Feb 17, 2026
DBS2026: 3rd Expert Summit on the Future of Deep Brain Stimulation
From February 22 to 24, 2026, the DBS2026 – 3rd Expert Summit on the Future of Deep Brain Stimulation – will take place in Würzburg. The event is organized by the Collaborative Research Center Retune 295 “Retuning dynamic motor network disorders by neuromodulation,” which is funded by the German Research Foundation (DFG). More than 400 scientists from over 30 countries are expected to attend. The scientific program reflects the highly dynamic nature of the field and includes clinical, experimental, and technological contributions from neurology, neurosurgery, neuroengineering, and related disciplines.
The congress is being organized by Andrea Kühn and Jens Volkmann together with Cordula Matthies and Friedhelm Hummel on the organizing committee. Scientific coordination is being handled by the University Hospital of Würzburg in close cooperation with national and international partners.
Scientific significance of deep brain stimulation
Deep brain stimulation (DBS) is an established procedure in functional neurosurgery and is used successfully in neurological disorders such as Parkinson’s disease, essential tremor, dystonia, and selected psychiatric and chronic pain syndromes. Targeted electrical modulation of specific brain regions can influence pathological network activity and bring about lasting improvement in symptoms.
In recent years, DBS has evolved from a purely symptom-oriented therapy to a highly precise neuromodulatory approach. Modern adaptive closed-loop systems enable individualized, dynamic adjustment of stimulation depending on neural signals. This brings the therapy closer to intelligent neurotechnologies, which are expected to merge with brain-computer interfaces (BCI) in the future. Such systems not only allow modulation, but also the reading of neural activity in real time – a key topic for the future that will be discussed intensively at the congress.
Research in the ReTune environment understands brain disorders as network disturbances and aims at individualized, adaptive neuromodulation based on an in-depth understanding of neural circuits. DBS2026 provides an international platform for this.
International cutting-edge research in Würzburg
More than 170 scientific contributions were submitted in response to the call for abstracts and will be presented and discussed as posters. These structure the scientific exchange and promote international dialogue on the latest research results, methodological innovations, and translational approaches.
In addition to state-of-the-art presentations and thematic debates, the congress will focus in particular on the further development of intelligent, data-driven neuromodulation systems. The focus will be on personalized therapy approaches, the integration of artificial intelligence into clinical processes, and technological convergence with brain-computer interfaces.
Further information and the complete program: www.dbs-expertsummit.de
© Picture: TRR 295 ReTune
