Maria Salsone

Prof. Maria Salsone is the Head of the Neurology Unit and Stroke Unit at IRCCS Policlinico San Donato and an Associate Professor of Neurology at Vita-Salute San Raffaele University.  

She earned her degree in Pharmaceutical Chemistry and Technology from the University of Calabria Arcavacata di Rende in 2000, followed by her degree in Medicine and Surgery with honors from the University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro in 2006. In 2012, she completed her specialization in Neurology at the same institution with top marks.  

Prof. Salsone has developed extensive clinical, genetic, and neuroimaging expertise in neurodegenerative diseases, particularly Parkinson’s Disease, Atypical Parkinsonism, and Dementias.  

Her research career began in 2008 at the Neurology Department – Movement Disorders Lab of the University "Magna Graecia" of Catanzaro. There, she acquired advanced skills in functional and structural neuroimaging, DAT-Scan brain scintigraphy, cardiac scintigraphy with MIBG tracers, and AI-based predictive biomarker algorithms for neurodegeneration.  

She has held the role of senior researcher at the National Research Council (CNR) and collaborated with prestigious institutions, including the IRCCS San Raffaele Sleep Medicine Center in Milan.  

Since 2024, she has led the Neurology and Stroke Unit at Policlinico San Donato, coordinating a multidisciplinary team for the diagnosis and treatment of acute and chronic neurological diseases.  

Her research focuses on developing biomarkers for the early diagnosis of neurodegenerative diseases, including innovative methodologies and wearable biomedical devices. She also investigates sleep disorders as a potential bridge to neurodegenerative conditions.  

Prof. Salsone is the Principal Investigator of several clinical studies, including a project funded by The Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research. This project, titled “Facial Expressivity Automatic Classifier for Early Detection of Parkinson’s Disease,” is part of the Foundation’s initiative on Improved Biomarkers and Clinical Outcomes.  

She is the author and co-author of numerous scientific articles in international journals, with an H-index of 33 (Scopus). Her contributions include publications in high-impact journals such as The Lancet, Scientific Reports (Nature), Movement Disorders, and Neurology.  

In 2015, she received the award from the Italian Society of Neurology (SIN) for research and technological innovation. In 2019, she received the award from the Italian Academy for the study of Parkinson’s Disease and Movement Disorders (LIMPE-DISMOV). She is a reviewer for several high-impact journals, including The Lancet, Scientific Reports (Nature), Movement Disorders, Neurology, Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease, Journal of Neurology, and Annals of Psychiatry.