Concept explainers
If a test were available that could tell you whether you were likely to develop a disorder such as schizophrenia later in life, would you take the test? Why or why not?
Rachel asked to see a genetic counselor because she was concerned about developing schizophrenia. Her mother and maternal grandmother both had schizophrenia and were institutionalized for most of their adult lives. Rachel’s three maternal aunts are all in their 60s and have not shown any signs of this disease. Rachel’s father is alive and healthy, and his family history does not suggest any behavioral or genetic conditions. The genetic counselor discussed the multifactorial nature of schizophrenia and explained that many candidate genes have been identified that may be mutated in individuals with the condition. However, a genetic test is not available for presymptomatic testing. The counselor explained that based on Rachel’s family history and her relatedness to individuals who have schizophrenia, her risk of developing it is approximately 13%. If an altered gene is in the family and her mother carries the gene, Rachel has a 50% chance of inheriting it.
Want to see the full answer?
Check out a sample textbook solutionChapter 18 Solutions
Human Heredity: Principles and Issues (MindTap Course List)
- Why do you think it has been so difficult to identify genes underlying schizophrenia? Rachel asked to see a genetic counselor because she was concerned about developing schizophrenia. Her mother and maternal grandmother both had schizophrenia and were institutionalized for most of their adult lives. Rachels three maternal aunts are all in their 60s and have not shown any signs of this disease. Rachels father is alive and healthy, and his family history does not suggest any behavioral or genetic conditions. The genetic counselor discussed the multifactorial nature of schizophrenia and explained that many candidate genes have been identified that may be mutated in individuals with the condition. However, a genetic test is not available for presymptomatic testing. The counselor explained that based on Rachels family history and her relatedness to individuals who have schizophrenia, her risk of developing it is approximately 13%. If an altered gene is in the family and her mother carries the gene, Rachel has a 50% chance of inheriting it.arrow_forwardA region on chromosome 6 has been linked to schizophrenia, but researchers have not found a specific gene associated with this disease. What steps would be necessary to locate the gene?arrow_forwardA couple has had a child born with neurofibromatosis. They come to your genetic counseling office for help. After taking an extensive family history, you determine that there is no history of this disease on either side of the family. The couple wants to have another child and wants to be advised about the risks of that child having neurofibromatosis. What advice do you give them?arrow_forward
- What is Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation and how does it work? Imagine I predict that an area called the superior temporal gyrus in the right hemisphere is involved in face processing. How could I use TMS to help test my prediction? What does a heritability rate of 35% mean? How does the epigenome differ from the genome?arrow_forwardAlpha-1 antitrypsin has codominant inheritance. M genes express normal levels. S and Z genes have low expression. Which of the following is most likely to develop emphyema? A person with: 1) two M genes who does smoke 2) two S genes who does smoke 3) one M and one S gene who does not smoke 4) one M gene and one S gene who does smoke 5) two M genes who does not smoke 6) two S genes who does not smokearrow_forwarda) explain why a diagnosis of ASD is not possible in young babies. b) Given the current understanding of the concordance of ASD, if one of the children detected in these data was an identical twin, how certain is that the other twin would also meet the diagnostic criteria for ASD?arrow_forward
- What is the "common disease, common variant hypothesis for the genetic basis of mental health disorders? How is this different than "rare variants"?arrow_forwardUsing examples from the literature, explain how genome-wide association studies have helped us understand the origins of neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism, ADHD and/or schizophreniaarrow_forwardDo people look differently upon those afflicted with mental illness if we have a perspective grounded in an understanding that this is a genetic diagnosis? How so?arrow_forward
- Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an inherited is an inheritent dominant disorder. The phenotype usually involves the production of many skin neurofibromas. Answer the following questions about the disorder: a) Are the NF1 neurofibromatosis-causing mutations that are inherited by affected children from affected parents likely to be loss-of-function or gain-of-function mutations? b) Neurofibromin, the protein product of NF1, is associated with the Ras protein. Ras is involved in the transduction of extracellular signals from growth factors. The active form of Ras is complexed with GTP; the inactive form is complexed with GDP. Would the wild-type neurofibromin protein favor the formation of Ras-GTP or Ras-GDP? c) Which of the following events in a normal cell from an individual inheriting a neurofibromatosis-causing allele could cause the descendents of that cell to turn into a neurofibroma? i. A second point mutation in…arrow_forwardDo you believe genetic testing can be a medically useful tool for screening for susceptibility genes for complex mental disorders in children and the unborn?arrow_forward“The one common denominator for all of the young children [with autism] is that early intervention does work, and it seems to improve the prognosis”. Who said this?arrow_forward
- Human Heredity: Principles and Issues (MindTap Co...BiologyISBN:9781305251052Author:Michael CummingsPublisher:Cengage Learning