Dates: April 18-22, 2026
Location: McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Organizer: American Academy of Neurology
Website: [aanannualmeeting.com](https://www.aan.com/meetings/annual-meeting)
Overview
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events_aan_2026_neurodegenerat["AAN 2026 Neurodegeneration Sessions"]
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events_aan_2026_neur_0["Session Categories"]
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events_aan_2026_neur_1["Scientific Sessions"]
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events_aan_2026_neur_2["Education Sessions"]
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events_aan_2026_neur_3["Key Research Themes"]
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events_aan_2026_neur_4["1. Protein Aggregation Mechanisms"]
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events_aan_2026_neur_5["2. Neuroinflammation"]
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... Dates: April 18-22, 2026
Location: McCormick Place, Chicago, Illinois, USA
Organizer: American Academy of Neurology
Website: [aanannualmeeting.com](https://www.aan.com/meetings/annual-meeting)
Overview
Mermaid diagram (expand to render)
The neurodegeneration track at AAN 2026 showcases the latest advances in understanding and treating neurodegenerative diseases. Sessions focus on mechanisms, biomarkers, and therapeutic approaches for Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and related disorders.
Session Categories
Scientific Sessions
Key platform sessions covering original research:
Alzheimer's Disease Mechanisms : Amyloid, tau, and neuroinflammationParkinson's Disease : Alpha-synuclein, LRRK2, and GBAFrontotemporal Dementia : TARDBP, C9orf72, and tauAmyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis : SOD1, TDP-43 pathologyHuntington's Disease : Huntingtin and gene therapyPoster Sessions Interactive presentations:
Biomarker Studies : Blood, CSF, and imagingClinical Outcomes : Functional assessmentsTherapeutic Trials : Phase 1-3 resultsEducation Sessions
Clinical Updates
Diagnostic Criteria : NIA-AA, MDS criteriaManagement Guidelines : Best practicesCase Discussions : Challenging presentationsHands-on Workshops
Biomarker Interpretation : Clinical applicationNeuropsychological Assessment : Cognitive testingMovement Disorders : Clinical examinationKey Research Themes
1. Protein Aggregation Mechanisms
Amyloid Biology
Amyloid-beta oligomerization : Toxic species identificationARIA : Mechanisms and managementAmyloid clearance : Cellular and molecular pathways[@hodecker2023]Tau Pathology
Tau phosphorylation : Kinases and phosphatasesTau spreading : Prion-like propagationTau modifications : Acetylation, truncationAlpha-Synuclein
Oligomer formation : Toxic mechanismsCell-to-cell transmission : Spreading mechanismsStrain diversity : Clinical correlations2. Neuroinflammation
Microglial Biology
Disease-associated microglia (DAM) : Activation statesTREM2 biology : Genetic risk and functionCSF1R inhibition : Microglial modulation[@sankowski2019]Complement System
Synaptic pruning : C1q and C3 rolesInflammasome activation : NLRP3 signalingTherapeutic targeting : Complement inhibitionAstrocyte Reactivity
A1/A2 phenotypes : Functional consequencesBlood-brain barrier : Astrocyte-endothelial interactionsNeurotoxic astrocytes : Mechanisms and targets3. Biomarker Development
Fluid Biomarkers
Blood-based biomarkers : p-tau217, NfL, GFAPCSF biomarkers : Core AD markersEmerging markers : Novel analytesImaging Biomarkers
Amyloid PET : Centiloid standardizationTau PET : Regional quantificationFDG PET : Metabolic patterns4. Therapeutic Approaches
Disease-Modifying Therapies
Anti-amyloid antibodies : Lecanemab, donanemabAnti-tau approaches : Immunotherapies, small moleculesAlpha-synuclein targeting : ImmunotherapiesSymptomatic Therapies
Cognitive enhancement : Cholinergic approachesMotor symptoms : Dopaminergic therapiesNon-motor symptoms : Multi-disciplinary managementNeuroprotective Strategies
Synaptic preservation : Functional protectionMetabolic support : Mitochondrial functionOxidative stress : Antioxidant approachesFeatured Sessions
Plenary Presentations
Presidential Lecture : Future of neurodegeneration researchKeynote Address : Integration of mechanismsLate-Breaking Science : Recent trial resultsSpecial Symposia
Neurodegeneration Summit : Cross-disease perspectivesBiomarker Integration : Clinical practiceTherapeutic Development : Pipeline overviewCareer Development
Early Career Neurology : Research trainingMentorship Programs : Junior investigator guidanceGrant Writing : NIH funding strategiesCross-Disease Topics
Shared Mechanisms
Protein aggregation : Common therapeutic targetsNeuroinflammation : Microglial involvementOxidative stress : Mitochondrial dysfunctionAutophagy : Protein clearance systemsBiomarker Commonalities
NfL : Cross-disease neurodegeneration markerNeuroinflammation : Shared inflammatory markersImaging : Common imaging paradigmsTherapeutic Crossovers
Immunotherapies : Platform approachesGene therapy : Common targetsSmall molecules : Multi-disease potentialClinical Applications
Diagnostic Integration
Biomarker-guided diagnosis : AT(N) frameworkClinical criteria : Integration with biomarkersDifferential diagnosis : Cross-disease distinctionTreatment Selection
Personalized medicine : Genetic and biomarker typingCombination therapies : Multi-target strategiesMonitoring : Biomarker-guided follow-upPatient Management
Multidisciplinary care : Team approachesSupportive care : Quality of lifeCaregiver support : Family interventionsRelated Conference Content
[AAN 2026](/events/aan-2026) — Main conference page
[AAN 2026 Alzheimer's and Parkinson's Updates](/events/aan-2026-alzheimers-parkinsons-updates)
[AAN 2026 Clinical Trials](/events/aan-2026-clinical-trials)
[AAN 2026 Blood Biomarkers](/events/aan-2026-blood-biomarkers)
[AAIC 2026 Neuroinflammation](/events/aaic-2026-neuroinflammation)
Related NeuroWiki Content
Mechanisms
[Amyloid Cascade Hypothesis](/mechanisms/amyloid-cascade)
[Tau Pathology](/mechanisms/tau-pathology)
[Neuroinflammation Pathway](/mechanisms/neuroinflammation)
[Alpha-Synuclein Pathway](/mechanisms/alpha-synuclein-pathology)
Diseases
[Alzheimer's Disease](/diseases/alzheimers-disease)
[Parkinson's Disease](/diseases/parkinsons-disease)
[Frontotemporal Dementia](/diseases/frontotemporal-dementia)
[Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis](/diseases/amyotrophic-lateral-sclerosis)
Therapeutic Approaches
[Anti-Amyloid Therapies](/therapeutics/anti-amyloid-therapies)
[Anti-Tau Therapies](/therapeutics/anti-tau-therapies)
[Parkinson's Disease Therapeutics](/therapeutics/parkinsons-therapeutics)
References
[AAN 2026 Annual Meeting](https://www.aan.com/meetings/annual-meeting)
[Hodecker et al., Amyloid-related imaging abnormalities (2023)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37456789/)
[Sankowski et al., Microglial activation states (2019)](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31740912/)
[Neurodegeneration Research](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/) Show full description