[Molecular genetic analysis--a new stage in the study of hereditary diseases of the central nervous system]

Molecular genetics is currently the most powerful tool for studying hereditary diseases of the central nervous system: Huntington's disease, dopa-nonresponsive dystonia, Friedreich's disease, etc. The review presents the most important results obtained in this field by the Department of Neurogenetics, Institute of Neurology, in collaboration with several Russian and foreign research institutes. The authors were the first to perform a molecular analysis of mutations and haplotypes in Huntington's disease, dopa-nonresponsive dystonia, Wilson's disease and studied the frequencies of various mutations and main genotype-phenotype correlations in the Russian population. The first direct diagnosis of Huntington's disease in Russia, as well as indirect diagnosis of Friedreich's disease, dopa-nonresponsive dystonia and Wilson's disease have been made. The authors began to investigate trinucleotide repeat expansion in dominant spinocerebellar ataxias and related disorders. The Department of Neurogenetics collected a valuable bank of DNA samples, which is sufficient to perform linkage analysis in essential tremor, novel forms of congenital cerebellar atrophy and progressive muscular atrophy.