Neurodegenerative Disorders and the Gut-Brain Axis: Parkinson's Disease

Event Details

Background

Each year approximately 60,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson's disease and by 2030, nearly one million people in the U.S. will be living with the disease. Parkinson's disease symptoms are not limited to motor dysfunction and patients who develop Parkinson's disease often have a history of gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, which may occur decades before the appearance of motor symptoms. There is a need for research on the neuropathological events in the GI tract that may provide insights into the disease origins and mechanisms associated with progressive neurodegeneration with the goal of developing innovative early-phase diagnostic tools or preventative therapies.

Objectives

1. Address issues in the coordinated care of motor symptoms as well as the non-motor GI dysfunction in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
2. Evaluate gut-brain communication in neurodegenerative disorders with a consideration of common mechanisms and approaches that may have cross-cutting impact for a broad range of neurodegenerative diseases.
3. Address gaps in knowledge of changes in enteric sensory processes and enteric nervous system structure and function in Parkinson’s disease.
4. Address the potential of the gastrointestinal tract as a source of biomarkers and novel therapeutic targets for early disease.
5. Facilitate crosstalk among brain-gut investigators from NIDDK, NINDS, and NIEHS (program officers from these institutes are on the organizing committee) and partnerships opportunities with these institutes for brain-gut research.

Organizing Committee

John Wiley, M.D., University of Michigan, co-chair
Gary Mawe, Ph.D., University of Vermont, co-chair
Alberto Travagli, Ph.D., Penn State College of Medicine
Fredric Manfredsson, Ph.D., Barrow Neurological Institute

Terez Shea-Donohue, Ph.D., National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
Frank Hamilton, M.D., NIDDK
Patricia Greenwel, Ph.D., NIDDK
Beth-Anne Sieber, Ph.D., National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Jonathan Hollander, Ph.D., National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences (NIEHS)

Registration Deadline

TBD

Agenda

Agenda is coming soon.