[S-18] Preclinical pathogenesis and therapy for neurodegeneration

[S-18-3] Preclinical pathogenesis and biomarkers of motor neuron diseases

Masahisa Katsuno (Department of Neurology, Nagoya University Graduate School of Medicine, Japan)

Neurodegenerative diseases are characterized by a progressive decline of the motor and/or cognitive function caused by a selective loss of neurons within the central nervous system. Pathological changes at molecular and cellular levels precede the clinical onset by several years, underscoring a pressing need for initiation of interventions before the emergence of neurological symptoms. Using exquisite biomarkers, recent studies revealed the preclinical and prodromal progression of pathophysiology, as well as compensatory brain responses in several neurodegenerative diseases. This session aims to discuss the recent advancement of biomarker studies on presymptomatic subjects and the perspective on a preventive trial of disease-modifying therapies for devastating neurological disorders.

Dr. Masahisa Katsuno received his M.D. in 1995 and his Ph.D. in Neurology in 2003, both from Nagoya University in Nagoya, Japan. Following an postdoctoral fellowship at Japan Foundation for Aging and Health, he became an associate professor of Institute of Advanced research, Nagoya University, at 2006, and then an associate professor of Department of Neurology, Nagoya University, at 2012. From July 2015, he has been a professor of Department of Neurology, Nagoya University. He received Japan Society of the Promotion of Science Prize at 2009, and Japanese Society of Neurology Award at 2014, and serves as a board member of Japanese Society of Neurology, a councilor of Japanese Society of Neurological Therapeutics, and an external evaluator of Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare (MHLW), Japan.