Genome-wide association studies in neurology

Abstract

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) are a powerful tool for understanding the genetic underpinnings of human disease. In this article, we briefly review the role and findings of GWAS in common neurological diseases, including Stroke, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, epilepsy, multiple sclerosis, migraine, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal lobar degeneration, restless legs syndrome, intracranial aneurysm, human prion diseases and moyamoya disease. We then discuss the present and future implications of these findings with regards to disease prediction, uncovering basic biology, and the development of potential therapeutic agents.

Keywords: Neurology; alzheimer’s disease; epilepsy; genetics; genome-wide association studies (GWAS); neurological diseases; parkinson’s disease; polymorphism; stroke.

Figure 1

Three major genetic approaches used in complex diseases. Many approaches have been used to understand the genetic basis of the complex diseases. A brief summary and comparison of three major genetic approaches was shown, that includes the classic linkage study, candidate-gene association study, and genome-wide association study. SNP, single nucleotide polymorphism.