Pyridoxal 5’-phosphate (PLP). PNPO deficiency is a rare neurometabolic disease that presents with severe neonatal epilepsy responsive to pyridoxal phosphate. While the classical clinical presentation is well described, there might be milder versions of this potentially treatable neurometabolic disease that have not been recognized so far. In a recent publication in Brain, the phenotypic spectrum of PNPO deficiency is revisited. In addition to the classical neonatal phenotype, the authors identify patients with later onset and atypical response to pyridoxal phosphate. In addition, they identify a rare, potentially causative PNPO variant that probably gets stuck in most exome filtering pipelines. Continue reading
Tag Archives: hidden neurometabolic disorders
TBC1D24, DOORS Syndrome, and the unexpected heterogeneity of recessive epilepsies
The return of TBC1D24. In 2010, the TBC1D24 gene was the first gene for human epilepsies to be discovered through next generation sequencing techniques. Ever since, this gene has been a mystery, as the phenotypes of the families with recessive mutations in this gene varied widely. Now, a recent paper in Lancet Neurology finds recessive TBC1D24 mutations in a large proportion of patients with DOORS syndrome, a rare distinct autosomal recessive syndrome with deafness, onychodystrophy, osteodystrophy, intellectual disability (mental retardation), and seizures. This finding demonstrates that we have only just scratched the surface of the complicated genetic architecture of human epilepsies. Continue reading
