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The heredity-environment research is not over. The NIH Guide for Jan 29 1999 contains an announcement of a new program "Xenobiotics and Cell Death/Injury in Neurodegenerative Disease". The program's purpose is "to stimulate research on the relative roles of environmental, endogenous neurochemical and genetic factors in the cause of neurodegenerative diseases...." PD, Alzheimer's and ALS are specifically mentioned as targets of investigation. The complete announcement is found at http://www.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAS-99-054.html "The total estimated funds available ...is $2,000,000 per year...." The program is intended to support research in such areas as: * preclinical diagnosis, to identify people who would benefit from neuroprotective drugs. * imaging technology to enhance diagnosis and evaluation of treatments. * identification of "specific agents and/or combination of chemicals associated with an increased risk for neurodegenerative disorders..." * "...the effect of aging on toxicant-induced neurodegeneration..." * "...the role of inflammatory processes in toxicant-induced neurodegeneration. Inflammation may be the process by which an acute exposure to toxic agents could lead to chronic neurodegeneration. * "...neuronally-derived proteins such as à-synuclein (PD) and presenilin (AD) and their potential roles in toxicant-induced neurodegeneration." * "...xenobiotics' potential influence on programmed cell death, neural plasticity, or other processes critical to the maintenance of neuronal viability and function. * "...remediation of neuronal defects using strategies such as gene therapy. $2,000,000 doesn't sound like much to achieve all these goals. Phil Tompkins Hoboken NJ age 61/dx 1990