Movement Disorders Journal (MDJ) Symposium: Neurobiology of Parkinson’s Disease

(Satellite meeting of the SfN Neuroscience 2025)

San Diego, CA, USA
November 14, 2025

About the MDJ Symposium

This symposium is organized by the editorial team of Movement Disorders, the official journal of the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. The symposium will explore the biological underpinnings of Parkinson’s disease (PD), the neurobiological basis for current and emerging treatments, and the mechanisms responsible for disease complications and adverse responses to therapy

Schedule

Session 1: Genetics and Cell Biology of PD
8:00 – 8:05	Welcome and Opening Remarks David Standaert, MD, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham (USA)
8:05 – 8:35	PD Populations and Genetics Thiago Peixoto Leal, PhD, Cleveland Clinic Lerner Research Institute (USA)
8:35 – 9:05	Autosomal Recessive Genes for PD Derek Narendra, MD, PhD, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (USA)
9:05 – 9:35	LRRK2 and PD Laurie Sanders, PhD, Duke University (USA)
9:35 – 10:00	Q&A / Discussion
10:00 – 10:15	BREAK
Session 2: Plasticity and Dyskinesias
10:15 – 10:45	Striatal Signaling and Dyskinesia Alexandra Nelson, MD, PhD, University of California, San Francisco (USA)
10:45 – 11:15	Cellular Transcriptomics in Dyskinesia Karen Jaunarajs, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham (USA)
11:15 – 11:45	Novel Therapeutic Approaches to Dyskinesia M. Angela Cenci Nilsson, MD, PhD, Lund University (Sweden)
11:45 – 12:15	Q&A / Discussion
12:15 – 13:00	LUNCH
Session 3: Experimental Platforms for Studying PD
13:05 – 13:30	IPSC Models for PD Mark Cookson, PhD, National Institute on Aging (USA)
13:30 – 14:00	Imaging Brain Function in PD Shannon Chiu, MD, Mayo Clinic Arizona (USA)
14:00 – 14:30	Neuromodulation Philip Andrew Starr, MD, PhD, University of California, San Francisco (USA)
14:30 – 14:55	Q&A / Discussion
Conclusion
14:55 – 15:00	Closing Remarks David Standaert, MD, PhD, University of Alabama at Birmingham (USA)