Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0025362 (mental retardation)
 15,878 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Canavan disease (CD) is an autosomal recessive leukodystrophy characterized by spongy degeneration of the brain. The clinical features of CD are hypotonia, megalencephaly, and mental retardation leading to early death. While aspartoacylase (ASPA) activity increases with age in the wild type mouse brain, there is no ASPA activity in the CD mouse brain. So far ASPA deficiency and elevated NAA have been ascribed with the CD. Other factors affecting the brain that result from ASPA deficiency may lead pathophysiology of CD. The NMR spectra and amino acid analysis showed lower levels of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid in the CD mouse brain compared to the wild type. Microarray gene expression on CD mouse brain showed glutamate transporter-EAAT4 and gamma-aminobutyric acid-A receptor, subunit alpha6 (GABRA6) were lower 9.7- and 119.1-fold, respectively. Serine proteinase inhibitor 2 (Spi2) was 29.9-fold higher in the CD mouse brain compared to the wild type. The decrease of GABRA6 and high expression of Spi2 in CD mouse brain were also confirmed by real-time RT-PCR. This first report showing abnormal expression of EAAT4, GABRA6, Spi2 combined with lower levels of glutamate and GABA are likely to be associated with the pathophysiology of CD.
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PMID:Expression of glutamate transporter, GABRA6, serine proteinase inhibitor 2 and low levels of glutamate and GABA in the brain of knock-out mouse for Canavan disease. 1290 86

Canavan disease (CD) is an autosomal recessive disorder caused by aspartoacylase deficiency leading to accumulation of N-acetylaspartic acid and spongy degeneration of the brain. The mouse model for CD showed low levels of glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the brain. Whether the low levels of glutamate and GABA observed in the CD mouse brain lead to abnormal production of glutamate-GABA associated enzymes and resulting succinate production is not obvious. While glutamate dehydrogenase and alpha-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase complex activities are lower in the cerebellum and brain stem of the CD mouse, alanine aminotransferase and succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) activities and succinate level are similar to the levels observed in the wild type. Deficiency of SSADH has been suggested to be associated with mental retardation and hypotonia, similar to the clinical features of CD. The normal SSADH activity in the CD mouse brain suggests that mental retardation and hypotonia seen in the CD mouse is not due to SSADH activity and if documented also in patients with CD.
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PMID:Mental retardation and hypotonia seen in the knock out mouse for Canavan disease is not due to succinate semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency. 1501 27

Pyridoxine-dependent seizures are an extremely rare genetic disorder. Early diagnosis and treatment are important for the prevention of permanent brain damage. Elevated levels of glutamate and decreased levels of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the frontal and parietal cortices are among the characteristic features of this disorder. These metabolic abnormalities eventually lead to seizures and neuronal loss. In this case report, we present magnetic resonance spectroscopy findings of a 9-year-old girl with pyridoxine-dependent seizures with mental retardation. The N-acetylaspartate-to-creatine ratio was found to be decreased in the frontal and parieto-occipital cortices, which could indicate neuronal loss. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy could be a useful tool in the neuroimaging evaluation for assessment of parenchymal changes despite a normal-appearing brain magnetic resonance image in patients with pyridoxine-dependent seizures.
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PMID:Pyridoxine-dependent seizures: magnetic resonance spectroscopy findings. 1503 92

Cortical malformations are a collection of disorders affecting brain development. Mutations in the LIS1 gene lead to a disorganized and smooth cerebral cortex caused by failure in neuronal migration. Among the clinical consequences of lissencephaly are mental retardation and intractable epilepsy. It remains unclear whether the seizures result from aberrant neuronal placement, disruption of intrinsic properties of neurons, or both. The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans offers an opportunity to study such convulsions in a simple animal with a defined nervous system. Here we show that convulsions mimicking epilepsy can be induced by a mutation in a C. elegans lis-1 allele (pnm-1), in combination with a chemical antagonist of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) neurotransmitter signaling. Identical convulsions were obtained using C. elegans mutants defective in GABA transmission, whereas none of these mutants or the antagonist alone caused convulsions, indicating a threshold was exceeded in response to this combination. Crosses between pnm-1 and fluorescent marker strains designed to exclusively illuminate either the processes of GABAergic neurons or synaptic vesicles surprisingly showed no deviations in neuronal architecture. Instead, presynaptic defects in GABAergic vesicle distribution were clearly evident and could be phenocopied by RNAi directed against cytoplasmic dynein, a known LIS1 interactor. Furthermore, mutations in UNC-104, a neuronal-specific kinesin, and SNB-1, a synaptic vesicle-associated protein termed synaptobrevin, exhibit similar convulsion phenotypes following chemical induction. Taken together, these studies establish C. elegans as a system to investigate subtle cytoskeletal mechanisms regulating intrinsic neuronal activity and suggest that it may be possible to dissociate the epileptic consequences of lissencephaly from the more phenotypically overt cortical defects associated with neuronal migration.
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PMID:Epileptic-like convulsions associated with LIS-1 in the cytoskeletal control of neurotransmitter signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans. 1525 12

