Episode 158: Atypical Parkinsonism Series: Overview, Diagnosis and Prevalence

Considered “atypical Parkinsonian syndromes,” over half of people with progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), corticobasal degeneration (CBD)/corticobasal syndrome (CBS), and multiple system atrophy (MSA) are initially misdiagnosed with Parkinson’s disease (PD) due to similarities in early symptoms as well as lack of awareness of these rare, neurodegenerative diseases among many healthcare professionals and the general public.

This is the first of three podcast episodes within our atypical parkinsonism podcast series, organized in partnership with CurePSP and designed to address the overview, treatment and care of PSP, CBD and MSA.

In this first episode of the series, Dr. Alex Pantelyat, Associate Professor of Neurology at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine shares an overview of atypical parkinsonism, overlaps and differences with Parkinson's disease, the red flags and how PSP, CBD and MSA are diagnosed.

Dr. Pantelyat has disclosed that he is a Scientific Advisory Board Consultant for MedRhythms, Inc. and a consultant for both Ferrer Internacional, S.A. and SciNeuro Pharmaceuticals.

Podcast host, Dan Keller, has disclosed that he has no relevant financial disclosures.

Released: September 5, 2023

Alexander Pantelyat, MD, FAAN is an associate professor of Neurology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. He is the director of the Johns Hopkins Atypical Parkinsonism Center, the co-Director of the Johns Hopkins Movement Disorders Fellowship Program, and the co-Founder and Director of the Johns Hopkins Center for Music and Medicine.

Dr. Pantelyat's research is focused on the diagnosis and treatment of atypical parkinsonian disorders, such as dementia with Lewy bodies, progressive supranuclear palsy, corticobasal syndrome/degeneration and multiple system atrophy; cognitive aspects of movement disorders; and music-based rehabilitation of neurodegenerative diseases.

Dr. Pantelyat earned his medical degree from Temple University School of Medicine in Philadelphia, where he was elected a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Honor Medical Society and received the Matthew T. Moore Prize in Neurology. He completed his residency training in Neurology at the University of Pennsylvania in Philadelphia, and a fellowship in movement disorders at the University of Pennsylvania/Philadelphia VA Medical Center.

He is a 2013 American Academy of Neurology Palatucci Advocacy Leader and grant recipient, a 2014-15 American Academy of Neurology Emerging Leader, and a 2014 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine Osler Attending Program inductee.