Grant Details

Genetic Epidemiological Analysis of ALS in Ireland
Cudkowicz, MD, Merit
Massachusetts General Hospital, Boston, MA

Hardiman, MD, Orla
Beaumont Hospital, Dublin, IRELAND

Project Summary
Ireland represents an ideal location for a study of the genetics of sporadic ALS because of its homogeneous population and the existence of a unique, complete register of all cases of ALS diagnosed in Ireland since 1995, established by Hardiman. The goal is to find the risk of recurrence of ALS among relatives of ALS patients. The teams will also determine if other neurodegenerative diseases (such as Parkinson’s disease and dementia) occur more commonly within families of ALS patients. Analyzing Irish ALS families will quantify the number of genes responsible for ALS. This information will be invaluable for genetic counseling of relatives of ALS patients.

Related Research Topics
Genetics of ALS