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CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 · Arq Neuropsiquiatr 2021; 79(10): 929-932
DOI: 10.1590/0004-282X-ANP-2020-0574
Articles

A journey through the history of Neurogenetics

Uma jornada pela história da Neurogenética
Thiago Yoshinaga Tonholo SILVA 
1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Departamento de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
,
José Luiz PEDROSO 
1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Departamento de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
,
Marcondes Cavalcante FRANÇA  JUNIOR
2   Universidade de Campinas, Departamento de Neurologia, Campinas SP, Brazil.
,
Orlando Graziani Povoas BARSOTTINI 
1   Universidade Federal de São Paulo, Departamento de Neurologia, São Paulo SP, Brazil.
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ABSTRACT

Since the late 19th century, when several inherited neurological disorders were described, the close relationship between Neurology and heredity were well documented by several authors in a pre-genetic era. The term Neurogenetics came to integrate two large sciences and clinical practices: Neurology and Genetics. Neurogenetics is the emerging field that studies the correlation between genetic code and the development and function of the nervous system, including behavioral traits, personality and neurological diseases. In this historical note, a timeline shows the main events and contributors since the first reports of neurogenetic diseases until the current days. In the recent years, neurologists are experiencing much broader use of new genetic diagnosis techniques in clinical practice. Thus, new challenges are arising in diagnostic approach, ethical considerations, and therapeutic options. This article aims to summarize the main historical hallmarks of Neurogenetics, from the pre-DNA era to the present, and the future directions of the field.

RESUMO

Desde o final do século XIX, quando diversas doenças neurológicas hereditárias foram descritas, a associação entre neurologia e hereditariedade foi bem documentada por vários autores na era pré-genética. O termo Neurogenética integra dois campos da ciência e da prática clínica: Neurologia e Genética. A Neurogenética é o campo que estuda a correlação entre o código genético e o desenvolvimento e a função do sistema nervoso, incluindo comportamento, personalidade e doenças neurológicas. Nesta nota histórica, a linha do tempo mostra os principais eventos e pesquisadores desde os primeiros relatos de doenças neurogenéticas até os dias atuais. Recentemente, neurologistas estão se deparando com maior uso de técnicas diagnósticas genéticas na prática clínica; portanto, novos desafios surgem na abordagem diagnóstica, nas considerações éticas e na terapêutica. Este artigo almeja resumir os principais marcos históricos da Neurogenética, desde a era pré-DNA até o presente, e os caminhos futuros desse campo de conhecimento.

Keywords:

Genetic Diseases, Inborn - History - Neurology - Genetics

Palavras-chave:

Doenças Genéticas Inatas - História - Neurologia - Genética

Authors’ contributions:

TYTS, JLP, MCFJ, OGPB: conception, organization, and execution of the project. Writing of the first draft and review and critique of the manuscript.




Publication History

Received: 08 December 2020

Accepted: 28 March 2021

Article published online:
07 June 2023

© 2021. Academia Brasileira de Neurologia. This is an open access article published by Thieme under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonDerivative-NonCommercial License, permitting copying and reproduction so long as the original work is given appropriate credit. Contents may not be used for commecial purposes, or adapted, remixed, transformed or built upon. (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)

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