Maria Teresa Muñoz-Quezada, MD, PhD

• Parkinson's disease
• Neurodegeneration
• Epidemiology
• Environment
• Anxiety
• Depression
• LARGE-PD

Dr. María Teresa Muñoz-Quezada is an Associate Professor at the Universidad de Chile, psychologist, and Ph.D. in Public Health. Her research focuses on environmental epidemiology and neurotoxicology, particularly the effects of chronic exposure to pesticides—occupational, environmental, and household—on neurocognitive functioning and cognitive decline in rural populations.
She currently collaborates on a study evaluating the association between pesticide exposure and the risk of Parkinson’s disease and cognitive deterioration in older adults in Chile. This project is part of the Chilean cohort of the LARGE-PD study, coordinated by the Hospital of the Universidad de Chile, in collaboration with Dr. Patricio Olguín and Dr. Alicia Colombo. Their work integrates environmental and neurocognitive variables into an existing genetic and clinical research platform to study gene–environment interactions related to Parkinson’s disease.
In addition, Dr. Muñoz-Quezada leads a FONDECYT Regular research project on environmental exposure to agrochemicals and its effects on neurocognitive functioning and electrophysiological response in adults from Chilean rural communities affected by environmental conflicts. This study contributes to a better understanding of how long-term chemical exposures impact brain function, particularly in populations facing environmental vulnerability.
Recently, she has also become interested in how climate-related factors influence exposure pathways and health outcomes, especially in agricultural areas where environmental and occupational risks intersect.
Her research contributes to the GP2 initiative by incorporating complex exposure profiles relevant to Latin American contexts and enhancing knowledge on how these factors affect brain health across the life course.