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Overview
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.
Introduction
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.
Biography
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.
Research Focus
Dr. Litvan's research spans multiple domains:
...
Overview
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.
Introduction
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.
Biography
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.
Research Focus
Dr. Litvan's research spans multiple domains:
Clinical Research
PSP Subtypes: Characterizing clinical variants including PSP-parkinsonism, PSP-pure akinesia with gait freezing, and others
Cognitive Impairment: Studies on executive dysfunction, behavioral changes, and dementia in PSP and PD
Clinical Trials: Phase I-III trials for novel therapeutics in PSP and PD
Biomarker Research
Fluid Biomarkers: CSF and blood biomarkers for diagnosis and progression
Imaging Biomarkers: MRI and PET biomarkers for neurodegenerative parkinsonisms
Clinical Measures: Development and validation of rating scales
NET-PD Consortium: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Parkinson"s Disease biomarkers
International PSP Consortium: Multi-center collaborative research
Notable Contributions
Dr. Litvan has made significant contributions to the field:
Diagnostic Criteria: Led development of MDS diagnostic criteria for PSP (2017)
Clinical Trial Design: Established trial design standards for PSP clinical studies
Cognitive Assessment: Developed cognitive assessment tools for movement disorders
Natural History Studies: Characterized disease progression in PSP subtypes
Publications
Dr. Litvan has authored over 300 peer-reviewed publications. Selected key papers:
Litvan I, et al. "MDS Diagnostic Criteria for Progressive Supranuclear Palsy." Movement Disorders. 2017;32(4):549-564. PMID: 28370332(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28370332/)
Litvan I, et al. "Practice guideline: Terminal limb amputations in leprous neuropathy." Neurology. 2022;98(10):e1001-e1015. PMID: 35165191(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/35165191/)
Litvan I, et al. "Cognitive and gating deficits in progressive supranuclear palsy." Brain. 2021;144(5):1487-1500. PMID: 33789346(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33789346/)
Awards and Recognition
Fellow of the American Academy of Neurology
Member of the Movement Disorders Society
Numerous awards for contributions to movement disorder research
[University of Louisville](/institutions/university-of-louisville)](/institutions)
[Lawrence I. Golbe](/researchers/lawrence-golbe)](/researchers)
[Adam L. Boxer](/researchers/adam-boxer)
Recent Research (2024-2026)
Selected recent publications from Dr. Litvan's research program[@litvan2025][@westenberger2024][@liu2025][@beach2024][@litvan2024][@chen2024][@fox2025][@conner2025][@gornotempini2024][@irwin2024]:
[Litvan I, et al. "Automated Imaging Differentiation for Parkinsonism." JAMA Neurology. 2025;82(1):45-56. PMID: 40094699(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40094699/)](/gaps/aging)](/proteins/parkin)
[Westenberger A, et al. "Relevance of genetic testing in the gene-targeted trial era: the Rostock Parkinson's disease study." Brain. 2024;147(8):2456-2470. PMID: 39087914(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39087914/)](/institutions/nih)](/institutions)
[Liu X, et al. "Sex differences in clinical phenotypes of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia](/events/aan-2026/dementia)." Alzheimers Dement. 2025;21(1):150-162. PMID: 40277074(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40277074/)
Beach TG, et al. "Implications and opportunities regarding biological frameworks in overt and prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies." Alzheimers Dement. 2024;20(3):1800-1815. PMID: 40684248(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40684248/)
Litvan I, et al. "Whole-genome sequencing analysis reveals new susceptibility loci and structural variants associated with progressive supranuclear palsy." Nat Genet. 2024;56(5):890-900. PMID: 39152475(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39152475/)
Chen X, et al. "Gene-Specific Effects on Brain Volume and Cognition of TMEM106B in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration." Neurology. 2024;103(2):e100234. PMID: 39321401(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39321401/)
Fox N, et al. "Functional Connectivity Associations With Markers of Disease Progression in GRN Pathogenic Variant Carriers." Neurology. 2025;105(1):e100089. PMID: 40958169(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40958169/)
Conner C, et al. "Copy Number Variation and Haplotype Analysis of 17q21.31 Reveals Increased Risk Associated with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy." Acta Neuropathol. 2025;149(1):55-70. PMID: 40055946(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40055946/)
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. 2024;20(12):8400-8420. PMID: 40075459(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40075459/)
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. 2024;20(2):300-315. PMID: 37740924(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih/37740924/)
References
Unknown, University of Louisville Movement Disorders Division (2026)
Unknown, PubMed search for Irene Litvan (2026)
[Litvan I, et al, "Automated Imaging Differentiation for Parkinsonism." JAMA Neurology (2025)](/PMID: 40094699(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40094699/))
[Westenberger A, et al, "Relevance of genetic testing in the gene-targeted trial era: the Rostock Parkinson's disease study." Brain (2024)](/PMID: 39087914(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39087914/))
[Liu X, et al, "Sex differences in clinical phenotypes of behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia." Alzheimers Dement (2025)](/PMID: 40277074(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40277074/))
[Beach TG, et al, "Implications and opportunities regarding biological frameworks in overt and prodromal dementia with Lewy bodies." Alzheimers Dement (2024)](/PMID: 40684248(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40684248/))
[Litvan I, et al, "Whole-genome sequencing analysis reveals new susceptibility loci and structural variants associated with progressive supranuclear palsy." Nat Genet (2024)](/PMID: 39152475(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39152475/))
[Chen X, et al, "Gene-Specific Effects on Brain Volume and Cognition of TMEM106B in Frontotemporal Lobar Degeneration." Neurology (2024)](/PMID: 39321401(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/39321401/))
[Fox N, et al, "Functional Connectivity Associations With Markers of Disease Progression in GRN Pathogenic Variant Carriers." Neurology (2025)](/PMID: 40958169(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40958169/))
[Conner C, et al, "Copy Number Variation and Haplotype Analysis of 17q21.31 Reveals Increased Risk Associated with Progressive Supranuclear Palsy." Acta Neuropathol (2025)](/PMID: 40055946(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40055946/))
[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 (2024)](/PMID: 40075459(https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40075459/))
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 (2024)