McGill Cares: What Role Does Genetics Play in Dementia?

Laura Robb, MSc, CGC is a certified genetic counselor at the McGill Research Centre for Studies in Aging (MCSA), where she contacts families to assess their risk of hereditary types of dementia, informs them of implications and guides them towards appropriate medical follow-up. She is also involved in recruiting people from identified families into the Registry on Early Onset Alzheimer Disease in Canada and into the Dominantly Inherited Alzheimer Network (DIAN). Pedro Rosa-Neto, MD is Director of the MCSA.  He is a clinical neurologist with expertise in the quantification of dementia patho-physiology and preclinical diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease using biomarkers. Ms. Robb and Dr. Rosa-Neto will speak about genetic testing to assess the risk of hereditary types of dementia. They will address the role of genetics in the development of dementia, the benefits and challenges of genetic testing, the process for genetic screening and what happens when someone tests positive. Original air date: July 6, 2022 McGill Cares is a webcast series designed to support informal caregivers. During candid, 30-minute interviews with leading experts, Claire Webster, Alzheimer Care Consultant and Founder of the McGill Dementia Education Program, explores topics related to caring for a loved one with dementia. For more information about the McGill Dementia Education Program or to make a donation, please visit www.mcgill.ca/dementia. If you have specific topics or questions that you would like us to address during our weekly webcasts, please email us at [email protected].