Press and Media
To support accurate coverage of neuromuscular and electrodiagnostic medicine, protect the integrity of scientific research, and respect the privacy of presenters, AANEM maintains clear standards for media credentialing, venue access, embargoes, and commercial activity at the meeting. Whether you are a professional journalist, an industry partner, or a scientific attendee, please review the policies below to understand access options, reporting guidelines, and expectations while onsite.
| Media registration | Aug. 1 – Oct. 2, 2026 |
| Media may request specific interviews | Sept. 1 – Oct. 2, 2026 |
| Media may request photo/video access to specific speakers, sessions, and/or workshops | Sept. 1 – Sept. 29, 2026 |
| 2026 AANEM Annual Meeting | Sept. 29 – Oct. 2, 2026 |
1. Press credentialing
Media credentialing standards
AANEM issues media passes to professional journalists whose primary role is news reporting rather than general influence or promotional activity. To obtain complimentary press registration, applicants must provide documentation demonstrating their status as professional journalists, such as:
- Print/online journalists: A recognized press card, an assignment letter from an editor on official letterhead, and recent bylined articles (past 6 months) related to medical or scientific topics.
- Broadcast media: Official press credentials issued by a government or media organization, along with a formal letter from a producer.
- Freelancers: Evidence of an active portfolio with relevant scientific articles/news coverage within the last year.
Media may submit credentials and/or proof of professional status by emailing them to media@aanem.org.
Communications, PR, and marketing professionals from commercial companies, pharmaceutical firms, or medical device corporations are not eligible for complimentary media registration and should register as Industry Partners or Exhibitor Representatives.
2. Access and restricted zones
A media pass provides access to designated areas and activities within the meeting; it does not provide unrestricted access to all rooms and events ..
- Press Room / Media Center: A dedicated workspace reserved for badged media members, with workspace, high‑speed Wi‑Fi, and interview areas where journalists can meet with presenters or association leadership.
- Scientific sessions: Media may attend open scientific sessions and oral abstract presentations to listen and take notes; video and/or audio recording requires prior written approval.
- Poster Sessions: Photography or video recording of poster presentations is generally not permitted unless explicit written permission is granted by the presenting author to help protect unpublished data and intellectual property.
- Workshops: Photography or video recording of workshops is generally not permitted unless explicit written permission is granted by AANEM
3. Interview requests
- Media may request interviews with specific presenters, speakers, or AANEM members. Requests should be submitted in writing to media@aanem.org and include the name of the intended interviewee, along with brief context on how the interview will be used in the news story. If you do not have a specific individual in mind but know the type of expert you need, please describe this in detail in your request.
- Submitting a request does not guarantee interview availability, and participation is at the discretion of the attendee and AANEM.
4. Photo and video access
Media may request access to specific presentations or sessions to capture photos and/or video. Requests should be submitted in writing to media@aanem.org and include the session name, the type of media you are seeking (for example, photos only or short video clips), and how it will be incorporated into your reporting.
AANEM’s priority is to support scientific communication while protecting attendees’ intellectual property, so photo or video requests may be approved, modified, or declined based on these considerations.
5. AANEM suitcasing policy
Definition
“Suitcasing” refers to companies or individuals who are not official exhibitors or sponsors using the AANEM Annual Meeting for commercial purposes such as marketing, promotion, or business solicitation. This includes activities like distributing promotional materials, conducting sales conversations, or marketing products and services in public spaces such as aisles, session rooms, hallways, meeting areas, exhibit and poster halls, or hotel facilities associated with the meeting. It also includes soliciting business within another company’s exhibit space or using the meeting to gain commercial or competitive advantage without being an approved exhibitor or sponsor.
Prohibited attendance and activities
To support a scientific, educational focus and honor commitments made to exhibitors and sponsors, AANEM generally does not allow the following individuals to attend the meeting in any capacity (including as regular scientific attendees):
- Pharmaceutical or device company competitor investigators whose primary purpose is competitive intelligence gathering.
- Third‑party or in‑house competitive intelligence professionals attending on behalf of pharmaceutical, biotechnology, device, or related healthcare companies.
- Pharmaceutical, biotechnology, device, or healthcare marketing strategists, branding, or commercialization personnel whose primary purpose is to observe, analyze, or leverage the meeting for marketing, product positioning, or competitive assessment.
If an individual’s primary objective in attending the AANEM Annual Meeting is to collect competitive intelligence, assess competitors, monitor product positioning, or otherwise gather information for commercial advantage rather than for clinical, scientific, or educational purposes, their attendance is not permitted under this policy in any registration category.
Individuals who are not official exhibitors or sponsors and who are observed engaging in promotional, marketing, or solicitation activities, or acting in a competitive‑intelligence or marketing capacity, may:
- Be declined registration or badge pickup.
- Be asked to leave the meeting and related venues.
- Be restricted from attending future AANEM events.
Enforcement decisions are made at AANEM’s discretion to protect the meeting environment and its participants.
6. Embargo policies
To help coordinate fair and accurate news coverage, AANEM may share press releases and abstract details with registered journalists in advance under embargo. Embargoed information may not be published until the specified date and time.
- Standard abstracts: Embargoes are lifted when the abstract is published online or when the annual meeting begins.
- Violations: Material breaches of embargo terms may result in revocation of media credentials for current and future meetings and removal from AANEM’s press list
7. Digital and social media
AANEM’s guidelines distinguish between professional journalism and scientific communication by attending physicians, researchers, advanced practice providers, technicians, and other allied health care providers who share insights online.
