Certain populations are disproportionately affected by neurological diseases, including Parkinson's and other neurodegenerative diseases. A lot of work remains to be done to improve brain health outcomes and promote healthy brain aging across the lifespan, particularly for minoritized, underrepresented populations. Including participants from diverse backgrounds in research helps ensure that the results from studies and clinical trials in the field are valid, generalizable, and representative of all individuals affected by these diseases.

In this episode, Dr. Monica Rivera-Mindt discusses brain health inequities in neurodegenerative diseases, her work using culturally informed community-engaged research methods to improve representation in research studies, important gaps in the literature, lessons learned from the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) Diversity Task Force that could be applied in Parkinson's disease research, and more. Monica is Professor of Psychology, Latinx studies, and African and African American studies at Fordham University, and she has a joint appointment as Professor of Neurology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai. She is also a board-certified neuropsychologist.

This podcast is geared toward researchers and clinicians. If you live with Parkinson’s or have a friend or family member with PD, listen to The Michael J. Fox Foundation Parkinson’s Podcast. Hear from scientists, doctors and people with Parkinson's on different aspects of life with the disease as well as research toward treatment breakthroughs at https://www.michaeljfox.org/podcasts.

Alpha-synuclein plays a key role in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease, and researchers have been investigating this protein as a therapeutic target and also as a potential biomarker for the disease. The alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay, developed by Dr. Claudio Soto and colleagues, leverages the self-replicating nature of the misfolded alpha-synuclein proteins that form aggregates in Parkinson's disease. Amplifying misfolded alpha-synuclein can allow researchers and clinicians to detect the presence of the pathological form of the protein in biospecimens, even when the amount of misfolded alpha-synuclein in a sample is very low. In this episode, Claudio discusses his work in this area and how it has opened the doors for a variety of potential uses of the alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay, including applications in diagnosis, clinical trials, and drug development for Parkinson's disease.

This year, Claudio received the 2024 Robert A. Pritzker Prize for Leadership in Parkinson’s Research for his substantial contributions to research and his commitment to mentoring the next generation of scientists in the field. Claudio is the Huffington’s Distinguished University Chair, Professor of Neurology, and Director of the George and Cynthia Mitchell Center for Alzheimer’s Disease and Related Brain Disorders at The University of Texas Medical School in Houston. He is also the Founder, Vice-President, and Chief Scientific Officer at AMPRION Inc.

This podcast is geared toward researchers and clinicians. If you live with Parkinson’s or have a friend or family member with PD, listen to The Michael J. Fox Foundation Parkinson’s Podcast. Hear from scientists, doctors and people with Parkinson's on different aspects of life with the disease as well as research toward treatment breakthroughs at https://www.michaeljfox.org/podcasts.

To help meet the growing global need for more movement disorders specialists, The Michael J. Fox Foundation created the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders in collaboration with longtime partner the Edmond J. Safra Foundation. This program supports the training of movement disorders specialists who will provide expert care and drive advances in Parkinson's research. The program is positively impacting early-career clinician-researchers, as well as the centers where they train. These impacts will continue to grow over the years as more fellows are trained. In this episode, Dr. Marcelo Merello and Dr. Sergio Castillo-Torres share their insights and perspectives as a Fellowship Director and a Fellow in the program, respectively.

Marcelo is Director of the Department of Neurosciences and Chief of the Movement Disorders Clinic at the Institute for Neurological Research or Fleni Hospital. He is fellowship Director at Fleni and the University of Buenos Aires. In addition, Marcelo is Principal Investigator with the National Council for Scientific and Technical Research and Professor of Neurodegenerative Diseases at the Pontifical Catholic University of Argentina. Sergio is an Associate Professor in Neurology and Internal Medicine at the Dr. Jose E. Gonzales University Hospital of the Autonomous University of Nuevo Leon. He was an Edmond J. Safra Fellow in Movement Disorders at Fleni Hospital. Visit michaeljfox.org/fellowship to learn more about the Edmond J. Safra Fellowship in Movement Disorders.

This podcast is geared toward researchers and clinicians. If you live with Parkinson’s or have a friend or family member with PD, listen to The Michael J. Fox Foundation Parkinson’s Podcast. Hear from scientists, doctors and people with Parkinson's on different aspects of life with the disease as well as research toward treatment breakthroughs at https://www.michaeljfox.org/podcasts.