Dates: April 18-22, 2026
Location: McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Organizer: American Academy of Neurology
Website: aanannualmeeting.com
The neurodegeneration track at AAN 2026 features significant advances in Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), and related disorders. Sessions cover key presentations, clinical trial results, and scientific insights from leading researchers.
- p-tau217: Phosphorylated tau at threonine 217 — highly sensitive and specific blood biomarker for AD pathology[@janelidze2023]
- p-tau181: Continues to show utility in clinical and research settings
- Neurofilament light chain (NfL): Marker of neurodegeneration and disease progression
- GFAP: Glial fibrillary acidic protein as astrocytic marker
- Lecanemab (Leqembi): Real-world effectiveness data and ARIA management protocols[@bassett2024]
- Donanemab: TRAILBLAZER-ALZ trial results and clinical implementation
- Next-generation antibodies: Phase 2 and 3 programs
- Small molecules: Targeting amyloidogenesis
- Immunotherapies: Anti-tau antibodies in clinical trials
- Small molecules: Tau aggregation inhibitors
- Tau PET imaging: Correlations with clinical outcomes
- APOE genotype: Effects on treatment response
- Biomarker stratification: AT(N) framework integration
- Combination therapies: Multi-target strategies
- A4 Study: Anti-amyloid in preclinical AD
- DIAN: Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer's Network
- API: Alzheimer's Prevention Initiative
- Immunotherapies: Anti-alpha-synuclein antibodies
- Small molecules: Aggregation inhibitors
- Gene therapy: AAV-based delivery approaches
- Directional leads: Improved targeting algorithms
- Closed-loop systems: Adaptive stimulation
- Patient selection: Biomarkers for DBS candidates
- Neuroprotective agents: Targets beyond dopamine
- Alpha-synuclein modulation: Reduction and clearance
- Metabolic approaches: Mitochondrial function
- Sleep disorders: REM behavior disorder in PD
- Autonomic dysfunction: GI and cardiovascular
- Cognitive impairment: Dementia prevention
- Clinical trial updates for anti-synuclein therapies
- New diagnostic biomarkers for PD
- DBS advances
- Non-motor symptom management
- Neuroinflammation: Microglial biology in both diseases[@hansens2020]
- Protein aggregation: Common therapeutic targets
- Biomarker development: Cross-disease applications
- Clinical trial design: Shared approaches
- AAN 2026 Annual Meeting
- Janelidze et al., Blood p-tau217 predicts amyloid PET status (2023)
- Bassett et al., Lecanemab real-world effectiveness (2024)
- Hansens et al., Microglial activation in neurodegenerative disease (2020)