ONLINE: New Developments in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Watch here: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCFi6QNwlsa453cKBy5faAYw

press release: Losing the ability to walk, use our minds, even effectively function in the world is a devastating thought. Yet more than 30,000 people afflicted by Huntington’s disease, and nearly one million Americans living with Parkinson’s disease, along with their families and friends, are facing such challenges — and always seeking hope.

In recent years, doctors and researchers at UW Health and the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health have made great strides in combating neurodegenerative diseases like Parkinson’s and Huntington’s.

These and other diseases that occur when nervous-system cells in the brain and spinal cord deteriorate are increasingly common societal issues in aging populations. So it’s imperative that efforts continue to find better treatments and discover ways to slow disease progression and ultimately find cures. On the next Wisconsin Medicine Livestream, UW experts examine new developments in neurodegenerative diseases.

Featured guests:

Kathleen Shannon, MD, FAAN, FANA, is the Detling Professor and Chair in the Department of Neurology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Shannon has built her research career on clinical trials of medical and surgical interventions on neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease.

Jane S. Paulsen, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Neurology at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health. Dr. Paulsen launched one of the first studies to show that the physical and mental changes associated with Huntington’s disease could be identified in people more than a decade before a traditional diagnosis.

Marina Emborg, MD, PhD, is a professor in the Department of Medical Physics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and director of the Preclinical Parkinson’s Research Program at the Wisconsin National Primate Research Center. Dr. Emborg’s lab focuses on understanding the physiopathology of, and developing treatments for, neurological disorders, particularly Parkinson’s disease.