- “Attendee Scientific Communication: AANEM encourages attending physicians, researchers, and other allied health care professionals to use official meeting hashtags to live‑tweet or share high‑level insights, which is viewed as public scientific communication rather than professional journalism.
- Slides/data capture: Registered attendees are not permitted to take direct photos of presentation slides, proprietary graphics, or raw clinical data tables unless the presenter clearly indicates “Open Access / Sharing Welcome” on their slides or the poster presenter approves it.
8. On-site and on-call media contacts:
Ian Roth – Marketing and Communications Manager, AANEM – 507-258-6575
Kati Poterucha – Marketing and Communications Director, AANEM – 507-258-6571
View the latest AANEM Achievement Award winners, the American Neuromuscular Foundation (ANF) Abstract Award winners, and the latest AANEM news articles on News Express.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: When will be content of abstracts be viewable, as opposed to just the titles?
A: The abstract content will be available at the annual meeting during the Poster Hall hours. We do not provide abstract presenter information or slides ahead of time. All available information can be found in the AANEM Abstract Guide online when it becomes available.
Q: How do I reach out to abstract or session presenters for an interview?
A: We do not offer member contact information. To connect with abstract or session presenters, review the AANEM Annual Meeting Program when available. Find the topics of interest and connect with the presenter after their lecture or during their abstract poster session time. Currently there is no interview option for virtual attendees.
Q: When can I share information?
A: The embargo on the abstracts themselves is lifted when they have been published in Muscle & Nerve and online in the AANEM Abstract Guide. However, the additional information beyond what is in the abstract itself is still embargoed.
AANEM requires information that goes beyond that which is contained within the abstract, e.g., the release of data not included in the abstract, discussion of the abstract done as part of a scientific presentation, etc. to be embargoed until the start of the annual meeting. Please see the Abstract Embargo Policy.
Q: Will the Abstract Award Reception feature the best posters?
A: The Abstract Award Reception is a social hour in honor of the abstract award winners where all authors, including award winners, will be available to discuss research.
Q: Original research is ONLY presented as posters, correct?
A: Yes - the research is presented in the Poster Hall via abstract posters.
Science News: Muscle Glycogen Accumulation May Precede Damage in Late-Onset Pompe Disease
Submitted by: Ben Becker, MD
Edited by: Rebecca O'Bryan, MD
Citation: Beha GH, Stemmerik MG, Boer VO, van der Ploeg AT, van der Beek NA, Andersen H, Marsman A, Jacobsen LN, Theunissen MTM, Petersen ET, Vissing J. Quantification of muscle glycogen distribution in Pompe disease using 7 Tesla 13C NMR spectroscopy. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry. 2026 Feb 13;97(3):201-203. doi: 10.1136/jnnp-2025-336628. PMID: 41093637.
Summary:Late-onset Pompe disease (LOPD) is a lysosomal glycogen storage disorder caused by deficiency of acid α‑glucosidase, leading to progressive limb-girdle muscle weakness and characteristic early involvement of paraspinal and hamstring muscles. The mechanisms underlying this selective pattern of muscle degeneration remain unclear. Recent advances in high field 13C magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) allow for noninvasive quantification of muscle glycogen content and may help clarify disease pathophysiology.
This cross-sectional observational study evaluated whether elevated glycogen levels, as measured by 7-tesla 13C MRS, are present in muscles typically affected early in LOPD prior to overt muscle wasting or fatty infiltration. 11 minimally affected patients with genetically confirmed LOPD and 16 age-, sex-, and BMI-matched healthy controls underwent a single MRS assessment of the lumbar paraspinal muscles, hamstrings, anterior thigh, and calf.
Compared with controls, patients with LOPD demonstrated significantly increased glycogen concentrations in the hamstring, lumbar, and anterior thigh muscles, while glycogen levels in the calf muscles were similar between groups. Although three LOPD patients exhibited marked fatty replacement of the lumbar musculature, fat fraction did not correlate with glycogen levels across muscle groups. Importantly, muscles known to undergo early degeneration in LOPD showed elevated glycogen despite minimal clinical involvement.
These findings suggest that excessive glycogen accumulation precedes fatty degeneration and clinical weakness in selectively vulnerable muscles in LOPD. Elevated intramuscular glycogen may therefore play a contributory role in downstream muscle pathology, potentially through mechanical disruption of muscle architecture or autophagy-related mechanisms. While limited by its cross-sectional design and small sample size, this study supports the utility of muscle glycogen quantification by MRS as a promising noninvasive biomarker for disease staging, prognosis, and assessment of treatment response in late-onset Pompe disease.
Comments:While a small cohort study with single point of evaluation, this interesting study assessed a novel technique in MRS to assess glycogen accumulation in muscle which is thought to be a driver of symptoms. The significantly higher glycogen accumulation, as assessed on MRS, in unaffected muscles that typically found to develop weakness would be suggestive of a plausible mechanism. Serial testing to confirm fatty replacement and symptoms in these areas would be useful, but overall this shows promise for a less invasive technique for future treatment trials.
Why is this article interesting/relevant to the AANEM audience?MRS-based assessment of glycogen accumulation represents a first‑in‑class biomarker for late‑onset Pompe disease (LOPD), offering both prognostic value and potential guidance for treatment response. As a non‑invasive alternative, MRS could ultimately substitute for muscle biopsy in therapeutic trials and serve as a meaningful pharmacodynamic marker for future drug development. This approach may also have broader implications for biomarker discovery across other lysosomal storage disorders.