Rong Luo | PubMed Health

PubMed2026

Case Report: Early infantile drug-resistant epilepsy and gastrointestinal dysmotility associated with a de novo GNAO1 variant and a 16p13.11 microdeletion.

BACKGROUND: The GNAO1 gene is located on the long arm of chromosome 16 (16q13) and is associated with Developmental and Epileptic Encephalopathy 17. It encodes a protein involved in regulating various neurotransmitters and neuronal growth and development. The 16p13.11 microdeletion is a genomic deletion in the p13.11 region of the short arm of chromosome 16, previously reported to predispose individuals to neurodevelopmental disorders. These two regions do not overlap on the chromosome, and the 16p13.11 microdeletion does not involve the GNAO1 gene locus. CASE PRESENTATION: We reports a 1-month-old infant presenting with concurrent GNAO1 (p. G203R) gene variation and a 16p13.11 microdeletion. The patient initially presented with recurrent abdominal distension in the neonatal period, which gradually progressed to include focal seizures and intractable epileptic spasms. Interictal EEG showed multifocal discharges and burst-suppression patterns. Brain MRI revealed no abnormalities. A full gastrointestinal series suggested intestinal obstruction and gastro-esophageal reflux. Improved whole-exome sequencing identified: 1) A single nucleotide variantion: GNAO1, NM_020988.3:exon6: c.607G > A (p.Gly203Arg). 2) A copy number variation: A pathogenic 1.453 Mb deletion in the 16p13.11 region. CONCLUSIONS: We describe the developmental trajectory of an infant with overlapping features of gastrointestinal symptoms and drug-resistant epilepsy, carrying a GNAO1 variant and a 16p13.11 microdeletion. This case provides insights into the contribution of both single nucleotide variant and copy number variant to the phenotype.

16p13.11 microdeletion↗

PubMed2026

Genetically predicted childhood traits and parental health and risk of pediatric psychiatric disorders: A 2-sample Mendelian randomization study.

The etiology of pediatric psychiatric disorders is complex, involving intergenerational influences and a child's own developmental health. We aimed to investigate the potential effects of genetically predicted childhood traits (childhood obesity, absence epilepsy, intelligence) and parental health traits (longevity, Alzheimer disease, severe depression) on the risk of several childhood and adolescent psychiatric disorders. We employed a 2-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) design using summary statistics from large-scale genome-wide association studies. Data for parental health exposures were primarily from the UK Biobank. Data for childhood trait exposures were from various consortia. Data for outcomes - conduct disorder, mixed conduct and emotional disorders, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and broader behavioral/emotional and social disorders - were sourced from FinnGen and the Psychiatric Genomics Consortium, among others. We used the inverse-variance weighted method for the primary analysis, with MR-Egger, weighted median, and weighted mode as additional analyses. To test the robustness of the results, we conducted sensitivity analyses using MR-Egger regression, Cochran Q test for heterogeneity, the MR-pleiotropy residual sum and outlier test, and a leave-one-out analysis. Genetic liability for childhood obesity was associated with an increased risk of ASD (odds ratio = 1.06, P = .016) and ADHD (odds ratio = 1.09, P = .026), even though these associations did not withstand multiple testing correction. No other robust, statistically significant causal associations were identified. Sensitivity analyses showed limited evidence of bias from horizontal pleiotropy for the main findings. Our findings provide MR evidence supporting potential links from genetic liability for childhood obesity to increased risks of ASD and ADHD. These results highlight the importance of considering a child's early-life health trajectory in the etiology of pediatric psychiatric disorders.

Humans↗