A veritable explosion of research in neuropsychology has occurred
over the past decade in the search for cognitive and brain changes
during a so-called “preclinical” phase of dementia
that precedes its overt clinical manifestations. Fueling this
explosion, in part, has been the revolution in the genetic bases
of disease formulated from the international work of decoding
the human genome (International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium,
2001; see also Patenaude et al., 2002, for discussion). The
discovery of preclinical cognitive, brain, and genetic markers
of dementia is helping to push back the point at which diseases
can be reliably identified. Very early detection of dementia
is extremely important now that a variety of investigational
treatments that might prevent or delay disease progression (e.g.,
amyloid vaccine, anti-oxidants, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory
agents, cholinesterase inhibitors, estrogens, and others in
the case of Alzheimer's disease) are on the horizon.
Correction: A collaborative translational research framework for evaluating and implementing the appropriate use of human genome sequencing to improve health
