MDS Podcast

Dr. Sarah Camargos is joined by Dr. Rajeev Kumar to explore early research on targeting neuroinflammation in Huntington's disease. Dr. Kumar delves into the intricacies of the complement cascade, highlighting the pivotal role of C1q as the recognition molecule at the top of this immune system chain reaction and how ANX005 aims to prevent the initiation of the cascade. He further discusses the impl...

Ms. Nicole Duff and Prof. Hae-Young Hawong discuss the benefits of Argentine tango in the rehabilitation of person's with Parkinson disease. The motor, non-motor, social, and quality of life gains are all explored; in addition to, the neuro-anatomical, neurophysiological and neuroplastic benefits. Prof. Hawong also describes the very successful and passion-based Argentine tango program she has est...

Dr. Norihito Uemura joins Prof. Tiago Outeiro to discuss perampanel, an AMPA receptor antagonist, and how it has been shown to block alpha-synuclein propagation and neurodegeneration in a mouse model of Lewy body disease. Dr. Uemura explains the mechanistic findings of transsynaptic propagation and the study limitations pertaining to mouse behavior. They also discuss perampanel’s established thera...

Ms. Nicole Duff and Dr. Marjan Meinders discuss end of life preferences of people with Parkinson’s disease. Together they discuss the ways that end-of-life records could be sourced, as well as what information could be found in the end-of-life record. They further dive into the differences between specific European countries and the reasons around the low rate of end-of-life records for people wit...

Dr. Connie Marras discusses with Dr. Sara Schaefer her recent study in Movement Disorders Clinical Practice exploring the perspective of Persons with Parkinson's disease on the definition of quality of life. Read the article.

Myths and misconceptions related to the surgical risks of deep brain stimulation (DBS) procedures remain common despite many years of evidence demonstrating its relative safety. This leads to both patient and provider fear in referring eligible patients for consideration of a potentially life-altering therapy for symptom management in many movement disorders. Dr. Mitra Afshari speaks to functional...

For many years ataxias, especially the genetic forms, were considered untreatable diseases. In this episode Dr. Orlando Barsottini and Dr. Liana Rosenthal discuss the new advances in the treatment of ataxias and perspectives for the future.

Prodromal autonomic dysfunction has emerged as an important area of research in understanding Lewy body diseases, including Parkinson's disease, and dementia with Lewy bodies. Dr. Michelle Matarazzo sits down with three experts in the field, Dr. Abhimanyu Mahajan, Dr. Alison Yarnall, and Dr. David Goldstein to discuss the current evidence behind various disturbances and how they may precede classi...

Genetic ataxias have many non-motor features, such as fatigue, sleep disorders, and cognitive dysfunction. In this episode, Dr. Orlando Barsottini and Dr. Christofer Stephen discuss the most common non-motor symptoms and how to approach them.

Dr. Michele Matarazzo sits down with Dr. Rebecca Wallings to discuss  how two of the most important genetic forms for Parkinson's disease, LRRK2 and GBA1, influence immune response to bacterial simulation. Their discussion highlights a potential link between genetics, environment, and inflammation in Parkinson’s disease. Journal CME is available until March 18, 2027 Read the article.

In this episode, Dr. Orlando Barsottini and Dr. Malco Rossi discuss the main imaging findings and clues for the the diagnosis of genetic and sporadic ataxias.

In this episode Dr. Hugo Morales Briceno and Dr. Ai Huey Tan discuss how to approach deafness-dystonia syndrome and its etiological differential diagnoses. Read the discussed case.

In this interview, Dr. Orlando Barsottini and Dr. Divyani Garg discuss the main forms of sporadic ataxias, how to approach them, and what steps not to miss.

Dr. Mattia Rosso joins Dr. Sara Schaefer to discuss the historical use of videography in movement disorder clinical practice and education, and how it influenced the evolution of the field. Read the article.

Cases of late-onset cerebellar ataxias are a challenge for neurologists. In this episode Dr. Orlando Barsottini and Dr. José Luiz Pedroso discuss new advances on the investigation of late-onset cerebellar ataxias and identification of new genes.

Dr. Michele Matarazzo interviews Prof. Hesheng Liu about his recent Nature paper proposing a major conceptual shift: Parkinson’s disease as a somato-cognitive action network (SCAN) disorder. Together they discuss how a large multimodal dataset suggests a characteristic pattern of hyperconnectivity between SCAN cortical areas and subcortical nuclei in Parkinson’s disease, how this signature changes...

In this episode, Dr. Orlando Barsottini and Dr. Bart van de Warrenburg discuss the importance of precise neurological examination and classification of ataxias. The further discuss the rational etiological investigation for cases of ataxia and how to utilize different clinical assessments.

In this episode, Dr. Kirsten Müller-Vahl explores one of the first long-term follow-up studies of mass social media–induced functional tic-like behaviors (MSMI-FTLB). She discusses what their findings mean for clinical counseling, why early diagnosis appears to improve outcomes, how factors such as psychiatric comorbidity and secondary gain influence recovery. She also examines the surprising find...

Dr. Eduardo de Pablo-Fernández is joined by Dr. Susan Fox and Dr. Claudia Trenkwalder to discuss how to improve the current MDS clinical diagnostic criteria for Parkinson's disease. Read the article.

Functional dystonia can closely mimic idiopathic dystonia, and objective physiological markers to support the diagnosis are still limited. In this episode, Dr. Michele Matarazzo speaks with Prof. Roberto Eleopra about a pilot study using poly-EMG during a controlled propofol sedation protocol to help differentiate functional from idiopathic dystonia. They discuss the study’s rationale and design,...

A young boy presents with exercise-induced episodic gait disturbance. Dr. Shekeeb Mohammad analyses the clinical phenomenology alongside laboratory and neuroimaging findings, systematically exploring the differential diagnosis before arriving at the final diagnosis.

Dr. Mena Farag joins Dr. Eduardo de Pablo-Fernández to discuss how proenkephalin and other biomarkers can help monitor the earliest stages of Huntington's disease decades before the onset of motor symptoms. Journal CME is available until February 11, 2027 Read the article.

This episode explores shame as an often-overlooked but impactful non-motor symptom of Parkinson’s disease. Drawing on her team's recent research, Dr. Vanessa Fleury discusses the psychological and clinical determinants of shame, its strong link to quality of life, and why it deserves greater attention in routine care. The conversation highlights how recognizing and addressing shame may open new av...

In this episode, Dr. Alexander Lehn explores the clinical management of Parkinson’s disease across the reproductive journey; before conception, during pregnancy, and in the postpartum period. He shares the current evidence, practical challenges, medication safety considerations, and multidisciplinary decision-making. The conversation highlights gaps in data, real-world clinical strategies, and key...

Dr. Sara Schaefer is joined by Dr. Valentina Leta and Dr. Ray Chaudhuri to discuss their randomized controlled trial on the effects of probiotic use on inflammation, motor, and non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease. Journal CME is available until December 18, 2026 Read the article.