In neurodegenerative conditions such as Parkinson's disease (PD), patients often do not receive a diagnosis until the hallmark motor symptoms begin to manifest. This can be a decade or more after substantial changes start occurring in the brain. A major goal of the PD research field has been to develop methods for earlier detection and intervention. Over the years, there have been substantial advances in neuroimaging techniques and biological biomarkers that have allowed us to more accurately identify patients with Parkinson's disease, including the recent development of the alpha-synuclein seed amplification assay. In this episode, Dr. John Seibyl discusses his early work on neuroimaging in Parkinson's disease through to the groundbreaking, large-scale clinical trials he is involved with for assessing the impacts of neuroprotective drugs for Parkinson's disease as well as Alzheimer's disease. He also shares his perspectives as a researcher and a patient with Parkinson's disease. John is Chairman of the Board, Co-Founder, and Senior Scientist of the Institute for Neurodegenerative Disorders in New Haven, Connecticut. He is also a board-certified physician in both Psychiatry and Nuclear Medicine, and he is an Adjunct faculty member in Neurology at Yale University School of Medicine.

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This podcast episode was part of a limited series created by The Michael J. Fox Foundation in 2023 and 2024 for clinicians and researchers in our audience.  These episodes provide a deeper dive into exciting new scientific research in Parkinson’s disease, as well as innovative tools and valuable resources, through conversations with a variety of experts in the field. We hope you enjoy the conversation.

The Foundation’s landmark research study is exploring the connection between sense of smell and brain disease. People with and without Parkinson's can help by taking a free scratch-and-sniff test. Get yours at mysmelltest.org/request.