The Parkinson's Disease Society's 6th Spring Conference for Researchers was held in London in May, entitled ‘Parkinson's Disease:The Pieces of the Puzzle’. Here, Dr Lynn Bedford, Parkinson's Disease Society Senior Research Fellow, reports on some of the highlights of the conference, including the latest genetic research, the importance of pre-motor symptoms and the therapeutic potential of the peptide exendin-4, found in the saliva of a poisonous lizard. Copyright © 2009 Wiley Interface Ltd