Irene Litvan is a neurologist and researcher specializing in movement disorders and neurodegenerative diseases, particularly progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), Parkinson's disease, and atypical parkinsonian disorders. She is internationally recognized for her contributions to understanding these conditions and developing improved diagnostic criteria and therapeutic approaches.
Irene Litvan, MD is a Professor of Neurology and Director of the Movement Disorders Division at the University of Louisville in Kentucky. She has held previous positions at the University of Toronto and Parkinson"s Institute. Dr. Litvan has been a leading figure in PSP research for decades, contributing to diagnostic criteria, clinical trials, and biomarker development.
Dr. Litvan received her medical degree from the University of Chile School of Medicine. She completed her neurology residency at the University of Chile and subsequently moved to the United States for fellowship training in movement disorders at the University of Toronto and later at other leading institutions.
She has established a prominent research program focusing on PSP and related disorders, with particular emphasis on clinical characterization, cognitive dysfunction in movement disorders, and therapeutic interventions.
Dr. Litvan's research spans multiple domains:
Dr. Litvan has made significant contributions to the field:
Dr. Litvan has authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications. Selected key papers:
Selected recent publications from Dr. Litvan's research program[1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10]:
Litvan I, et al. "Automated Imaging Differentiation for Parkinsonism." JAMA Neurology. JAMA Neurology. 2025. ↩︎
Westenberger A, et al. "Relevance of genetic testing in the gene-targeted trial era: the Rostock Parkinson's disease study." Brain. Brain. 2024. ↩︎
Liu X, et al. "Sex differences in clinical phenotypes of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia." Alzheimers Dement. Alzheimers Dement. 2025. ↩︎
Beach TG, et al. "Implications and opportunities regarding biological frameworks in overt and prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies." Alzheimers Dement. Alzheimers Dement. 2024. ↩︎
Litvan I, et al. "Whole-genome sequencing analysis reveals new susceptibility loci and structural variants associated with progressive supranuclear palsy." Nat Genet. Nat Genet. 2024. ↩︎
Chen X, et al. "Gene-Specific Effects on Brain Volume and Cognition of TMEM106B in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration." Neurology. Neurology. 2024. ↩︎
Fox N, et al. "Functional Connectivity Associations With Markers of Disease Progression in GRN Pathogenic Variant Carriers." Neurology. Neurology. 2025. ↩︎
Conner C, et al. "Copy Number Variation and Haplotype Analysis of 17q21.31 Reveals Increased Risk Associated with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy." Acta Neuropathol. Acta Neuropathol. 2025. ↩︎
Gorno-Tempini ML, et al. "Comprehensive cross-sectional and longitudinal comparisons of plasma glial fibrillary acidic protein and neurofilament light across FTD spectrum disorders." Alzheimers Dement. Alzheimers Dement. 2024. ↩︎
Irwin DJ, et al. "ATN cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers in dementia with Lewy bodies: Initial results from the United States Dementia with Lewy Bodies Consortium." Alzheimers Dement. Alzheimers Dement. 2024. ↩︎