Neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s disease and Parkinson’s disease are dramatic public health problems that will increase with aging of the population. Treatments are largely ineffective in people who already have symptoms of these disorders, but promising new research is underway to find ways to prevent or delay onset in asymptomatic people at high risk. Many of these studies use genetic testing to identify potential participants, raising a number of ethical, legal, and social questions, such as: Should high-risk status be disclosed to participants, and if so, what will the impact be? Will the boundaries between research and clinical care be blurred? What is the best way to ensure that participants can provide truly informed consent? This conference will discuss major current studies aimed at treatment and prevention of neurodegenerative disorders and the ethical dilemmas faced by the use of genetics in their design.
The conference is free and open to the public, but registration is required as space is limited. To register, please email [email protected] by March 20, 2017. Please visit the conference website for more details.
This conference is sponsored by The Center for Research on the Ethical, Legal and Social Implications of Psychiatric, Neurologic and Behavioral Genetics at Columbia University Medical Center.
