Bio

Dr. Bianca Palushaj is a board-certified, fellowship-trained neurologist with Stanford Health Care. She is also a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Neurology and Neurological Sciences at Stanford University School of Medicine.

Dr. Palushaj specializes in movement disorders, including but not limited to Parkinson’s disease (PD) and atypical parkinsonian disorders, essential tremor, and dystonia. She has also developed a practice in diagnosing and treating disorders of gut-brain interaction (DGBI), which often occur in individuals with neurodegenerative disease.

She enjoys caring for the whole person and looks at how all parts of the body are connected. She considers how things like sleep, stress, diet, and daily habits can affect the microbiome, gut, brain, and overall well-being.

Dr. Palushaj’s research focuses on advancing our understanding and treatment of PD. She has special interest in the gut-brain connection in PD, including the role of the gut microbiome and inflammation in PD. She has also investigated how to measure non-motor PD symptoms, such as gastrointestinal dysfunction, using noninvasive, wearable technologies.

Dr. Palushaj has published her findings in peer-reviewed journals including Journal of Neurology, NeuroImage, and Cell Reports Methods. She has also written chapters for integrative medicine books on PD and Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Palushaj has presented at international, national, and regional conferences, including the Alzheimer’s Disease and Parkinson’s Disease (AD/PD™) Conference and the Parkinson Study Group Annual Meeting. She has also spoken about her research to several PD support groups across Northern California, including PD Active and Parkinson’s Support Group of Sonoma County.

Dr. Palushaj is a member of the American Academy of Neurology, the American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society, and the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. She is also a member of Women in Neurology and Women in Medicine.

Clinical Focus

  • Movement Disorders
  • Neurogastroenterology
  • Parkinsonian Disorders
  • Dementia with Lewy Bodies
  • Corticobasal Syndrome
  • Progressive Supranuclear Palsy
  • Multiple System Atrophy
  • Neurology
  • Parkinson's disease
  • Essential Tremor

Academic Appointments

Administrative Appointments

  • Instructor, Movement Disorders, Stanford University School of Medicine (2024 - 2025)
  • Member, Clinical Advisory, Michael J. Fox Foundation (2025 - Present)
  • Member, Non-Motor Symptoms in Parkinson’s Disease Study Group, MDS (2024 - Present)
  • Member, Other Non-Motor Features of PD Working Group, Parkinson Study Group (2024 - Present)
  • Reviewer, Journal of Parkinson’s Disease (2024 - Present)
  • Member, Wellbeing Committee for Trainees, Division of Neurology and Neurological Sciences (2020 - 2023)

Honors & Awards

  • Resident Teaching Award, Division of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Hyman R. Posin Award in Neurology, George Washington University (GW) School of Medicine and Health Sciences (SMHS)
  • Junior Investigator Workshop Travel Grant, Parkinson Study Group
  • Neuroscience Scholars Track, Division of Neurology and Neurological Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine
  • Combining Clinical and Research Careers (CCRC) Travel Award, National Institutes of Health (NIH)
  • Intramural Research Training Award, National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH
  • Scholarship Award, Society of Integrative Oncology
  • Exceptional Summer Student Award, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, NIH

Boards, Advisory Committees, Professional Organizations

  • Member, American Academy of Neurology (2019 - Present)
  • Member, International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS) (2021 - Present)
  • Member, American Neurogastroenterology and Motility Society (2023 - Present)
  • Member, Women in Neurology (2020 - Present)
  • Member, Women in Medicine (2020 - Present)

Professional Education

  • Board Certification: American Board of Psychiatry and Neurology, Neurology (2023)
  • Fellowship, Stanford, Movement Disorders
  • Residency: Stanford University Dept of Neurology (2023) CA
  • Internship, University of California, San Diego
  • Medical Education: George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences (2019) DC

Contact

  • Clinical (Primary)  Stanford Neuroscience Health Center 213 Quarry Rd 3rd Fl MC 5958 Palo Alto, CA 94304 (650) 725-0390 (fax)

Additional Clinical Info

Additional Info

  • Mail Code: 5235

All Publications

  • What is the future for dementia with Lewy bodies? Journal of neurology Palushaj, B., Lewis, S. J., Abdelnour, C. 2024; 272 (1): 43

