Conference Updates and Announcements
Call for Candidates: Junior Investigator Award
Accepted presenters are invited to indicate their eligibility for the iCSD 2026 Junior Investigator Award. Eligibility Criteria: To qualify for consideration, the submitted scientific work and presentation must have been predominantly conducted and prepared by an investigator in training. Action Required: Please confirm your intent to be considered by responding to the 'Abstract Acceptance' email by September 5, 2026.
Checkout Tuesday Session
As we finalize preparations, we are excited to spotlight a dedicated practical session designed on Tuesday, September 22, designed to translate physiological insights into real-world hospital workflows. Whether you are starting from the ground up or looking to scale your current clinical capabilities, this session has something for every stage. What are the next steps to start and/or maintain an SD monitoring program at your institution? This interactive session will help provide a roadmap for you and your team to get started. A panel of experts will discuss required equipment, manpower, and expertise to establish and sustain a successful program. Connect with colleagues to build and implement your clinical monitoring or research program. Already monitor SDs in your institution? Expand and sustain your program through regional research collaboration. If you are attending iCSD please join this session to learn more or share your expertise. If you have colleagues who are unable to attend, a virtual option for this session is being offered. You can register for the virtual session from registration page on the iCSD 2026 website.
Preliminary Schedule Now Available
The preliminary program for iCSD 2026 is now live on the website. To view the full itinerary and begin planning your travel, navigate to Program > Preliminary Schedule in the main menu above. Please note that session times, speakers, and topics remain subject to minor adjustments as we finalize the conference proceedings. Check back regularly for final timeline updates and session details.
Accommodations: Preferred Hotel Rates Expire August 7, 2026 11:59 PM EST
The deadline to reserve accommodations under the discounted conference block is August 6, 2026. To ensure availability and secure the group rate at the conference venue, please complete your room reservation alongside your conference registration at your earliest convenience.
Abstract Deadline Extended to July 31, 2026 11:59 PM EST
The abstract submission portal closes on Friday July 31st, for the 2026 International Conference on Spreading Depolarization. Don’t miss your chance to submit—share your work today! We are accepting SD abstract submissions from all career stages and look forward to seeing the work that brings forward underrecognized physiology or showcases emerging clinical applications. Submissions follow the standard abstract format, with opportunities for poster presentations and multiple oral presentation types. Please indicate your preferred presentation format when submitting. We look forward to your contributions!
Abstract Open: Deadline July 17, 2026 11:59 PM EST
With now less than 6 months until the 2026 International Conference on Spreading Depolarization, we are excited to announce that the abstract submission site is now active. Your science is what makes the conference the engaging forum of discovery, debate, and dialogue that is essential to the field. We welcome topics related to the wide and diverse developing field of SD related research. We encourage submissions from investigators at all stages from students to senior professors. This year, we particularly encourage submissions that are pushing the frontiers of SD-related physiology into fields that have been less historically clinically recognized as well as clinical applications. While all abstracts follow the same submission format, we will have a variety of oral presentation types based on the success of the 2025 meeting. Please identify preference for poster versus oral presentation, or both with submission. Specific topics to consider include •Fundamental SD physiology •SD and Ischemia/ Brain Injury •SD and Hemorrhagic Stroke •SD and Other Acute Neurologic Injury •SD and Seizures •SD and Migraines •SD and Emerging Fields (e.g. Tumor, Dementia, Rehabilitation) •Novel Technical Approaches for SD monitoring in preclinical and clinical settings All abstracts will undergo a thorough unbiased peer review process by the COSBID steering committee and iCSD program committee. Submit your abstract for consideration as a poster, oral presentation, or both by July 17, 2026. Registration for the 2026 iCSD conference is open now. Remember to Register early for the best rates: We look forward to you joining us this fall in Charlottesville! Andrew P Carlson, MD, MS-CR iCSD 2026 Chair Professor of Neurosurgery University of Virginia Conference Contact: Amy Harris, Program Manager UVA Health Continuing Education Office: 434-924-7083 alh7n@virginia.edu
Official Invitation: iCSD 2026 in Charlottesville
We are honored to officially welcome you to the International Conference on Spreading Depolarization (iCSD) 2026, hosted at the historic University of Virginia in Charlottesville, Virginia, USA. This year’s conference will feature top innovative new science, stimulating discussion, world renowned keynote speakers, and an exciting social program designed to facilitate ongoing networking and collaboration. The iCSD conference has evolved from a pioneering group of collaborating investigators working together to attempt to define the occurrence and role of spreading depolarization (SD) events in patients with severe brain injuries (COSBID: Cooperative Studies on Brain Injury Depolarization) to now a broad scientific exchange related to headache, stroke, seizures, neuro-critical care and other fields. All these disparate fields are united by a goal of better understanding the fundamental mechanism of SD, which is ubiquitous in human brain function but remains largely understudied due to the difficulty of direct monitoring. Translational and preclinical science has been the cornerstone of the iCSD community as SD is one of the most well-preserved pathways of brain injury across species. Our goals are both fundamental discovery related to this understudied mechanism and development of therapeutic approaches related to SD to improve human health. The theme of the conference this year is Knowledge, Wisdom, Education. This is fitting for our location at the home of Thomas Jefferson, who said: The possession of facts is knowledge; the use of them is wisdom; the choice of them, education. Knowledge is not power but riches, and like them, has its value in spending. Our goal for iCSD is to balance key fundamental insights and discoveries in the field of SD (Knowledge) with translational science focused on the iterative process of clinical and preclinical application (Wisdom). These pillars underlie a broader mission of pushing the frontiers of SD physiology to both the broader neuroscience community and to other conditions where SD may play a central role (Education). We look forward to you joining us this fall in Charlottesville! Andrew P Carlson, MD, MS-CR iCSD 2026 Chair Professor of Neurosurgery University of Virginia