Mutations in the human ARX gene show unusually heterogeneous clinical presentations, including syndromic and nonsyndromic mental retardation, myoclonic epilepsy with spasticity, and lissencephaly with abnormal genitalia, that are believed to arise from an impairment of the embryonic mechanisms building the anterior central nervous system structures. Here, we show that the murine ortholog Arx has a highly dynamic expression pattern during both early shaping of the forebrain vesicle and later major events of neural migrations and cell-type specification. Early on, the Arx gene is specifically activated in anterior forebrain anlage. Afterward, Arx expression is confined to the telencephalic vesicles and is enhanced during differentiation of the subpallial structures of the ganglionic eminences, overlapping with Dlx2, Dlx5, and Gad1 transcriptional domains. Tangentially migrating neurons reaching the cortical plate are also Arx-positive at all embryonic stages analyzed. RNA-protein colabeling staining shows that Arx expression is maintained in the mature cortical interneurons, suggesting its involvement in the different functions of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic neurons settled into the adult cerebral cortex. Finally, Arx expression is detected in the anterior subventricular layer of the adult brain, where neural stem cells have been shown to be located. Of interest, Arx expression is highly up-regulated during in vitro differentiation of pure neural stem cell cultures retrieved from adult brain. All together, these findings suggest Arx as a gene involved in the commitment of proliferating neuroblasts into a GABAergic neuronal fate. In conclusion, our mouse Arx expression data provide important further insights into the puzzling complexity of the human ARX mutation pleiotropy.
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PMID:Mouse orthologue of ARX, a gene mutated in several X-linked forms of mental retardation and epilepsy, is a marker of adult neural stem cells and forebrain GABAergic neurons. 1537 19

X-linked lissencephaly with abnormal genitalia is the first human disorder in which deficient tangential migration in the brain has been demonstrated. Male patients with X-linked lissencephaly with abnormal genitalia show intractable seizures, especially clonic convulsions or myoclonus from the first day of life, but neither infantile spasms nor hypsarrhythmia on electroencephalograms so far. Brain magnetic resonance imaging shows anterior pachygyria and posterior agyria with a mildly thick cortex, agenesis of the corpus callosum, and dysplastic basal ganglia. ARX, a paired-class homeobox gene with four polyalanine sequences, is a responsible gene for X-linked lissencephaly with abnormal genitalia. The brain of Arx knockout mice shows aberrant tangential migration and differentiation of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic interneurons. In human X-linked lissencephaly with abnormal genitalia, a neuropathologic study has suggested a loss of interneurons. Meanwhile, polyalanine expansion of ARX causes symptomatic or nonsymptomatic West's syndrome and nonsyndromic mental retardation. The striking epileptogenicity of X-linked lissencephaly with abnormal genitalia and West's syndrome associated with ARX mutations i s considered to be caused by a disorder of interneurons involving a tangentialmigration disorder. We propose "interneuronopathy" as a term for this.
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PMID:X-linked lissencephaly with abnormal genitalia as a tangential migration disorder causing intractable epilepsy: proposal for a new term, "interneuronopathy". 1592 Dec 44

Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) is a common hereditary disorder caused by mutations in either the TSC1 or TSC2 genes, and characterized by severe epilepsy, cerebral hamartomas and mental retardation. We have used rats that are heterozygous for an autosomal-dominant germline mutation in the TSC2 gene (TSC2+/- rats) to examine the consequences of TSC2 mutations for hippocampal synaptic plasticity. While basal synaptic transmission in the Schaffer collateral-CA1 synapse was not altered, paired-pulse plasticity was significantly enhanced in TSC2+/- rats (interpulse intervals 20-200 ms). Moreover, TSC2+/- rats exhibited a marked reduction of different forms of synaptic plasticity. Long-term potentiation (LTP) elicited following high-frequency tetanization of Schaffer collaterals was significantly decreased from 1.45 +/- 0.05-fold potentiation to 1.15 +/- 0.04 (measured after 60 min). This difference in LTP levels between TSC2+/- and wild-type rats also persisted in the presence of the gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)(A) receptor antagonist bicuculline. In addition to changed LTP, the level of long-term depression (LTD) elicited by different forms of low-frequency stimulation was significantly less in TSC2+/- rats. These results suggest that TSC2 mutations may cause hippocampal synapses to lose much of their potential for activity-dependent synaptic modification. An understanding of the underlying molecular pathways may suggest new therapeutic approaches aimed at inhibiting the development of the profound mental retardation in TSC.
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PMID:Impaired synaptic plasticity in a rat model of tuberous sclerosis. 1726 62

