Neurodegenerative diseases, such as Alzheimer Disease, Parkinson Disease, Huntington Disease, Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, and prion diseases pose significant challenges to individuals, their families, and society overall. With the aging of societies around the world, the prevalence of many neurodegenerative diseases will continue to increase in the future. For example, Alzheimer Disease International has estimated that the world-wide prevalence of dementia will increase from 35.6 million in 2010 to 65.7 million by 2030 and 115.4 million by 2050 (Alzheimer's Disease International, 2010). Despite the tremendous scientific advances of the past decade, effective cures for these diseases remain elusive. An important guiding principle for contemporary research in this area is that earlier identification of disease will result in improved treatment outcomes. This does not come without significant ethical challenges, however. The purpose of this special issue is to examine some of the tensions that are created by increased research efforts to diagnose and treat these conditions earlier than before, and the consequences of such efforts. The initiatives occur in the face of complex jurisdictional situations as interventions are proposed or undertaken before all the strands of immediate and downstream impact can be understood.
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