Department of Neurology
Ludwig-Maximilians-University Munich, Klinikum Großhadern
Marchioninistr. 15, 81377 Munich, Germany

Tel. ++ 49 89 4400-76678 (Ms. C. Mader - Secretary)
Fax ++ 49 89 4400-76671
johannes.levin(at)med.uni-muenchen.de

Publications

Main Clinical Topics

1. General neurology & Neurological intensive care medicine

2. Diagnosis and treatment of neurodegenerative diseases:

• Synucleinopathies (Parkinson disease, Multiple System Atrophy)
• Alzheimer Disease (sporadic AD, autosomal dominant AD, AD in Down Syndrome)
• Frontotemporal Dementia (sporadic and genetic FTD)
• Tauopathies (Progressive Supranuclear Palsy, Corticobasal Degeneration, Pick disease)

3. Hyperkinetic movement disorders and Botulinum Toxin therapy

4. Deep Brain Stimulation

Main Research Topics

1. Pathogenesis and therapy development for neurodegenerative diseases (main focus: Pathological protein aggregation).
2. Biomarker discovery in neurodegeneration (e.g., disease-specific markers, markers for neuronal loss, astrogliosis and neuroinflammation).
3. Natural history studies and clinical-neuropathological correlation of neurodegenerative diseases.

Selected Literature

• Fagan AM, …, Levin J, …, Lott IT; Comparison of CSF biomarkers in Down syndrome and autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease: a cross-sectional study. Lancet Neurology, 2021; 20(8):615-626. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(21)00139-3
• • Carmona-Iragui M, …, Levin J, …, Fortea J. Diagnostic and prognostic performance and longitudinal changes in plasma neurofilament light chain concentrations in adults with Down syndrome: a cohort study. Lancet Neurology, 2021; 20(8):605-614. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(21)00129-0
• Barthélemy NR, …, Levin J, …, McDade E; Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network. A soluble phosphorylated tau signature links tau, amyloid and the evolution of stages of dominantly inherited Alzheimer's disease. Nature Medicine. 2020; 26(3): 398-407. doi: 10.1038/s41591-020-0781-z
• • Levin J et al., Efficacy and safety of epigallocatechin gallate for multiple system atrophy (PROMESA): a randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. Lancet Neurology, 2019; 18:724-735.
• Vöglein J, …, Levin J. Clinical, pathophysiological, genetic features of motor symptoms in autosomal dominant AD. Brain. 2019;142(5):1429-1440. doi: 10.1093/brain/awz050.
• Preische O, …, Levin J, …, Jucker M, Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network. Serum neurofilament dynamics predicts neurodegeneration and clinical progression in presymptomatic Alzheimer’s Disease. Nature Medicine. 2019: 25:277-283. doi: 10.1038/s41591-018-0304-3.
• Gordon BA, ..., Levin J, …, Benzinger TLS. Spatial patterns of neuroimaging biomarker change in individuals from families with autosomal dominant Alzheimer's disease: a longitudinal study. Lancet Neurology 2018;17(3):241-250. doi: 10.1016/S1474-4422(18)30028-0.
• Höglinger GU, ..., Levin J, …, Litvan I; Movement Disorder Society-endorsed PSP Study Group. Clinical diagnosis of progressive supranuclear palsy: The movement disorder society criteria. Mov Disord. 2017 Jun;32(6):853-864. doi: 10.1002/mds.26987
• • Levin J, …, Höglinger GU. The Differential Diagnosis and Treatment of Atypical Parkinsonism. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2016 Feb 5;113(5):61-9. doi: 10.3238/arztebl.2016.0061.
• • Segovia F, …, Levin J. Distinguishing Parkinson's disease from atypical parkinsonian syndromes using PET data and a computer system based on support vector machines and Bayesian networks. Front Comput Neurosci. 2015 Nov 5;9:137. doi: 10.3389/fncom.2015.00137. eCollection 2015.
• • Levin J, …, Giese A. The oligomer modulator anle138b inhibits disease progression in a Parkinson mouse model even with treatment started after disease onset. Acta Neuropathol. 2014 May;127(5):779-80. doi: 10.1007/s00401-014-1265-3.
• Wagner J*, Ryazanov S*, Leonov A*, Levin J*, ..., Giese A. Anle138b: a novel oligomer modulator for disease-modifying therapy of neurodegenerative diseases such as prion and Parkinson's disease. Acta Neuropathol. 2013 Jun;125(6):795-813. doi: 10.1007/s00401-013-1114-9.

Methods

1. Observational clinical studies
2. Molecular and structural imaging
3. ELISA and mass-spectrometry based proteomics, synuclein amplification assays (RT-QuIC)
4. Interventional clinical trials

Grants

Munich Cluster of Systems Neurology (SyNergy) – Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft

Deutsches Zentrum für Neurodegenerative Erkrankungen (DZNE)

Clinical Mass Spectrometry Center Munich (CLINSPECT-M) – BMBF

Innovationsfonds – Gemeinsamer Bundesausschuss

Anton & Petra Ehrmann Stiftung

Jerome Lejeune Stiftung

Lüneburg Stiftung

Verum Stiftung für Gesundheit und Umwelt

Michael J Fox Foundation for Parkinson´s Research

Industry

Team Members

Dr. med. habil. Urban Fietzek, MD (third party funding)

Dr. med. Endy Weidinger, MD (third party funding

Dr. med. Georg Nübling, MD (third party funding)

Dr. med. Carla Palleis, MD (third party funding)

Sabrina Katzdobler, MD (third party funding)

Olivia Wagemann, MD (third party funding)

Alexander Bernhardt, MD (third party funding)

Nina Smrzka (study coordination, (third party funding)

Mira Fischer, B.Sc. (speech therapist, third party funding)

Siri Houeland di Bari (study coordination, DZNE)

Francesca Talpo (assistant, DZNE)

Cooperation with

Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (amongst others: John Morris, Randall Bateman, Eric McDade & Jason Hassenstab – all Washington University, St.Louis, USA; Mathias Jucker – Tübingen University, Germany). https://dian.wustl.edu/

Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia Initiative (amongst others: Jonathan Rohrer – University College London, UK; Mario Masellis – Toronto, CA; James Rowe – Cambridge, UK). https://www.genfi.org/

Horizon-21 consortium (amongst others: André Strydom – Kings College, London, UK; Juan Fortea Ormaechea – Hospital St.Pau, Barcelona, Spain). https://horizon-21.org/

European Reference Network – Rare Neurological Diseases (amongst others: Wassilios Meissner – Université Bordeaux, France; Thomas Gasser – EKU Tübingen, Germany; Florian Krismer – Innsbruck University, Austria). www.ern-rnd.eu/disease-knowledge-hub/msa/

DZNE, CLINSPECT-M & SyNergy Cluster Munich (amongst others: Christian Haass; Mikael Simons; Dieter Edbauer; Matthias Brendel; Jochen Herms; Michael Ewers; Nicolai Franzmeier; Stefan Lichtenthaler)

Deutsches Schwindel- und Gleichgewichtszentrum (Andreas Zwergal; Marianne Dieterich).

Deutsches Referenz Netzwerk – Seltene Neurologische Erkrankungen / Münchener Zentrum seltene Erkrankungen (amongst others: Susanne Müller & Jan Kassubek – Universität Ulm; Thomas Klopstock – Friedrich-Baur Institut der LMU; Fabian Hauck – Kinderklinik der LMU).

Parkinson Allianz München (with: Paul Lingor & Bernhard Haslinger – TUM; Stefan Lorenzl – Agatharied; Johannes Schwarz – Haag i. OB). www.parkinson-allianz.de

Commissions of Trust

ERN-RND atypical Parkinsonism – Disease group coordinator

Movement Disorders Society – Bylaws Committee

German PSP society – Scientific council (wissenschaftlicher Beirat), responsible for MSA

GenFI (Genetic Frontotemporal Dementia Initiative) – Steering Committee, Data Access Committee & Therapeutics Core Committee

DIAN (Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer’s Network) – Steering Committee