2026 American Academy of Neurology Abstract Website

Divyani Garg¹, Zakiyah Aldaajani², Manon Auffret³, Tamine Capato⁴, Marina Picillo⁵, Claudia Trenkwalder⁶, Leila Ali⁷, Melissa J. Armstrong⁸, Michiko Bruno⁹, Veronica Bruno¹⁰, Eiko N Minakawa¹¹, Walaa Kamel¹², Susan Fox¹³, Diana Angelika Olszewska¹⁴
¹All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, ²Clinical Neurosciences, King Fahad Military Medical Complex, ³France Développement Electronique, ⁴Neurology, University of São Paulo, ⁵Neurology, University of Salerno, ⁶Center For Parkinsonism and Movement Disorders, ⁷Neurology, McGill University, ⁸Neurology, University of Florida, College of Medicine, ⁹Queens Medical Center, ¹⁰Neurology, University of Calgary, ¹¹Neurophysiology, National Center of Neurology and Psychiatry, ¹²Beni-Suef University, ¹³Toronto Western Hospital, ¹⁴Cork University Hospital

Objective:

To evaluate gender representation in authorship and leadership positions within movement disorders publications over the past decade.

Background:

Women remain underrepresented in academic medicine, particularly in leadership roles. In neurology overall, women comprise 39% of authors and 29% of senior authors, yet no focused analysis has been conducted within the movement disorders field. Understanding trends in gender authorship can inform initiatives to improve equity and mentorship.

Design/Methods:

A cross-sectional meta-analysis was conducted following PRISMA guidelines. Four reviewers analyzed all movement disorder–related articles published in 20 high-impact neurology journals (impact factor 6.6–45.5) and two flagship movement disorders journals between January-December 2024, compared with 2014. Author gender was identified using the Genderize database. We evaluated the proportion of female first, second, and senior authors and correlated representation with journal impact factors and editorial leadership.

Results:

We identified 1,421 movement disorder articles (901 from 2024;507 from 2014) encompassing 14,953 authors. Women were more likely to publish reviews and brief reports than large clinical studies/research. Overall, women represented 41% of authors in 2024, compared to 40% in 2014. Female first authorship declined from 62% to 42%, and senior authorship from 38% to 25%.

The percentages for first and senior female authors varied significantly by journal (first:14%-63%,senior:14%-44%.).We observed an inverse correlation between female authorship and the journals' impact factors.

Overall the representation was lowest in Lancet Neurology-(35%) where no senior female authors for research articles were identified in 2024.In Neurology women represented 25% of senior authors.

Only 36% of journals had female Editors-in-Chief (2024).Women were more likely to publish reviews and brief reports than large clinical studies/research.

Conclusions:

Despite progress, gender disparity persists in movement disorders research. Women remain markedly underrepresented in senior authorship roles—positions that signify mentorship and leadership.Targeted initiatives to promote mentorship, leadership training, and equitable publishing opportunities are urgently needed to close the authorship leadership gap.