PubMed Health⌕ Search

SEARCH · PubMed Health

Results for “Neurodevelopmental Disorders”

Explore indexed PubMed citations for clinical trials, systematic reviews and public health research. Read source abstracts and follow each citation to its original PubMed record.

Quote a phrase for an exact phrase match. Source license links do not imply unrestricted reuse.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources

Neurodevelopmental disorders after thimerosal-containing vaccines: a brief communication.

We were initially highly skeptical that differences in the concentrations of thimerosal in vaccines would have any effect on the incidence rate of neurodevelopmental disorders after childhood immunization. This study presents the first epidemiologic evidence, based upon tens of millions of doses of vaccine administered in the United States, that associates increasing thimerosal from vaccines with neurodevelopmental disorders. Specifically, an analysis of the Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System (VAERS) database showed statistical increases in the incidence rate of autism (relative risk [RR] = 6.0), mental retardation (RR = 6.1), and speech disorders (RR = 2.2) after thimerosal-containing diphtheria, tetanus, and acellular pertussis (DTaP) vaccines in comparison with thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines. The male/female ratio indicated that autism (17) and speech disorders (2.3) were reported more in males than females after thimerosal-containing DTaP vaccines, whereas mental retardation (1.2) was more evenly reported among male and female vaccine recipients. Controls were employed to determine if biases were present in the data, but none were found. It was determined that overall adverse reactions were reported in similar-aged populations after thimerosal-containing DTaP (2.4 +/- 3.2 years old) and thimerosal-free DTaP (2.1 +/- 2.8 years old) vaccinations. Acute control adverse reactions such as deaths (RR = 1.0), vasculitis (RR = 1.2), seizures (RR = 1.6), ED visits (RR = 1.4), total adverse reactions (RR = 1.4), and gastroenteritis (RR = 1.1) were reported similarly after thimerosal-containing and thimerosal-free DTaP vaccines. An association between neurodevelopmental disorders and thimerosal-containing DTaP vaccines was found, but additional studies should be conducted to confirm and extend this study.

Adverse Drug Reaction Reporting Systems↗

Maternal COVID-19 infection associated with offspring neurodevelopmental disorders.

Maternal COVID-19 infection increases the incidence of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) in offspring, although the underlying mechanisms have not been elucidated. This study demonstrated that COVID-19 infection during pregnancy disrupted the balance of maternal and fetal immune environments, driving alterations in astrocytes, endothelial cells, and excitatory neurons. A risk score was established using 47 unique genes in the single-cell transcriptome of gestational mothers. The high risk score in CD4 proliferating T cell level served as an indicator for increased risk of offspring NDDs. Summary-based Mendelian randomization and phenome-wide association study analyses were conducted to identify the causal association of the transcriptional changes with the increased risk of offspring NDDs. Additionally, 10 drugs were identified as potential therapeutic candidates. Our findings support a model where the maternal COVID-19 infection changed the levels of CD4 proliferating T cells, leading to the alterations of astrocytes, endothelial cells, and excitatory neurons in offspring, contributing to the increased risk of NDDs in these individuals.

Humans↗

Variants leading to ELAVL2 haploinsufficiency cause a neurodevelopmental disorder with prominent cognitive, behavioral, and neurological features.

RNA-binding proteins (RBPs) regulate gene expression, and a number of RBPs have been implicated in brain function and behavior. Here, we report 16 individuals with a neurodevelopmental disorder and de novo heterozygous variants in ELAVL2, encoding an RBP not previously linked to Mendelian disease. Thirteen individuals were identified through GeneMatcher. Their ELAVL2 variants include two structural, five nonsense, and six missense variants, supporting haploinsufficiency as the primary disease mechanism. The cohort presented with developmental delay, intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, seizures, sleep problems, sensory processing issues, emotional instability, and difficulty with socialization. Three additional variants (two missense and one terminal exon truncation), each previously reported in a different large cohort study, were also included for follow-up investigations. We provide multiple lines of evidence linking variants in ELAVL2 to the observed neurodevelopmental and behavioral phenotypes. First, we show that common genetic variants in ELAVL2 are significantly associated with intelligence, motor development, sleep-related traits, and sociability in the general population. Drosophila loss-of-function models provide further independent evidence for a conserved role in the regulation of seizure-like behavior, sensory processing, and sleep. Molecular studies confirm that some of the missense variants are deleterious, leading to decreased protein levels. Together, our integrative study combining Mendelian genetics, clinical and association studies, and animal and molecular modeling supports variants in ELAVL2 as a cause of a neurodevelopmental disorder, with haploinsufficiency as the disease mechanism, and identifies crucial roles of ELAVL2 in neuronal function, cognition, and behavior.

