
Dear colleagues, distinguished speakers, and participants,
Cognitive decline is one of the most prevalent and consequential non-motor features of Parkinson’s disease (PD), affecting quality of life, daily functioning, and independence. However, important questions remain about the biological and lifestyle factors that shape individual cognitive trajectories, the early detection of cognitive changes, and strategies to preserve cognitive health and functional independence throughout the course of the disease. Addressing these challenges requires an integrated approach that brings together biomarker research, cognitive assessment, and functional outcomes. This webinar brings together two experts whose complementary research offers valuable insights into these questions.
Dr. Eleonora Fiorenzato, Assistant Professor and Clinical Neuropsychologist at the University of Padua, Italy, will present “Cognitive, Neuropsychiatric, and Neurostructural Associations of Alzheimer’s Disease-Related Plasma Biomarkers in Parkinson’s Disease.” Her presentation will explore the associations between blood-based biomarkers related to Alzheimer’s disease and cognitive outcomes in PD.
Professor Ondřej Bezdíček, Professor of Medical Psychology and Psychopathology at Charles University in Prague, Czech Republic, will present “Diagnostics and Methods for Activities of Daily Living Measurement in Parkinson’s Disease and the Role of Cognition.” His presentation will focus on methods for assessing everyday functioning and the role of cognition in activities of daily living.
The webinar will highlight key themes of our Special Issue, “Cognitive Decline and Parkinson’s Disease,” which aims to advance our understanding of cognitive decline across the PD spectrum, including its measurement, early detection, and prevention. We warmly invite you to join us for an engaging scientific exchange!
Date: 3 November 2026
Time: 2:00 pm CET
Webinar ID: 825 1321 3670
Webinar Secretariat: journal.webinar@mdpi.com

Department of Psychology, Carl von Ossietzky Universität Oldenburg;Prof. Dr. Mandy Roheger is Professor of Ambulatory Assessment in Psychology at the Department of Psychology, Carl von Ossietzky University of Oldenburg. Her research focuses on cognitive functioning across the lifespan, with particular emphasis on the assessment, diagnosis, and non-pharmacological treatment of cognitive impairments in healthy ageing and neurological disorders, including Parkinson’s disease and dementia. She develops and evaluates innovative ambulatory and home-based assessment approaches as well as digital and neuromodulatory interventions to study cognition in everyday life. Her work integrates neuropsychology, clinical neuroscience, and patient-centered research to improve the ecological validity, accessibility, and real-world implementation of cognitive assessment and intervention.

Medical Psychology | Neuropsychology & Gender Studies, Center of Neuropsychological Diagnostics and Intervention (CeNDI), Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne;Anja Ophey is a postdoctoral researcher and psychologist at the Department of Medical Psychology, Faculty of Medicine and University Hospital Cologne, University of Cologne, Germany. Her research focuses on cognitive aging, Parkinson's disease, and prodromal neurodegenerative disorders, with a particular emphasis on identifying modifiable risk and resilience factors for cognitive decline and dementia. Her work combines neuropsychological assessment, digital health technologies, neuroimaging, sleep research, and advanced statistical methods to investigate mechanisms underlying cognitive impairment and to develop scalable prevention strategies. She has led and contributed to several clinical studies evaluating multidomain lifestyle and digital cognitive interventions in individuals at increased risk of Parkinson's disease and dementia, including individuals with isolated REM sleep behavior disorder. Her research interests include subjective cognitive decline, digital biomarkers, cognitive training, lifestyle interventions, resilience, and explainable machine learning for early disease detection and monitoring.
This is a FREE webinar. After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information on how to join the webinar. Registrations with academic institutional email addresses will be prioritized.
Certificates of attendance will be delivered to those who attend the live webinar.
Can’t attend? Register anyway and we’ll let you know when the recording is available to watch.
Neurodegenerative Disease Unit, Department of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Italy ;Eleonora Fiorenzato is an Assistant Professor and clinical neuropsychologist at the Department of Neuroscience, University of Padua, Italy. Her research focuses on cognitive impairment and dementia in neurodegenerative disorders, particularly Parkinson’s disease, with an emphasis on identifying risk and protective factors for cognitive decline. Her work combines comprehensive neuropsychological, behavioral, neuroimaging measures and blood-based biomarkers, and to investigate the mechanisms underlying cognitive dysfunction and improve early detection and clinical characterization. She has led and contributed to several clinical and multidisciplinary research projects investigating cognitive trajectories, neurodegenerative biomarkers, and innovative cognitive rehabilitation strategies. Her research interests include identifying distinct trajectories of cognitive decline in neurodegenerative disorders and their differences from normal cognitive aging, modifiable risk factors for dementia, digital cognitive assessment and interventions, and the interplay between cognitive functioning, frailty, sleep, and lifestyle factors.
Department of Neurology and Center of Clinical Neuroscience, First Faculty of Medicine, Charles University, Czech Republic;Ondrej Bezdicek received his PhD in Neuroscience from Charles University (Prague) in 2014 and did his postdoctoral training at the Center of Clinical Neuroscience, Department of Neurology, First Faculty of Medicine, 2014–2019. In 2018, he was awarded an International Neuropsychological Society Early Career Award and the National Psychiatric Vladimír Vondráček’s Award (co-recipient with Jiří Michalec, PhD). In 2020, he became an Associate Professor and in 2023 Professor of Medical Psychology and Psychopathology at the First Faculty of Medicine. Dr Bezdicek's research is focused on the cognitive neuroscience of memory and ageing and cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease.