Finding gaps and building bridges in movement disorders

Movement disorders are one of the most rapidly growing fields of neurology from both the clinical and neurobiological perspectives. Despite many recent advances in genetic, pathogenetic, clinical and therapeutic fields, several shortcomings remain in the diagnostic and therapeutic realms, with a plethora of challenges threatening further advances. Aimed at recognizing and bridging these knowledge gaps, the 2nd International Conference on Knowledge Gaps in Parkinson's Disease and Other Movement Disorders was held last February in Santa Margherita Ligure, Italy, with the support of the Movement Disorder Society and the Italian Association for Parkinson's Disease and Extrapyramidal Disorders. The 3-day symposium, which was attended by approximately 300 clinicians and researchers from around the world, gathered around 27 leading young and senior clinical scientists, each of whom addressed the field's main knowledge gaps and brainstormed on how to bridge or minimize their impact. This meeting report summarizes the topics that gathered the most attention from the speakers and the audience.