research

    ·

    Update on childhood diagnosis and the neuropathophysiology and treatment of Tourette syndrome.

  • SymposiumMS01 – Mini Symposium – Amyloid- and tau-PET biomarkers in late life depression: an update

    ·

    PET biomarkers of amyloid, tau, and synaptic density in geriatric depression, including the Leuven L3D study.

  • SymposiumMS02 – Proof-of-concept studies showcasing biomarker potential

    ·

    Stratified precision-medicine trials, including an alpha-2a agonist for the cognitive biotype of depression and phase 2 results for the vasopressin 1b antagonist nelivaptan.

  • LectureTP01 – Highlights in adult autism

    Curated review of the year's most important papers on adult autism.

  • LectureTP02 – Highlights in psychiatric genetics

    Curated review of the year's top papers in psychiatric genetics.

  • SessionPanel discussion – The innovation gap in mental health treatments – EU MIC

    · · ·

    Panel on Europe's lag in psychiatric drug innovation, access delays, and paths to bring pharmaceutical innovation back.

  • SessionRS – Regulatory Spotlight Session – Metabolic risks of psychiatric medications: improving clinical safety through regulatory, industry, and academic insights

    · ·

    Academic, industry, and regulator perspectives on managing metabolic risks of psychotropic medications.

October 12, 2026

  • PlenaryPL03 – Brain Prize Lecture – Malignant networks in the brain

    Brain Prize lecture on how cancers integrate into and exploit neural networks.

  • SymposiumS10 – Innovative approaches to understanding and treating anxiety disorders: from neurobiology to cutting-edge therapies

    · · ·

    Fear extinction mechanisms, genetics, next-generation anxiolytics, and digital/VR therapies for anxiety disorders.

  • SymposiumS11 – The impact of early-life stress on brain development and psychopathology

    · ·

    Animal and cohort evidence on how early adversity and prenatal factors shape brain development and later psychopathology.

  • SymposiumS12 – New Findings Symposium

    · · · · ·

    Six short talks on brand-new findings, from personalized rTMS targets in OCD to glymphatic function in depression and transcranial ultrasound stimulation.

  • SymposiumS13 – The science of emotion regulation: integrating neuroscience, microbiome, and mindfulness

    · · ·

  • SymposiumS14 – Dysregulation of perineuronal nets, astrocytes and extrasynaptic transmission in neurodegeneration and mental disorders

    · · ·

    Extracellular matrix and perineuronal net biology as levers for reactivating plasticity in brain disease.

  • SymposiumS15 – Novel Therapies Symposium – showcasing clinical trials on emerging compounds and new medical devices

    · · · · ·

    Trial results on emerging treatments including cannabidiol vs risperidone for cannabis-related psychosis (CANRISE), a novel oral NMDA antagonist, PDE10A inhibition in schizophrenia, and digital devices.

  • LectureE04 – Chronic pain in mental health disorders – what do we know and where are we going?

    ·

    Composite pain biomarkers and the neurobiology linking chronic pain with psychiatric comorbidity.

  • LectureE05 – Computational psychiatry: promises and pitfalls

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    Critical appraisal of computational modelling in psychiatry and its path to mechanism-based treatments.

  • CourseCS01 - ECNP Neuromodulation Course Session – from mechanisms to clinical application

    · · ·

    Interactive course working through difficult-to-treat OCD and depression cases with neuromodulation approaches.

  • CourseCS02 – ECNP Child & Adolescent Psychiatry Course Session – from evidence-based care to precision approaches

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    Interactive course on evidence-based and precision approaches to child and adolescent psychiatry and neurodevelopmental disorders.

  • CourseCS03 – ECNP Neuroscience Research course session – from preclinical validity to real-world impact

    · · ·

    Course on internal and external validity of preclinical data and communicating neuropsychopharmacology to the public.

  • SymposiumMS03 – DSM Update Session – Future DSM diagnostic formulation: the promise of integrating dimensionality, biomarkers and transdiagnostic symptoms

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    APA speakers discuss how dimensional measures, biomarkers, and transdiagnostic symptoms could reshape future DSM formulations.

  • SymposiumMS04 – EAN Mini Symposium – Rethinking the psychiatric approach in neurology conditions: in case of movement disorders

    ·

    Joint neurology session on psychiatric management in Huntington's disease and Parkinson's disease psychosis.

  • SymposiumMS05 – The Earth-Brain-Health Commission: aims, recommendations and impact

    · ·

    Presents the commission's recommendations on environment-brain-health interactions and global implementation.

  • LectureTP03 – Highlights in women's mental health

    Curated review of the year's top papers in women's mental health.

  • LectureTP04 – Highlights in suicide

    Curated review of the year's top papers in suicide research.

October 13, 2026

  • PlenaryPL05 – Advancing mental health in a changing world: social context and biology

    Plenary integrating social determinants and biological research in global mental health, from an East African vantage point.

  • PlenaryPL06 – Virtual reality in youth mental health: evidence, applications and future directions

    Plenary reviewing the evidence for VR-based assessment and treatment in youth mental health.

  • SymposiumS16 – Cutting edge neuromodulation methods in brain disorders: methods, mechanisms and personalised targeting

    · · ·

    DBS, trigeminal nerve stimulation in ADHD, rTMS-augmented exposure therapy for OCD, and implantable VNS for difficult-to-treat depression.

  • SymposiumS17 – Nature's shield: towards the neurobiology of resilience to psychiatric conditions

    · · ·

    Genetic, environmental, and clinical approaches to identifying resilience factors against psychiatric illness.

  • SymposiumS18 – Closing the translational gap in addiction research: refining animal models for clinical impact

    · · ·

    How refined animal models of alcohol, nicotine, and cannabis use can better inform addiction treatment.

  • SymposiumS19 – Bridging preclinical and clinical findings in psychedelic research – translational advances in psychedelic research

    · · ·

    Psilocybin and ketamine effects on neurogenesis, synaptic plasticity, and the role of setting, from bench to PET imaging.

  • SymposiumS20 – How can artificial intelligence transform mental health research?

    · · ·

    Multimodal AI for patient stratification, generative AI for symptom extraction, and algorithmic fairness in clinical neuroscience.

  • SymposiumS21 – Neurobiology and clinical translation of treatment resistance in major psychiatric disorders

    · · ·

    iPSC models, pharmacogenomics, ECT cognitive effects, and lived-experience perspectives on treatment resistance.

  • SymposiumS22 – Excess mortality in people with mental health problems – influence of comorbidity

    · · ·

    Evidence on premature mortality in anxiety, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia, and the role of physical comorbidity and inflammation.

  • LectureE06 – The arts and mental health

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    Arts-based strategies and the translation of music therapy into clinical mental health practice.

  • LectureE07 – Long-term effects of ADHD medication: new evidence from real-world data

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    Real-world evidence on long-term academic outcomes and the safety of methylphenidate in children.

  • LectureTP05 – Highlights in obsessive-compulsive and related disorders

    Curated review of the year's top papers in OCD and related disorders.

  • LectureTP06 – Highlights in old age

    Curated review of the year's top papers in old-age psychiatry.

  • SessionPanel discussion – Artificial intelligence in mental health – Progress and perils

    · · ·

    The ECNP AI in Mental Health network presents its European implementation effort, followed by a panel on limitations and risks of current AI systems.

Program details verified August 20, 2026; sessions and speakers may change — confirm on the official site.

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