Dementia as a Disorder of Consciousness Conference 2025 (Legacy)

Dementia as a disorder of consciousness conference

Dementia is one of the greatest global health challenges, currently affecting over 50 million people worldwide, and expected to rise to 150 million people by 2050. As they experience progressive cognitive and functional decline, individuals with dementia lose their sense of self, their identity, and their ability to correctly perceive and interact with the world until they lapse into delirium. In other words, dementia directly disrupts conscious experience.

This two-day hybrid conference will unite colleagues from different clinical and neuroscience disciplines to evaluate how viewing dementia as a disorder of consciousness can help us care for patients while providing insights into the nature of our conscious reality.

Location and Schedule

This conference will be held at Boston University Alzheimer’s Disease Research Center (72 E Concord St, L Building 5th Floor, Boston, MA 02118) from Thursday, September 25th to Friday, September 26th, 2025 (half day). EST Time Zone.

Conference Location and Contact

Directions from the Medical School Main Entrance to the BU Alzheimer’s Disease Center (ADC)

Directions to Boston University Medical Campus

Boston University Chobanian & Avedisian School of Medicine

72 East Concord St, L Building 5th Floor, Boston MA 02118

From Main Entrance of the BU School of Medicine:

  • Go to right of the Security Desk through lobby.
  • Walk over to the elevators and select the 5th floor
  • Walk out of the elevator and the door to the ADC will be on your right!

Parking recommendations:

BU Med Campus Parking

Please see full schedule in the dropdown menu.

For Remote attendees, please use this Zoom link for this conference:

https://bostonu.zoom.us/j/98115732670?pwd=WVlOaWQzVWptL2orRzBtZDdLcFpUQT09

Meeting ID: 981 1573 2670
Passcode: 610242

For access to presentation recordings, please email Brenna Hagan at haganb@bu.edu after the conference conclusion.

Directions to Boston University Medical Campus

Conference Themes

  • Measuring Consciousness Across the Dementia Spectrum

    • Explore cutting-edge methodologies and analytical approaches using existing datasets, neuroimaging, and broad-spectrum technologies.

  • Assessing Residual Self-Awareness and Subjective Experience in Severe Dementia

    • Investigate objective assessment methods including EEG and portable monitoring approaches for patients with advanced dementia.

  • Comparing Disordered Consciousness in Dementia Subtypes

    • Examine how different dementia types (Alzheimer’s disease, Lewy body dementia, frontotemporal dementia, TDP-43, and others) affect conscious experience.

  • Understanding Self-Awareness and Metacognition in Dementia

    • Address self-awareness, metacognition, and behavioral changes from subjective cognitive decline (SCD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) to advanced dementia stages.

What to Expect

  • Expert Presentations from leading consciousness and dementia researchers

  • Data Blitz Sessions showcasing cutting-edge research findings

  • Interactive Grant Workshop for collaborative funding opportunities

  • Networking Reception 

Conference Hosts

Confirmed Speakers

Target Audience

  • Dementia researchers and clinicians

  • Consciousness studies experts

  • Neuroscientists and neuroimaging specialists

  • Grant funding organizations

  • Industry partners

  • Early career researchers and post-docs

Key Outcomes

  • Establishment of international research collaborations

  • Integration of consciousness science with dementia research

  • Outline of grants focusing on each theme

  • Providing a foundation for future policy and implementation strategies

 

Registration

Registration is now open! Click here to secure your spot.

This meeting will be hybrid, in-person and via zoom.

Due to limited space, in-person attendance requests will be subject to availability. You will receive an email confirmation regarding the status of your request.

 

Please contact Brenna Hagan, PhD candidate at haganb@bu.edu with any questions.

 

This conference is supported by a networking grant from the UK National Academies (Academy of Medical Sciences, British Academy, Royal Academy of Engineering, and Royal Society) and the International Science Partnerships Fund.