MOLECULAR-GENETICS IN NEUROLOGY

Genetically determined diseases with neurological manifestations const itute a big public health problem in many communities including Saudi Arabia. As a result of advances in molecular genetics, the bases of se veral neurological diseases have now been deciphered. A whole series o f genes of neurologic interest have been cloned and sequenced. The ana lysis of human DNA using recombinant technology is fast becoming an in tegral part of the diagnosis of number of neurological disorders. It i s expected that new methods of mapping the human genome will provide u s with a valuable approach in elucidating molecular pathology of these conditions and preventing them. This review presents recent advances in molecular neurogenetics and molecular techniques used for gene anal ysis as a prelude to possible gene therapy.