Genetic Testing for Alzheimer Disease : Ethical and Clinical Issues

The genetics of Alzheimer disease has been a point of intense concern and immense informational confusion for families in which a loved one is diagnosed with dementia. In recent years, however, scientists have begun to uncover the genetic bases for some forms of Alzheimer disease. Once a chromosomal defect is identified, it becomes possible to devise a test for its presence. The far-reaching implications of such tests are the focus of the present volume.

In Genetic Testing for Alzheimer Disease, Stephen G. Post and Peter J. Whitehouse bring together experts from the fields of ethics, genetics, policy, neurology, philosophy, and anthropology to examine the ethical and social aspects of genetic testing for Alzheimer disease. The authors begin by focusing on current genetic findings and their clinical applicability. They then address ethical issues in genetic testing and genetic counseling for Alzheimer disease. They examine social issues such as confidentiality, discrimination, and fairness in health care. Finally, they discuss ways to educate professionals and laypeople regarding these issues.

Contributors: Robert H. Binstock, Ph.D.•Thomas D. Bird, M.D. • Robert Mullan Cook-Deegan, M.D.• Leonard Fleck, Ph.D. • Atwood D. Gaines, Ph.D, M.P.H. • Eric T. Juengst, Ph.D. • Harry Karlinsky, M.D. • Steven Miles, M.D. • Thomas H. Murray, Ph.D. • Stephen G. Post, Ph.D. • Kimberly A. Quaid, Ph.D. • Allen D. Roses, M.D. • Greg A. Sachs, M.D. • Peter H. St. George-Hyslop, M.D. • Bonnie Steinbock, Ph.D. • Arthur B. Zinn, M.D., Ph.D.

Stephen G. Post, Ph.D., is an associate professor at the Center for Biomedical Ethics at the Case Western Reserve School of Medicine. He is the author of The Moral Challenge of Alzheimer Disease. Peter J. Whitehouse, M.D., Ph.D., is a professor of neurology at the CWRU Alzheimer Center at the Fairhill Center on Aging.