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Genetics – Ethical Implications of Research, Diagnostics and Counseling

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Ethics in Psychiatry

Part of the book series: International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine ((LIME,volume 45))

Abstract

The basic facts concerning mechanisms of inheritance and knowledge of variation within the human genome are briefly summarized, and the manner in which genetic diagnostics has been introduced into medicine is presented. Major opinions on ethical issues in neuropsychiatric diseases are discussed. A series of scenarios with ethical relevance to the application of genetics to mental disorders are presented. Finally, the ethical aspects of modern research into psychiatric genetics are discussed.

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Abbreviations

CAG repeat:

Cytosin-Arginin-Guanin

CNS:

central nervous system

CNV:

copy number variant

DNA:

desoxyribonucleic acid

ELSI:

ethical, legal and social issues

ICSI:

intracytoplasmatic sperm injection

IQ:

intelligence quotient

IVF:

in-vitro-fertilization

LDL:

low density lipoproteins

OMIM:

Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man

PD:

prenatal diagnosis

PGD:

pre-implantation genetic diagnosis

PPV:

positive predictive value

SNP:

single nucleotide polymorphism

STR:

short tandem repeats, so-called microsatellites

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Human Genetics, University of Bonn, D-53105, Bonn, Germany

    Peter Propping

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  1. Peter Propping
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Correspondence to Peter Propping .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Charité Campus Benjamin Franklin, Klinik für Psychiatrie/ Psychotherapie, Universitätsklinikum Berlin, Eschenallee 3, Berlin, 14050, Germany

    Hanfried Helmchen

  2. chemin Colladon 14, Geneve, 1209, Switzerland

    Norman Sartorius

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Propping, P. (2010). Genetics – Ethical Implications of Research, Diagnostics and Counseling. In: Helmchen, H., Sartorius, N. (eds) Ethics in Psychiatry. International Library of Ethics, Law, and the New Medicine, vol 45. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8721-8_27

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-90-481-8721-8_27

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