Chaired by:
George Uhl, NIDA

Balcony C, Natcher Conference Center

Recent estimates suggest that brain and nervous system disorders cost the United States more than $1.2 trillion, affecting many millions of Americans each year. We have estimated that more than 40% of the societal burden of these brain disorders is mediated through complex, multigene genetics. This symposium provides an updated view on the ways in which specific genes might contribute to this burden in brain disorders. Speakers who are successfully elucidating effects of specific polygenes in complex brain disorders will present this work in the context of the overall genetic architectures of these illnesses. We will focus on the ways in which these findings relate the clinical manifestations of the diseases, the ways in which they may help uncover novel neurobiological mechanisms of illnesses, and the implications of polygene discoveries for diagnosis and treatment.

Program

Complex Genetics of Brain Disorders: Overview and Recent Findings in Drug Abuse
George Uhl, NIDA

Complex Genetics of Mental Illness
Daniel Weinberger, NIMH

Complex Genetics of Alcoholism
David Goldman, NIAAA

Complex Genetics, Parkinsonism and Parkinson's Disease Robert Nussbaum, NHGRI
Robert Nussbaum, NHGRI

Discussants: Jonathan Pollock, NIDA, Kenneth Fischbeck, NINDS