Dr. Taiji Tsunemi, MD, PhD

Associate Professor of Neurology, Juntendo University Graduate School of Medicine
Board Member of the Japanese Society of Neurology
Board Member of the Movement Disorder Society of Japan
Chair of the Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus Study Group in the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society

Taiji Tsunemi, MD, PhD, is an Associate Professor of Neurology with expertise spanning clinical and basic neuroscience. His research focuses on the molecular pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, including polyglutamine disorders and synucleinopathies. He contributed to the identification of the causative gene for spinocerebellar ataxia type 31 (SCA31) and has extensively investigated the intracellular pathways of pathological protein aggregation involving huntingtin, androgen receptors, and α-synuclein. More recently, his work has demonstrated that extracellular vesicle (EV)-mediated release of α-synuclein plays a critical role in monogenic forms of Parkinson’s disease (PD) and that enhancing this pathway can attenuate neuronal pathology. Furthermore, he has demonstrated a “vicious cycle” between EV secretion and α-synuclein accumulation.

In parallel with his basic research, Dr. Tsunemi is actively engaged in clinical studies, focusing on idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH), particularly its comorbidity with movement disorders such as PD and progressive supranuclear palsy. He currently serves as the Chair of the Normal Pressure Hydrocephalus (NPH) Study Group within the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS). His research has been published extensively in high-impact journals, including Nature Medicine, Science Translational Medicine, The Journal of Neuroscience, and the Journal of Neurology.