Humans↗

Genetic susceptibility to neurodevelopmental disorders.

A large body of evidence suggests that genetic factors influence liability to many common neurodevelopmental disorders. Examples include Tourette syndrome, attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism, and dyslexia. Characterization of the genetic component of susceptibility to these conditions at a molecular level should improve classification, elucidate fundamental neurobiologic mechanisms of disease, and suggest novel approaches to treatment. Susceptibility loci for complex traits could be identified by detecting linkage to a well-mapped genetic marker or by detecting association with a putative high-risk allele at a candidate locus. This article reviews the principles underlying these complementary approaches, and notes recent progress in specific conditions. As the molecular epidemiology of susceptibility to common neurodevelopmental disorders emerges, it might be increasingly possible to identify "high-risk" and "low-risk" genotypes. Clinicians should understand the nature of this kind of information in order to appreciate its power as well as its limitations.

Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity↗

American Academy of Pediatrics. Committee on Substance Abuse and Committee on Children With Disabilities. Fetal alcohol syndrome and alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorders.

Prenatal exposure to alcohol is one of the leading preventable causes of birth defects, mental retardation, and neurodevelopmental disorders. In 1973, a cluster of birth defects resulting from prenatal alcohol exposure was recognized as a clinical entity called fetal alcohol syndrome. More recently, alcohol exposure in utero has been linked to a variety of other neurodevelopmental problems, and the terms alcohol-related neurodevelopmental disorder and alcohol-related birth defects have been proposed to identify infants so affected. This statement is an update of a previous statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics and reflects the current thinking about alcohol exposure in utero and the revised nosology.

Adolescent↗

[Correlation of neurodevelopmental disorders in schizophrenia].

Contemporary aetiopathogenetic considerations, based on neuro-imaging, genetic and developmental neurobiology studies, suggest neurodevelopmental origin of schizophrenia. Several lines of evidence including structural abnormalities on in vivo brain imaging, the excess of prenatal and obstetric complications and the association of congenital and minor physical anomalies with schizophrenia, strongly indicate the neurodevelopmental pathogenesis of schizophrenia. On the other hand, controversial concept of psychotic continuum suggests schizophrenia and depression sharing the same genetic contribution to the pathogenesis. If this would be the case, depression could also be considered as neurodevelopmental disorder. The aims of the study were to investigate the association between: a) pregnancy and birth complications (PBC), and b) minor physical anomalies (MPA) and schizophrenia or depression. Experimental groups consisted of 60 schizophrenic, 28 major depression patients and 30 healthy controls. All patients were diagnosed according to DSM-IV. Schizophrenic group was divided with regard to PANSS score into positive (n = 32) and negative form (n = 28) subgroups. PBC informations were gathered from maternal recall while MPA were examined by using Waldrop scale for adults. The results showed that negative and positive schizophrenic subgroups had significantly more PBC than depressive group (p < 0.05), as well than controls (p < 0.001; p < 0.05; respectively). There was nonsignificant trend for more PBC in negative than in positive subgroup. All schizophrenic patients had higher rates of MPA than depressives (p < 0.05). This trend for more MPA was not significant in comparison with healthy controls. These findings suggest that schizophrenia, especially its negative forms, could be considered as a member of the spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders, which does not seem to be the case with depression. PBC and MPA could also be valuable in evaluation of risks for schizophrenia and possible predictive indicators of its development.

Adult↗

Loss of function of FAM177A1, a Golgi complex localized protein, causes a novel neurodevelopmental disorder.

PURPOSE: The function of FAM177A1 and its relationship to human disease is largely unknown. Recent studies have demonstrated FAM177A1 to be a critical immune-associated gene. One previous case study has linked FAM177A1 to a neurodevelopmental disorder in 4 siblings. METHODS: We identified 5 individuals from 3 unrelated families with biallelic variants in FAM177A1. The physiological function of FAM177A1 was studied in a zebrafish model organism and human cell lines with loss-of-function variants similar to the affected cohort. RESULTS: These individuals share a characteristic phenotype defined by macrocephaly, global developmental delay, intellectual disability, seizures, behavioral abnormalities, hypotonia, and gait disturbance. We show that FAM177A1 localizes to the Golgi complex in mammalian and zebrafish cells. Intersection of the RNA sequencing and metabolomic data sets from FAM177A1-deficient human fibroblasts and whole zebrafish larvae demonstrated dysregulation of pathways associated with apoptosis, inflammation, and negative regulation of cell proliferation. CONCLUSION: Our data shed light on the emerging function of FAM177A1 and defines FAM177A1-related neurodevelopmental disorder as a new clinical entity.

