Look around you right now and think for a minute about all of the things you’re exposed to: the coffee you’re drinking, the mug holding the coffee you’re drinking, the soap that mug was washed in, the sleep you got last night -- or didn’t get. All of this is part of what we now call your exposome. And as we’re learning, the neural exposome influences our risk of developing a range of neurologic diseases.

Our guest today is Dr. Eva Feldman, the  James W Albers Distinguished University Professor and the Russell N. De Young professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Michigan. She’ll talk to us about research on the neural exposome in neurodegenerative disease -- and what we should be telling patients and policymakers about this research. Dr. Feldman was interviewed by Dr. Vinita Acharya, Professor of Neurology and Distinguished Educator at Penn State College of Medicine.

• Guest: Dr. Eva Feldman, the  James W Albers Distinguished University Professor and the Russell N. De Young professor of neurology and neurosurgery at the University of Michigan - https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/mni/eva-feldman-md-phd
• Interviewer: Dr. Vinita Acharya, Professor of Neurology and Distinguished Educator at Penn State College of Medicine
• Disclosures: None

Neurologists bring an important perspective to health policy. But few have formal training in how to advocate for patients at a state or national level. Our guest today, Dr. Kara Stavros, is an associate professor of neurology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and the President of the Rhode Island Medical Society. She’s also a self-described advocate, who’s found a number of ways to speak up for her patients and influence health policy. Dr. Stavros spoke about her path to advocacy with Dr. Sarah Nelson, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Tufts Medical Center.

• Guest: Dr. Kara Stavros, associate professor of neurology at The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University and the President of the Rhode Island Medical Society
• Interviewer: Dr. Sarah Nelson, Assistant Professor of Neurology at Tufts Medical Center
• Disclosures: None

Parkinson’s Disease has long been a clinical diagnosis. But recently, there have been proposals to redefine the disease based on biomarkers of alpha-synucleinopathy and dopaminergic dysfunction. A similar shift has already occurred in Alzheimer disease, with the “amyloid, tau, and neurodegeneration,” or ATN, classification system.

Our guest today, Michael Okun, is is Professor of Neurology and Director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at the University of Florida and medical advisor for the Parkinson's Foundation. He co-authored an op-ed in JAMA last summer in JAMA arguing that there would be benefits to a biological definition of Parkinson’s - but there would also be risks. He’ll unpack both sides of this debate today with Dr. Christine Doss Esper, Associate Professor of Neurology at Emory University. Series 6, Episode 5

Featuring:

• Guest: Dr. Michael Okun, is Professor of Neurology and Director of the Norman Fixel Institute for Neurological Diseases at the University of Florida and medical advisor for the Parkinson's Foundation
• Interviewer: Dr. Christine Doss Esper, Associate Professor of Neurology at Emory University
• Disclosures: None