    Abstract

    Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is the second most common neurodegenerative dementia after Alzheimer's disease (AD), yet it remains under-recognized and frequently misdiagnosed due to heterogenous clinical presentations, the presence of co-pathology, and the lack of specific diagnostic tools. Pathologically, DLB is characterized by the accumulation of misfolded alpha-synuclein (aSyn) aggregates, known as Lewy bodies. Recent advancements have improved in vivo detection of aSyn pathology through techniques such as seed amplification assays, monoclonal antibodies, and positron emission tomography using novel small-molecule ligands. The ability to detect aSyn in vivo has sparked dialogue about using biomarkers to identify individuals with aSyn, similar to the approach influencing the field of AD. Proponents argue that biological staging could facilitate the detection of preclinical disease stages, allowing for earlier intervention and targets for disease modification, and could improve diagnostic sensitivity and accuracy in selecting patients for clinical trials. However, critics caution that this method may oversimplify the complexity of DLB and overlook its clinical heterogeneity, also highlighting practical challenges related to implementation, cost, and global access to advanced diagnostic technologies. Importantly, although significant progress has been made in detecting aSyn for diagnostic purposes, disease-modifying therapies targeting aSyn have yet to demonstrate clear efficacy in slowing disease progression. Elucidating the physiological and pathophysiological roles of aSyn remains an urgent priority in neurodegenerative research. Other experimental research priorities for DLB include developing improved cellular and animal models that reflect epigenetic and environmental factors, mapping post-translational modifications, and systematically characterizing neurons that are vulnerable and resistant to lewy pathology using a multi-omic approach. Clinically, there is an urgent need for international, prospective, longitudinal studies and for validated, disease-specific outcome measures. Addressing these priorities is essential for advancing our understanding of DLB and developing effective therapies.

    View details for DOI 10.1007/s00415-024-12734-1

    View details for PubMedID 39666092

    View details for PubMedCentralID 7345593

  • Remote Real Time Digital Monitoring fills a Critical Gap in the Management of Parkinson’s disease Negi, A., Parisi, L., Daley, K., Abay, A., Gala, A., Wilkins, K., Hoffman, S., Ferris, M., Zahed, H., Chattree, G., Palushaj, B., Bronte-Stewart, H. medRxiv . 2024

    Abstract

    https://doi.org/10.1101/2024.12.12.243188 93 *participated in acquistion of data and crucial revision of the manuscript for important intellectual content

  • Alzheimer Disease Integrative Medicine Kogan , M., Palushaj , B. Elsevier Ltd.. 2023: 94-106
  • Will Quitting Smoking Cure My Asthma Palushaj, B. goodrx.com. 2019
  • Neurodegenerative Diseases: Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s Diseases Integrative Geriatric Medicine Ellenstein , A., Prather , C., Kogan , M., Moiseff , B. Oxford University Press. 2017: 391-420
  • Dealing with the unexpected: consumer responses to direct-access BRCA mutation testing PEERJ Francke, U., Dijamco, C., Kiefer, A. K., Eriksson, N., Moiseff, B., Tung, J. Y., Mountain, J. L. 2013; 1

    View details for DOI 10.7717/peerj.8

    View details for Web of Science ID 000209185300007

  • At the rhythm of language: brain bases of language-related frequency perception in children. NeuroImage Kovelman, I., Mascho, K., Millott, L., Mastic, A., Moiseff, B., H Shalinsky, M. 2012; 60 (1): 673-82

    Abstract

    What neural mechanisms underlie language and reading acquisition? Slow rhythmic modulations in the linguistic stream (below 8 Hz) mark syllable and word boundaries in the continuous linguistic stream, potentially helping children master the words and structures of their language. Converging evidence across language and reading research suggests that children's sensitivity to these slow rhythmic modulations is important for language and reading acquisition. In infancy, children produce rhythmically alternating syllables, or babbles, at a slow frequency of ~1.5 Hz or 660 ms (Petitto et al., 2001). In early grades, children's sensitivity to slow rhythmic modulations correlates with their reading ability (Goswami, 2011). We used functional Near Infrared (fNIRS) imaging to investigate the brain bases of "language rhythm" in beginning readers (ages 6-9). Right hemisphere showed an overall greater activation toward the slow rhythmic stimuli, and left hemisphere showed greater activation toward 1.5 Hz, relative to faster and slower frequencies. The findings suggest that while right hemisphere might have an overall better ability to process rhythmic sensitivity, left hemisphere might have a select sensitivity to a preferred range of slow rhythmic modulations-a range that might be particularly salient to brain mechanisms responsible for cross-modal language processing and reading acquisition.

    View details for DOI 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2011.12.066

    View details for PubMedID 22230949