The cause of sporadic amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is unknown. To identify the genetic factors underlying this fatal neurodegenerative disease, we performed a series of genome-wide association studies of ALS. These studies are divided into three distinct stages, each associated with a se...

Epidemiological studies have estimated a cumulative prevalence of PD of greater than 1 per thousand. When prevalence is limited to senior populations, this proportion increases nearly 10-fold. The estimated genetic risk ratio for PD is approximately 1.7 (70% increased risk for PD if a sibling...

Benign ethnic neutropenia (BEN) is a clinical condition more commonly observed in African-Americans. It is characterized by a relative reduction in neutrophil count by about 1000 cells per microliter, leading to a decrease in total leukocyte count by similar decrement. Previous reports of this co...

The purpose of this project was to conduct a genome-wide associate study to search for the genetic factors that predispose to myasthenia gravis. The rationale for this study lies in the fact that, although the immunological and physiological processes affecting the neuromuscular junctions of myas...