If BOTH parents had Dementia, what are the chances that their children will also get it some day?

Question

Is it almost a guarantee that their children will also get it or is there just a better than average chance? Or, does it skip a generation?

Answer 1

The basic material of inheritance, DNA, is passed on from our natural parents in the form of genes. Genes are delivered in packages called chromosomes, which are long chains of genetic instructions.

It can be helpful to think of DNA as being the letters of the alphabet, genes as being the words that they form and chromosomes as being the sentences that convey the meaning.

We all inherit 23 pairs of chromosomes. One half of each pair comes from each parent. There are millions of combinations of genes that we could inherit, and the effect of each gene is not yet known, although scientists are rapidly expanding their knowledge. If you inherit a particular genetic defect from one of your parents, this increases your chance of developing dementia.

However, the vast majority of cases of dementia are not caused by an inherited genetic fault. Dementia is so common that having one or two close relatives with dementia is not evidence of a family link.

Answer 2

Actually, nobody knows for sure.. Not even the experts. Some brain "disorders" can be passed down, like parkinsons but dementia (which covers alzheimers and others) usually is not hereditary.

My great grandmother had it and nobody else has had it...
http://www.janssen-cilag.com/disease/detail.jhtml?itemname=alzheimer&s=1

~~Is dementia hereditary?
In general, the chance of getting Alzheimer's disease is a bit larger if one of the parents suffered from the disease. Not much more is known at the moment about the way Alzheimer's disease is inherited. In a small number of families Alzheimer's disease occurs at a young age. In those families a deviation in genetic material was found which is responsible for the origin of the disease.~~~~

Answer 3

if it's not genetic...which i don't think it is...no one can really tell, unless you have symptoms, but you probably have a better than average chance of developing it.

Answer 4

it hink so if the genes are dominatn...t