Should I get a genetic test for dementia? | Alzheimer's Research UK

0:00 Start
0:01 #1.What is the difference between dementia risk genes and rare familial genes?
1:05 #2.Which genes are tested for?
1:45 #3.What happens in families with directly inherit dementia?
3:20 #4.What are the common misconceptions?
4:14 #5.Do I need to know which gene runs in my family?
9:50 #6.How do I get a genetic test for dementia?
11:09 #7.What if my doctor won't refer me for the test?
11:56 #8.Will getting my results affect my life insurance or mortgage?

Having a test to look for a faulty gene that causes dementia is only appropriate for a very small number of people. This is because only around one in 100 cases of dementia are directly inherited. In these cases, there is an obvious pattern of a parent passing it on to their child (or children) throughout every generation of a family, often developing symptoms in their 40s and 50s.

In this video, Prof Nick Fox, Director of the Dementia Research Centre at UCL (and specialist in familial Alzheimer’s disease) answers frequently asked questions about getting a genetic test for dementia.

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