The Division of Autonomic Disorders at NYU Langone’s Dysautonomia Center is internationally recognized for groundbreaking research that has reshaped the understanding of autonomic disorders and brought new treatment options to patients. Led by Horacio Kaufmann, MD, and Alejandra Gonzalez-Duarte Briseno, MD, the program focuses on neurologic conditions that affect the autonomic nervous system, translating laboratory findings into targeted therapies.

The Dysautonomia Center is recognized as a premier site for research and treatment of genetic, autoimmune, and degenerative diseases affecting autonomic neurons, with a focus on familial dysautonomia (FD), amyloidosis, and multiple system atrophy (MSA). Our research program is supported by the Familial Dysautonomia Foundation, Inc. We also receive grant funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), and Mission MSA.

Our research team includes scientists and physician–scientists who have diverse backgrounds in physiology, neurology, genetics, movement disorders, internal medicine, and psychiatry. Our team also includes research coordinators, project assistants, and data managers who maintain databases and oversee project logistics.

Research Collaborations

Because the autonomic nervous system innervates all body organs, we collaborate with several specialists in a multidisciplinary approach. Collaborators at NYU Langone Health include physicians and scientists at the Fresco Institute for Parkinson’s and Movement Disorders, intensivists at the Pediatric Intensive Care Unit and Medical Intensive Care Unit, specialists in pediatrics, cardiology, gastroenterology, urology, orthopedics, pulmonology, and neuroradiology.

We also have close collaborations with the following domestic and international institutions:

• Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Boston, Massachusetts
• Weill Cornell Medical Center, New York, New York
• Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, Massachusetts
• Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota
• National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, Bethesda, Maryland
• Stanford University, Stanford, California
• University of Texas-Southwestern, Dallas, Texas
• Vanderbilt University, Nashville, Tennessee
• FLENI, Argentina
• Hospital University Cruces, Spain
• Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria
• Salerno Medical School, Italy
• Seoul National University, South Korea
• University of Barcelona—Movement Disorders Unit, Spain
• University of Barcelona—Sleep Disorders Unit, Spain

These collaborations enable cross-disciplinary projects that advance our understanding of autonomic disorders.