Interview with Drs. Erik Wolters,
President of the WFN Association of Parkinsonism and Related disorders
What makes this congress unique?
The XIXth World Congress on Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders is being held for the very first time in Asia and in China. We have chosen Shanghai for our Congress due to its history as a city where the East and West meet. We hope the congress will serve as an important venue for physicians and health care professionals who treat patients suffering from movement disorders. Additionally, we hope that scientists and clinical researchers studying different aspects of movement disorders will also benefit. The Scientific Committee has invited world-class speakers to provide the Congress participants with the newest developments in the diagnosis and treatment of movement disorders. The newest discoveries in the field of molecular genetics will also be presented. The advancements made in diagnostic modalities such as electrophysiological recordings, transcranial sonography, magnetic resonance and positron emission tomography imaging all will also be discussed. On top of this, the currently available and new medical and surgical therapies, which include deep brain stimulation techniques (with new targets) for a variety of movement disorders, will be extensively covered. Also being presented will be the emerging and fascinating therapeutic interventions, which have stemmed from the development of induced pluripotent cell technology.
In addition to the traditional plenary, parallel, and video sessions, the Congress will also feature translational presentations and interactive forum discussions. There will also be parallel Chinese-language spoken sessions and educational courses, covering the more practical aspects of movement disorders available for congress participants. Each participant in the educational program will be offered a free copy of the practical textbook on Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders.
As the motto of this Shanghai Congress is "Old meets New," a detailed review of eastern therapeutical strategies for movement disorders will take place. To promote the interactive discussions, the Congress Proceedings will be published as a supplement in Elsevier Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, the official journal of WFN Association of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders. This supplement will be made available to all participants at the time of the Congress. These Congress Proceedings will cover plenary session lectures and parallel session lectures. Finally, we have planned an attractive social program with an exciting opening ceremony, which includes drinks, snacks, traditional dances and fireworks. There will also be additional receptions and dinners throughout the course of the event.
What are the breakthroughs and new insights that will be revealed during the congress?
The Congress presentations will cover a variety of topics addressing the newest molecular genetic discoveries for Parkinson’s disease and Parkinsonian disorders, including discussions regarding the clinical and pathological phenotypes associated with mutations in the eIF4G1 and VPS35 genes. These two new Parkinson’s disease genes, which were reported in the summer and fall of this year, represent the most major genetic discoveries for Parkinson’s disease since the identification of the LRRK2 gene in 2004. In addition, the importance of premotor features of Parkinson’s disease, which enables early premotor diagnosis, as well as, initiating eventual disease-modifying strategies will be extensively covered. Another highlight is the discussion of emerging therapies, stemming from a better understanding of the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s disease, Parkinsonism as a whole, and other movement disorders. During our Congress, special attention will be given to new insights provided by the knowledge acquired through the cell culture studies, animal models, and biomarker research. The emerging treatments in movement disorders, including gene therapy, neurotrophic factors, stem cells, and others will be extensively presented. Special sessions covering such broad topics as striatal and cortical plasticities, pathogenesis of tremor, and new developments in the understanding of hyperactive movement disorders such as Huntington's disease and other forms of chorea, myoclonus, and dystonias will be made available to Congress participants. There will be also sessions for allied health care professionals emphasizing strategies and approaches needed to care for patients suffering from different types of movement disorders.
What are the “hot topics” of the scientific program?
The Congress will feature several hot topic sessions covering the newest discoveries in the molecular genetics of Parkinson’s disease, dystonia, and other movement disorders. Also, the recently broadened topics of the targets and indications for deep brain stimulation procedures will be extensively covered. Additionally, non-pharmacological therapies and strategies to optimize brain repair mechanisms, which can potentially reduce disease burden and progression, will be addressed. Since this is the first major Parkinsonian congress held in East Asia, the Congress organizers and Scientific Committee have made a major effort to include sessions on therapies used throughout the centuries in China and other Far East countries. Moreover, there will be a special session for Chinese congress participants in the Mandarin language with simultaneous translation into English so that all Congress participants can attend and enjoy this attractive program.
About the congress speakers
The Scientific Committee has made a substantial and successful effort to ensure that world experts in broad areas covering clinical and basic sciences pertinent to movement disorders are participating in the XIXth World Congress on Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders. They will share their unique knowledge and expertise by participating in plenary and parallel sessions, chairing video sessions and delivering the translational presentations. This Congress will also feature novel interactive forum discussions with these experts for the Congress participants. At last, there will be special sessions with the full members of the PRD Association, as well as with the Editors of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, the official journal of the WFN Association of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders, during which the attendees will address the mission and the strategic objectives of the Association as well as its journal.
Please describe the phenomenon at hand
Parkinson’s disease, after Alzheimer’s disease, is the second most common neurodegenerative disorder. There is no precise data available on the global prevalence of Parkinson’s disease; however, it is estimated that in 2005, there were approximately 4 million people affected by Parkinson’s disease. These individuals could be found in Brazil, China, Europe, India and the US. Additionally, half of the sufferers lived in China. It is also estimated that by year 2030, the number of affected individuals suffering from Parkinson’s disease in these regions will increase to about 9 million. Other estimates suggest that the global number of currently living Parkinson’s disease sufferers might increase to 30 million.
Parkinson’s disease is progressive and at this time, an incurable disorder. It is often the leading cause for nursing-home placement. Fortunately, symptomatic therapies, both pharmacological and surgical, are available, prolonging quality of life, reducing disease burden, and postponing nursing home placement. Currently, there are no strategies to modify or halt the progression of this disease.
The symptoms of Parkinson’s disease include not only typical signs of motor Parkinsonism including slow movements, scarcity of spontaneous movements, stiffness of muscles, resting tremor, and gait disturbance eventually leading to falls, but also even more debilitating, non-motor signs and symptoms. These non-motor signs include hyposmia, visual disturbances, mood disorders, sleep disorders, gastro-intestinal and uro-genital problems, as well as dementia and psychosis. In some patients, these non-motor signs and symptoms may precede the typical motor Parkinsonism, enabling early premotor diagnosis.
In Dementia with Lewy bodies, progressive dementia with hallucinations is the first clinical expression of Parkinson’s Disease and is later followed by motor Parkinsonism. Pathologically, the major neuronal loss and formation of Lewy bodies, the pathological hallmark of Parkinson’s disease, takes place in pigmented brain stem nuclei. However, with disease progression, the cortical areas will become also affected. Although we are reasonably well informed about the pathophysiology and are able to recognize genetic, traumatic, toxic and drug-induced Parkinsonism, the exact cause of this sporadic (idiopathic) disease is still unraveled. Symptomatic therapeutic strategies, which interfere with motor Parkinsonism, comprise various pharmacotherapeutical and neurosurgical interventions.
What is the significance of International Parkinson’s Congress being held in Shanghai, China and Asia this year?
The Organizing Committee is very excited that the WFN Association of Parkinson’s Disease and Related Disorders is the first major world Parkinson’s disease organization to bring a World Congress on Parkinson’s's Disease and Related Disorders to Shanghai, China. This is a tribute to a rising importance of Far East Asia in the clinical and basic sciences. Because the Chinese population of Parkinson’s disease patients is about half of all Parkinson’s disease patients currently living worldwide, sharing the newest discoveries in the understanding of the pathogenesis of Parkinson’s’s disease and combining it with the emerging therapies of Chinese physicians and allied health care professionals is an extremely important aim of our Association. This Congress will also feature discussions and presentations related to other movement disorders, which are also common in China and other Far East Asian countries.