Humans↗

RORA-neurodevelopmental disorder: A unique triad of developmental disabilities, cerebellar anomalies, and myoclonic seizures.

PURPOSE: RORA encodes the RAR-related orphan receptor-&#x3b1;, playing a pivotal role in cerebellar maturation and function. Here, we report the largest series of individuals with RORA-related-neurodevelopmental disorder. METHODS: Forty individuals (30 unrelated; 10 siblings from 4 families) carrying RORA pathogenic/likely pathogenic variants were collected through an international collaboration. RESULTS: The 33 variants (29 de novo, 4 inherited, and 1 shared), identified by genome/exome sequencing (n&#xa0;= 21), chromosomal microarray analysis (n&#xa0;= 7), or gene panels (n&#xa0;= 4), included frameshift (n&#xa0;= 18/33), missense (n&#xa0;= 9/33), and stop codon (n&#xa0;= 6/33). Developmental disability (n&#xa0;= 32/37), intellectual disability (n&#xa0;= 22/32), and cerebellar signs (n&#xa0;= 25/34) were the most striking clinical features. Cerebellar symptoms were divided into early-onset, late-onset, and progressive subgroups. Cerebellar hypoplasia, atrophy, or both (n&#xa0;= 16/25) were more frequent in individuals with missense variants in the DNA-binding domain. Epilepsy (n&#xa0;= 18/38), with prominent myoclonic seizure types (n&#xa0;= 11/18), was classified in (1) genetic generalized epilepsy (n&#xa0;= 10/18) with a syndromic diagnosis identifiable for 6: epilepsy with eyelid myoclonia (n&#xa0;= 5/6) and epilepsy with myoclonic absence (n&#xa0;= 1/6); (2) developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (n&#xa0;= 5/18); and (3) unclassified (n&#xa0;= 3/18). A participant with rapid deterioration of visual acuity and cone/rod dystrophy was reported. CONCLUSION: Missense variants in DNA-binding domain correlate to a more severe cerebellar phenotype. The RORA-related-neurodevelopmental disorder triad comprises developmental disability, cerebellar features, and a spectrum of myoclonic epilepsy.

Humans↗

A recurrent CCDC82 frameshift variant associated with syndromic neurodevelopmental disorder in a consanguineous Pakistani family.

BACKGROUND: Intellectual disabilities (IDs) are part of neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs) and are genetically heterogeneous conditions characterized by impairments in cognition, learning, and adaptive functioning. Despite advances in gene discovery, many individuals, particularly those from understudied populations, remain without a molecular diagnosis. Recent reports implicate CCDC82 (HGNC: 26282) as an autosomal recessive ID gene, although the phenotypic spectrum and biological context remain incompletely defined. METHODS: Exome sequencing (ES) was performed in a consanguineous Pakistani family (PKMR06A) with four affected individuals presenting with moderate to severe ID. Variant segregation was confirmed by Sanger sequencing. In silico analyses, including pathogenicity prediction, protein structural modeling, and domain intolerance assessment, were used to evaluate the functional consequences of the identified variant. Spatiotemporal gene expression patterns were examined using bulk and single-cell human brain transcriptomic datasets. RESULTS: Clinically, affected individuals of family PKMR06A presented with early childhood global developmental delay, speech delay, hypotonia, gait abnormalities, spasticity, and mild facial dysmorphism. Genetic screening revealed a recurrent rare homozygous frameshift variant in CCDC82 (NM_024725.4): c.373del; p.(Asp125Ilefs*6), segregating with disease in all available affected individuals of the family. The identified c.373del variant was absent from the gnomAD database and was classified as pathogenic (PVS1, PM2, and PP1) based on ACMG/AMP criteria. The c.373del variant is predicted to introduce a premature termination codon, p.(Asp125Ilefs*6), leading to deletion of essential coiled-coil domains from the encoded protein, supporting a loss-of-function mechanism. In silico, transcriptomic analyses demonstrated preferential CCDC82 expression during prenatal human brain development, providing developmental context for the neurodevelopmental phenotype associated with the identified truncating variant. CONCLUSIONS: This study expands the mutational landscape of CCDC82 and provides additional clinical and molecular evidence supporting its role in autosomal recessive NDD. The findings reinforce the importance of CCDC82 in human neurodevelopment and highlight the value of genomic investigation in underrepresented populations.