We describe the clinical course, as well as cytogenetic and molecular findings, of a 3-year-old obese boy with psychomotor retardation who exhibited two rare conditions: succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency (SSADH deficiency, MIM 271980), a disorder of gamma-aminobutyric acid metabolism with a heterogeneous clinical spectrum, and partial Wilms' tumor, aniridia, genital abnormalities, and mental retardation (WAGR) syndrome, an association between Wilms' tumor, aniridia, genitourinary malformations, and mental retardation due to mutations involving the short arm of chromosome 11, particularly deletions at the chromosomal region 11p13 (MIM 194072). Diagnosis of SSADH deficiency in our patient was established by demonstration of absent enzyme activity in isolated leucocytes, and was associated with a novel missense mutation (c.587G>A; p.Gly196Asp) in the SSADH coding sequence. We further confirmed an incomplete WAGR syndrome in this boy [karyotype 46, XY, del (11) (p13p14.2)] with a normal WT1 (Wilms' tumor) gene and an absence of pathology in the genitourinary tract, but with obesity (WAGR syndrome with obesity, WAGRO syndrome). The patient also exhibited distinctive cerebral anomalies such as increased signals of the globi pallidi, internal hydrocephalus and cerebellar vermian atrophy. However, treatment options for this patient are limited, including supportive treatment, physiotherapy, special educational training, and vigabatrin. In summary, we report the first patient with the exceptional rare findings of both SSADH deficiency and partial WAGR/WAGRO syndrome.
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PMID:Clinical, cytogenetic and molecular characterization of a patient with combined succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency and incomplete WAGR syndrome with obesity. 1654 79

The succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase (SSADH) null mouse (SSADH(-/-)) represents a viable animal model for human SSADH deficiency and is characterized by markedly elevated levels of both gamma-hydroxybutyric acid (GHB) and gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in brain, blood, and urine. In physiological concentrations, GHB acts at the GHB receptor (GHBR), but in high concentrations such as those observed in the brains of children with SSADH deficiency, GHB is thought to be a direct agonist at the GABABR receptor (GABABR). We tested the hypothesis that both GHBR and GABABR-mediated function are perturbed in SSADH deficiency. Therefore, we examined the high affinity binding site for GHB as well as the expression and function of the GABABR in mutant mice made deficient in SSADH (SSADH(-/-)). There was a significant decrease in binding of the specific GABABR antagonist, [3H]CGP-54626A at postnatal day (PN)7 and PN14 in SSADH(-/-) when compared to wild type control animals (SSADH(+/+)), particularly in hippocampus. GABABR-mediated synaptic potentials were decreased in SSADH(-/-). Immunoblot analysis of GABABR1a, R1b, and R2 in SSADH(-/-) indicated a trend towards a region-specific and time-dependent decrease of GABABR subunit protein expression. There was no difference between SSADH(-/-) and wild type in binding of either [3H]GHB or a specific GHBR antagonist to the GHBR. These data suggest that the elevated levels of GABA and GHB that occur in SSADH(-/-) lead to a use-dependent decrease in GABABR-mediated function and raise the possibility that this GHB- and GABA-induced perturbation of GABABR could play a role in the pathogenesis of the seizures and mental retardation observed in SSADH deficiency.
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PMID:Succinic semialdehyde dehydrogenase deficiency: GABAB receptor-mediated function. 1664 90

The 1p36 deletion syndrome is caused by submicroscopic deletion in the subtelomeric region of chromosome 1. Epilepsy is one of the most important features of the syndrome, in addition to the characteristic facial appearance, cardiac anomaly, dysphagia, deafness, mental retardation and growth delay. We identified three patients with this syndrome and assessed the features of complicated epilepsy. In all cases, epilepsy developed during infancy. The seizure types were mainly focal seizure and multiple seizure types including tonic seizure and tonic-clonic seizure. Interictal electroencephalogram showed focal abnormalities. Noticeably, two developed epileptic spasms and hypsarrhythmia in electroencephalogram, just after the administration of carbamazepine (CBZ). Including cases showing epileptic spasms, their epilepsy was easily tractable with anti-epileptic drugs, which could be withdrawn as they aged. All had deleted potassium channel beta subunit (KCNAB2) and gamma-aminobutyric acid A receptor delta (GABRD). CBZ may aggravate various epileptic syndromes, especially, those caused by GABA-A receptor gene mutation. Our cases may suggest the novel correspondence of GABA-A receptor-related epilepsy syndrome and exacerbation of epilepsy triggered by CBZ.
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PMID:[Effect of carbamazepine on epilepsy with 1p36 deletion syndrome]. 1763 87


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