Author Description

Written by leaders in the field, this book will give readers a grounding in the basic concepts and language of molecular genetics and a survey of the neurologic and neuromuscular diseases that have been studied with these techniques. Thus, it provides a primer of fundamental information followed by lucid discussions of specific diseases. The latter include Duchenne muscular dystrophy, myotonic muscular dystrophy, Huntington disease, Tay-Sachs disease, Alzheimer's disease, phenylketonuria and mental retardation. The book has been carefully organized in five parts: Background; The Basics of Molecular Genetics; Cloned Genes for Human Neurologic Diseases; Diseases of Known Gene Product and Diseases of Unknown Gene Product; and Social Aspects of Molecular Genetics. The definitions of terms given within the text are supplemented by a comprehensive glossary, and there are many informative illustrations.