BPAN. WDR45-related disorders are one of the most common X-linked neurodevelopmental disorders. While initially conceptualized within the framework of rare conditions with neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation, WDR45-related disorders challenge the traditional concept of neurodegenerative conditions. Most individuals are diagnosed in childhood with neurodevelopmental features. However, the full spectrum of the pediatric presentation of WDR45-disorders has not been fully delineated yet. In a recent publication, we delineate the pediatric presentation of WDR45-disorders. We find that typical outcome measures often fail to capture the full range of features in WDR45-related disorders and that there might be two distinct previously not appreciated subgroups. Continue reading
Tag Archives: BPAN
Twisting DNA and seizures: TDP2 mutations in neurodegeneration with epilepsy
Torsional stress. The DNA double helix has one major problem that we know from telephone cords: it is difficult to untangle. However, our DNA is constantly twisted and untangled for gene transcription. This constant twisting and untwisting produces torsional stress that is relieved by topoisomerases. A recent publication in Nature Genetics now identified a human neurological phenotype that is caused by faulty activity of this mechanism: neurodegeneration with epileptic encephalopathy. However, there are some features of the phenotype that are not easily explained by erroneous DNA twisting. Continue reading
The eye of the tiger, brain iron and the beta-propeller
NBIA. Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) is a group of mainly recessive disorders that present with progressive dystonia and dementia. The common feature of these diseases is the excessive accumulation of iron in the basal ganglia. NBIA is very rare and usually not discussed in the context of epilepsy. However, a recent paper in Brain reviews the phenotypes of beta-propeller associated neurodegeneration (BPAN), a novel X-linked disorder with brain iron accumulation. In childhood, the phenotype shares similarities with atypical Rett syndrome and other epileptic encephalopathies, raising the question to what extent the epilepsies that we investigate may be neurodegenerative disorders. Continue reading