Autosomal recessive↗

Pathogenic XPO1 variants cause a dominant neurodevelopmental disorder.

PURPOSE: XPO1 functions in key cellular processes, including nucleo-cytoplasmic export and mitosis. The gene is deleted in a subset of patients with the 2p15p16.1 microdeletion syndrome; however, no monogenic XPO1-related disorder has been described to date. METHODS: We collected clinical data of individuals with de novo XPO1 variants through online matchmaking. We used Drosophila to study XPO1 function in development and habituation learning. RESULTS: A total of 22 individuals met the criteria to be included in the main study cohort. Of these, half have putative loss-of-function variants, and half have coding variants (10 missense and 1 in-frame deletion variant). We found an overlapping phenotype, consistent with a monogenic neurodevelopmental disorder. We demonstrate XPO1 functions in development by ubiquitous and neuron-specific knockdown in Drosophila. GABAergic neuron specific knockdown flies demonstrated impaired habituation. CONCLUSION: Our results establish XPO1 as a novel dominant monogenic neurodevelopmental disorder gene and demonstrate a central role for XPO1 in development.

Exportin 1 Protein↗

Postnatal neurodevelopmental disorders: meeting at the synapse?

We often think of neurodevelopmental disorders as beginning before birth, and many certainly do. A handful, however, strike many months after birth, following a period of apparently normal growth and development. Autism and Rett syndrome are two such disorders, and here I consider some of their similarities at the phenotypic and pathogenic levels. I propose that both disorders result from disruption of postnatal or experience-dependent synaptic plasticity.

Age of Onset↗

Neurodevelopmental disorders and diseases.

Research on cerebral palsy--and related neurodevelopmental disorders--should ultimately aim at primary prevention, and, following examination of existing knowledge of causes and mechanisms of origin, a comprehensive and strategic approach to causes and mechanisms is needed.

Adult↗

Complex genotype-phenotype relationships in neurodevelopmental disorders.

With the advent of sequencing technologies in recent years, hundreds of high-confidence risk genes have been implicated in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). However, individuals carrying pathogenic variants in the same gene frequently exhibit diverse clinical presentations, including varied symptoms and diagnoses. We propose that this heterogeneity arises from different interacting factors that modulate the phenotypic outcomes of pathogenic variants, including variant-level features, modifying variation across the genome, prenatal and early-life environmental exposures, and developmental noise. Resolving these factors requires integrative approaches that combine population-scale genetics and functional genomics with environmental monitoring and quantitative assessments of stochastic developmental variation. Advancing our understanding of these factors is critical to elucidating the etiology of NDDs and improving diagnostic and personalized therapeutic strategies.

Humans↗

Epidemiology of neurodevelopmental disorders in children.

The epidemiology of mental and behavioural disorders is considered in comparison with spina bifida, chromosomal anomalies and brain tumours. Descriptive epidemiology is important not only in assessing the frequency of neurodevelopmental disorders, thereby aiding planning of service provision, but also because variations by geographical area, over time, and by personal characteristics provide clues regarding etiology. The value of the latter application is exemplified by research on spina bifida and other neural tube defects (NTDs). The descriptive epidemiology of mental and behavioural disorders has been less investigated. The descriptive epidemiology of NTDs suggested that diet might be of etiological importance. Analytical epidemiologic investigation proceeded by testing dietary hypotheses in case-control and cohort studies. Subsequently, folate supplementation was shown to reduce recurrence risk in a randomized controlled trial. The analytical epidemiology of other neurodevelopmental disorders is less well understood. Study design issues are discussed in relation to mental and behavioural disorders.

Adult↗

DNA diagnosis of FRAXA and FRAXE in Chinese children with neurodevelopmental disorders and fragile X syndrome.

Fragile X (FraX) syndrome is the most common cause of inherited mental retardation. To see whether FRAXA or FRAXE can account for the etiology of some unexplained neurodevelopmental disorders in children, we screened for trinucleotide repeat expansion in a consecutive cohort of 73 Chinese children and their mothers seen in 1995 (group 1) referred for developmental assessment due to developmental delay, language delay, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, autistic spectrum disorder, mental retardation and/or learning disability. We also screened DNA samples of all five previously diagnosed cytogenetically-positive FraX boys, their mothers and sisters (group 2). A control group of unrelated teenagers and adults were recruited from the community (group 3). In group 1, 3 families (2 mothers and a mother and her son) were found to carry a small premutation allele at FRAXA (premutation frequency = 2%, 3/153 independent X chromosomes), but none had any expansion at FRAXE. In group 2, all 5 FraX boys had full mutation at FRAXA and normal repeat length at FRAXE. In group 3, 1 male has a premutation allele out of 18 males and 59 females tested (premutation frequency of control = 0.7%, 1 out of 136 X chromosomes). For FRAXE screening in group 3, 2 females were carriers (1.5%, 2 out of 136 X chromosomes). Thus, FRAXA and FRAXE cannot account for the etiology of neurodevelopmental disorders in our cohort of Chinese children, and the prevalence of FRAXE mutation in normal Chinese population appears to be higher than reported in the Caucasians.

