MDS PODCAST: Defining Parkinson's disease

Dr. Genko Oyama gives us an inside look at the most exciting moments from the last full day of the MDS Congress — including 2 exciting Clinical Breakthrough announcements and his favorite case from the Video Challenge.

Dr. Andrew Siderowf shares what you missed from #mdscongress day three, which included a deep dive into the evolving AI landscape and insightful live patient rounds.

Dr. Thomas Kimber breaks down the eventful and science-packed first day of the #MDSCongress.

Highlights from day 2: Dr. Sanjay Pandey recaps the key takeaways, including from the aging & comorbidities and renown awardee lecture sessions.

Prof. Tiago Outeiro speaks with 2026 MDS Congress C. David Marsden Presidential Lecture Award winner Prof. Vincenzo Bonifati about his landmark genetic discoveries and the future of movement disorders research.

Sara Schaefer speaks with the MDS Congress 2026 Junior Award Winner Dr. Richard Morton about his prevalence study on Parkinson’s disease in Kalifi County, Kenya, a substudy of the Transforming Parkinson’s Care in Africa (TraPCAf) study.

In this episode, we speak with Zixiao Yin, recipient of a Junior Award at the MDS Congress, about his work on reconstructing deep brain activity from cortical signals. Using more than 700 hours of simultaneous cortical and subcortical recordings across different movement disorders, brain targets, and clinical states, Yin and colleagues developed deep learning approaches...

Dr. Sara Schaefer speaks with 2026 MDS Congress Stanley Fahn Award Lecture winner Dr. Beomseok Jeon about his career and the inspiration he drew from his time as a movement disorders fellow under Dr. Stanley Fahn.

Dr. Divyani Garg speaks with Dr. Hubert H. Fernandez about tavapadon, a once-daily selective dopamine D1/D5 receptor agonist, and what the TEMPO clinical development program tells us about its potential role in Parkinson’s disease (PD). They discuss the rationale for D1/D5 stimulation, findings from other TEMPO programs, the magnitude and clinical meaning of the motor...

Prof. Jeffrey Kordower and Prof. Franziska Richter Assêncio join Prof. Tiago Outeiro to discuss the historical use of animal models in the field of Parkinson’s disease. Together they review ethical issues, the value of different types of models, and their relevance to the field.

In this new episode of the Hot Topic ‘Prodromal synucleinopathies’ Dr. Eva Schäffer joins Dr. Eduardo de Pablo Fernández to discuss recent advances, future challenges, and practical clinical advice in prodromal Parkinson’s disease.

In this episode, Dr. Kathryn Yang discusses a case of a young girl with subacute-onset jerky movements with an interesting finding on oculomotor examination, and explores the etiological diagnosis of this peculiar syndrome. Read the article.

Sleep Specialist Dr. Laura Pérez-Carbonell joins Dr. Eduardo de Pablo Fernández to discuss a wide range of topics related to REM sleep behaviour disorder as a prodromal synucleinopathy.

In this episode, Dr. Mitra Afshari speaks with Dr. Jen Nagao about her latest work highlighting the automation of subthalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS) with Evoked Resonant Neural Activity (ERNA) in Parkinson’s disease. They discuss the potential benefits of ERNA over beta power in the operating room and future opportunities to explore this newer neurophysiological...

Dr. Todd Gross and Dr. Laxman Bahroo discuss with Dr. Sara Schaefer the real-world use of daxibotulinumtoxinA in patients with cervical dystonia following initial clinical trials and FDA approval. Read the article.

Dr. Asif Doja explores the diagnostic possibilities of behavioral arrests and loss of postural reflexes in a young boy, and details the diagnostic approach to such cases. View the case videos: KCNMA1-Related Episodes of Behavioral Arrest and Loss of Postural Reflexes Cataplexy in Patients Harboring the KCNMA1 p. N999S Mutation

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.....

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...

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...

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...

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...

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...