Ethical Issues of Molecular Genetics in Psychiatry

1. Front Matter

   Pages I-X

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2. Ethical Issues in Molecular Genetics

   • K. Berg

   Pages 1-11

3. A Single Locus for Psychosis and Intelligence in the Exchange Region of the Sex Chromosomes?

   • T. J. Crow

   Pages 12-33

4. Molecular Genetic Studies: The Task of Interpretation for Psychiatry

   • M. Baron

   Pages 34-41

5. The Genetics of Alzheimer’s Disease and the Ethical Implications for Prevention

   • P. McGuffin, M. Sargeant, G. Weppner

   Pages 42-56

6. Some Ethical Aspects of Genetic Aproaches to Human Health Care: A Developmental Geneticist’s Point of View

   • I. Ivanov

   Pages 57-60

7. Lessons from an International Survey of Medical Geneticists

   • D. C. Wertz

   Pages 61-86

8. The Use of Prenatal Diagnosis for Psychiatric Diseases

   • J.-F. Mattei

   Pages 87-93

9. New Ethical Problems Related to Environmental Pollution and Behavioral Changes in Human Population

   • R. J. Šrám

   Pages 94-105

10. A Molecular Genetic Approach to Neuropsychiatric Disease — Some Technical and Ethical Considerations

    • Th. Friedmann, F. H. Gage

    Pages 106-115

11. Ethical Aspects of Human Genome Mapping and Sequencing

    • V. Pačes

    Pages 116-119

12. Transcultural Problems in the Use of Medical Genetics in Clinical Practice

    • A. Serra

    Pages 120-130

13. Molecular Genetic Research in Psychiatry: Ethical Problems

    • V. I. Trubnikov

    Pages 131-133

14. Ethical Issues Arising in Molecular Genetics in Developing Countries

    • I. C. Verma

    Pages 134-148

15. Religious Approaches to the Results of Genetic Research

    • C. de Filippi

    Pages 149-156

16. Jurisprudence in Genetics

    • R. Kimura

    Pages 157-166

17. Ethics, Molecular Genetics, and Psychiatric Disorders

    • M. Gill

    Pages 167-173

18. Back Matter

    Pages 175-177

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Over the past few years, genetics research has been in a phase of remarkably sustained and continuous revolution. The advent of "new genetics" of recombinant DNA has resulted in new discoveries occurring at a breath­ taking pace, many of which have important clinical implications, for example, in new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of hemoglobinopathies, cystic fibrosis and some forms of muscular dystrophies. Recent findings of psychiatric relevance have included the localization of the genes for Huntington's chorea and the use of DNA probes in predictive testing. Advances have been achieved in the understanding of the molecular biology of Alzheimer's disease, and at least some familiar forms of the condition appear to be linked to a gene of chromosome 21. Taking into account current achievements in molecular genetics as well as future findings, it can be predicted that the application of new genetic technologies is likely to lead to ethical problems in practical psychiatry. In order to initiate discussions aiming to generate ideas and develop the background for future consensus in the complex area of ethics relating to the application of molecular approaches in the study of psychiatric disorders, the World Health Organization, in collaboration with the IPSEN Foundation, organized in Brno, Czechoslovakia, June 11-12, 1990, an international conference to review knowledge related to molecular genetic studies in psychiatry, with particular reference to ethical problems.

• Alzheimer
• Alzheimersche Krankheit
• Molekulargenetik
• alzheimer's disease
• ethic
• genetics
• molecular genetics
• psychiatry

• Psychiatric Research Institute, Prague 8, Czechoslovakia

  Radim J. Srám

• World Health Organization, Geneva 27, Switzerland

  Victor Bulyzhenkov, Leonid Prilipko

• Fondation IPSEN pour la Recherche Thérapeutique, Paris CEDEX, France

  Yves Christen

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