Adult↗

Sex differences in the developing human cortex intersect with genetic risk of neurodevelopmental disorders.

Autism is highly heritable and diagnosed more frequently in males than females. To identify neurodevelopmental processes that might present sex-biased vulnerability, we generated transcriptomic and epigenomic profiles of cell types present in the prenatally developing human cerebral cortex of 27 males and 21 females. By intersecting sex-biased molecular signatures and genes with de novo mutations in male and female autistic probands, we reveal two points of vulnerability contributing to the sex-biased penetrance in neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). First, we show that NDD risk genes are biased towards higher expression in females, identifying the NDD gene MEF2C as a critical transcription factor for female-biased expression. Second, we identify a significant contribution of X chromosome genes to NDD pathobiology. We construct a gene regulatory map of X-linked risk genes to enable functional studies of genetic variants that likely disrupt gene expression in the developing brains of autistic males. Together, these results point towards an outsized contribution of the X-chromosome to both the origin of sex differences in the developing human cortex and NDD vulnerability. We propose a model where female-biased vulnerability is driven by coding variation within genes while male-biased vulnerability is driven by noncoding variation in regulatory elements that affect gene expression.

Sex differences↗

Neonatal lesions in the amygdala or ventral hippocampus disrupt prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response; implications for an animal model of neurodevelopmental disorders like schizophrenia.

Prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response is a behavioural tool applied to assess sensorimotor gating processes in humans and rats. Schizophrenic patients show deficits in prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response. The animal model of neurodevelopmental disorders such as schizophrenia, as purported in earlier reports and the present study, is based on the assumption that damage to brain structures early in life (on day 7) disrupts brain maturation of structures connected to the damaged areas, measurable by behavioural changes, whereas similar damage later in life (on day 21) does not result in these behavioural changes. Locomotor activity, the acoustic startle response and its prepulse inhibition were investigated in adult rats lesioned in the amygdala or ventral hippocampus on day 7 or 21 of life. The acoustic startle response was increased in animals lesioned in the amygdala on day 7 or 21 of life, but not in animals lesioned in the ventral hippocampus. Prepulse inhibition was impaired and locomotor activity enhanced in animals lesioned in the amygdala or ventral hippocampus on day 7, but not in animals lesioned in these structures on day 21 of life. The results on the acoustic startle response are suggestive of amygdaloid influences on modulation of the acoustic startle response. The effects of early postnatal lesions on prepulse inhibition and locomotor activity are in support of the animal model of neurodevelopmental disorders like schizophrenia.

Acoustic Stimulation↗

A test of the immunoreactive theory for the origin of neurodevelopmental disorders in the offspring of women with immune disorder.

Gualtieri and Hicks (1985) proposed that male vulnerability for neurodevelopmental disorders (NDs) was partially due to intrauterine immune attack of the fetus. One group of mothers with heightened immunoreactivity might be women with immune disorder. This was tested within an epidemiological sample of 17,283 mother/child pairs. Maternal immune disorders considered were ulcerative colitis or asthma. NDs in the child included: cerebral palsy, mental retardation, seizures, articulation disorder, reading, or arithmetic disability, verbal or performance aptitude deficits, and attention deficit disorder. Unlike prior studies, we controlled for demographic perinatal variables that might confound interpretation of the data. Results indicated that immune dysfunction in the mother, be it autoimmune (ulcerative colitis) or defensive (asthma) was not associated with an increased incidence of any NDs in the offspring, but mothers with ulcerative colitis did have a disproportionate number of offspring who were non-right handed. Few variables discriminated between the children of ulcerative colitis mothers who became right handed when compared to those who did not. We suggest that a) only certain maternal autoimmune disorders such as systemic lupus erythematosus (but not ulcerative colitis or asthma) elevate the risk of intrauterine immune attack and b) the elevated rate of non-right handed offspring among ulcerative colitis mothers was not an instance of immune attack but instead represents some kind of genetic association.

Achievement↗