The Leitmotiv of the Second Convention of the Academia Eurasiana Neurochirurgica was "Cerebrum convalescit" - literally "the brain recovers". The focus of the meeting was on plasticity of the central nervous system, one of the most decisive factors in recovery and readaption after cerebral lesions. Distinguished experts from the fields of neurosurgery, neurology, neurophysiology, anatomy, pathology, oncology, and pharmacology discussed the following topics: - Molecular and cellular basis of plasticity - Regeneration and growth in the CNS - Self-organization of neuronal network - Brain oedema - a reparatory process? - Growth factors and carcinogenesis