Hi Cy

So, you might have bad genes, eh? Too bad your folks stayed on the farm for 400 years....not to mention it was one quarter of your ancestry....too bad the other 50% has some weirdo disease too...but lucky you, one test rules them all out!! It is ok that your great great granfather is also your great great uncle and your great great aunt is also your great great grandmother, and five lines of blood descend from one man....it happens. Look at the bright side.....You might find out you are your own twin!!

Uh, only problem, when it all does come back negative, you are back to 'idiopathic' which, even though you have biopsies indicating your axons are falling apart in a length dependent pattern and matters are getting worse....there is no way to treat it and no real cause...hmmm.

Oh my God, then to make matters worse, you are talking to YOURSELF!!!

It has to be all in your head.

OK, so this is the place to talk genes, phenotypes, haplotypes, etiology, all kinds of -opathies....and any questions as to what regions and populations may carry what genes...Population genetics, genetic epidemiology....this will get interesting.

Keep your sense of humor if you come in here---be ready to laugh at yourself---and potentially dishonor the family Be ready to get clinical!