What Psychiatrists Should Know about Genes and Alzheimer's Disease.

Psychiatry (Edgmont)

Dr. Howe is Professor, Department of Psychiatry, Director, Programs in Medical Ethics, and Senior Scientist, Center for the Study of Traumatic Stress, Uniformed Services University of the Health Sciences, Bethesda, Maryland.

Published: October 2010

AI Article Synopsis

  • Alzheimer's disease raises concerns for patients, especially those with a family history, regarding genetic links to the illness.
  • The article reviews essential findings on genes involved in both early-onset and late-onset Alzheimer's, highlighting the needs of psychiatrists when discussing these issues with patients.
  • A significant shift in perspective comes from a recent study showing that patients who learn they carry the APOE gene linked to late-onset Alzheimer's do not experience significant harm from this knowledge, challenging previous clinical recommendations against genetic testing.

Article Abstract

Alzheimer's disease is a devastating illness, and patients may be exceptionally concerned that they have genes that contribute to this illness, especially if there is a family history of Alzheimer's disease. This article reviews core findings regarding the genes that contribute to the early-onset (familial) and late-onset forms of Alzheimer's disease and related findings regarding the needs of psychiatrists when discussing the disease with patients. Previously, clinicians believed that patients who tested positive for the APOE gene linked to late-onset Alzheimer's disease would be harmed by this knowledge to a greater extent than those who did not know they had the gene. Thus, clinicians were strongly recommending to patients that they not have this testing. This article includes the practice-changing relevance of a recent study published in the New England Journal of Medicine, which reported that a group of patients tested for the APOE gene who found out that they were positive for this gene were not significantly harmed by having acquired this knowledge.

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Source
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2989837PMC

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