How neuroscience and behavioral genetics improve psychiatric assessment: report on a violent murder case.

Despite the advances in the understanding of neural and genetic foundations of violence, the investigation of the biological bases of a mental disorder is rarely included in psychiatric evaluation of mental insanity. Here we report on a case in which cognitive neuroscience and behavioral genetics methods were applied to a psychiatric forensic evaluation conducted on a young woman, J.F.

SNPs in neurotrophin system genes and Alzheimer's disease in an Italian population.

Increasing evidence suggests a role for nerve growth factor (NGFB), brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), and their receptors, nerve growth factor receptor (NGFR), and neurotrophin tyrosine kinase receptors 1 and 2 (NTRK1 and NTRK2), in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, genetic association between the neurotrophin system genes and AD has been poorly investigated. We genotyped 21 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) within these genes in a population of Italian AD patients and healthy controls.

TAMGeS: a Three-array Method for Genotyping of SNPs by a dual-colour approach.

Background: Many of the most effective high-throughput protocols for SNP genotyping employ microarrays. Genotypes are assessed by comparing the signal intensities that derive from the hybridization of different allele-specific probes labelled either by using four fluorescent dyes, one for each base, or by using only two dyes and investigating the polymorphic alleles two by two on separate arrays. The employment of only two dyes makes it possible to use a dual-laser scanner, which has the advantage of being present in every microarray laboratory.