PRKN and Parkinson disease: She discussed how heavy exposure to Mn contributes to the pathogenesis and progression of PD following mutations in parkin and PINK1 genes in the C. elegans. Her lecture highlighted the influence of these interactions on various parameters employed to study neurodegeneration in the C. elegans including dopamine functioning, mitochondrial dysfunction, and neuronal damage (Bornhorst et al., 2014).