Expert Video - Is Alzheimer's disease hereditary? Is there a genetic component?

Dr. Richard Isaacson, director of the Alzheimer's Prevention Clinic at Weill Cornell Medicine and NewYork-Presbyterian Hospital, discusses the complex role of heredity in Alzheimer's disease. He explains how interactions between genes and the environment, known as epigenetics, influences who will develop a certain disease such as Alzheimer's. Dr. Isaacson also discusses the importance of variants of the APOE gene, the most common susceptibility gene associated with Alzheimer's disease, and ways to avoid known risks if you have this gene. This video also explains the role of genes in a type of Alzheimer's disease called early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

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This activity is supported by an independent educational grant from Biogen Idec.

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