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- Bethlehem, RAI, et al.
(author)
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Brain charts for the human lifespan
- 2022
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In: Nature. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 1476-4687 .- 0028-0836. ; 604:79057906, s. 525-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Over the past few decades, neuroimaging has become a ubiquitous tool in basic research and clinical studies of the human brain. However, no reference standards currently exist to quantify individual differences in neuroimaging metrics over time, in contrast to growth charts for anthropometric traits such as height and weight1. Here we assemble an interactive open resource to benchmark brain morphology derived from any current or future sample of MRI data (http://www.brainchart.io/). With the goal of basing these reference charts on the largest and most inclusive dataset available, acknowledging limitations due to known biases of MRI studies relative to the diversity of the global population, we aggregated 123,984 MRI scans, across more than 100 primary studies, from 101,457 human participants between 115 days post-conception to 100 years of age. MRI metrics were quantified by centile scores, relative to non-linear trajectories2 of brain structural changes, and rates of change, over the lifespan. Brain charts identified previously unreported neurodevelopmental milestones3, showed high stability of individuals across longitudinal assessments, and demonstrated robustness to technical and methodological differences between primary studies. Centile scores showed increased heritability compared with non-centiled MRI phenotypes, and provided a standardized measure of atypical brain structure that revealed patterns of neuroanatomical variation across neurological and psychiatric disorders. In summary, brain charts are an essential step towards robust quantification of individual variation benchmarked to normative trajectories in multiple, commonly used neuroimaging phenotypes.
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| 6. |
- Pagnamenta, A. T., et al.
(author)
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An ancestral 10-bp repeat expansion in VWA1 causes recessive hereditary motor neuropathy
- 2021
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In: Brain : a journal of neurology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 0006-8950 .- 1460-2156. ; 144, s. 584-600
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The extracellular matrix comprises a network of macromolecules such as collagens, proteoglycans and glycoproteins. VWA1 (von Willebrand factor A domain containing 1) encodes a component of the extracellular matrix that interacts with perlecan/collagen VI, appears to be involved in stabilizing extracellular matrix structures, and demonstrates high expression levels in tibial nerve. Vwa1-deficient mice manifest with abnormal peripheral nerve structure/function; however, VWA1 variants have not previously been associated with human disease. By interrogating the genome sequences of 74 180 individuals from the 100K Genomes Project in combination with international gene-matching efforts and targeted sequencing, we identified 17 individuals from 15 families with an autosomal-recessive, non-length dependent, hereditary motor neuropathy and rare biallelic variants in VWA1. A single disease-associated allele p.(G25Rfs*74), a 10-bp repeat expansion, was observed in 14/15 families and was homozygous in 10/15. Given an allele frequency in European populations approaching 1/1000, the seven unrelated homozygote individuals ascertained from the 100K Genomes Project represents a substantial enrichment above expected. Haplotype analysis identified a shared 220 kb region suggesting that this founder mutation arose 47000 years ago. A wide age-range of patients (6-83 years) helped delineate the clinical phenotype over time. The commonest disease presentation in the cohort was an early-onset (mean 2.0 +/- 1.4 years) non-length-dependent axonal hereditary motor neuropathy, confirmed on electrophysiology, which will have to be differentiated from other predominantly or pure motor neuropathies and neuronopathies. Because of slow disease progression, ambulation was largely preserved. Neurophysiology, muscle histopathology, and muscle MRI findings typically revealed clear neurogenic changes with single isolated cases displaying additional myopathic process. We speculate that a few findings of myopathic changes might be secondary to chronic denervation rather than indicating an additional myopathic disease process. Duplex reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunoblotting using patient fibroblasts revealed that the founder allele results in partial nonsense mediated decay and an absence of detectable protein. CRISPR and morpholino vwa1 modelling in zebrafish demonstrated reductions in motor neuron axonal growth, synaptic formation in the skeletal muscles and locomotive behaviour. In summary, we estimate that biallelic variants in VWA1 may be responsible for up to 1% of unexplained hereditary motor neuropathy cases in Europeans. The detailed clinical characterization provided here will facilitate targeted testing on suitable patient cohorts. This novel disease gene may have previously evaded detection because of high GC content, consequential low coverage and computational difficulties associated with robustly detecting repeat-expansions. Reviewing previously unsolved exomes using lower QC filters may generate further diagnoses.
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| 7. |
- de Zwarte, Sonja M. C., et al.
(author)
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The association between familial risk and brain abnormalities is disease specific : an ENIGMA-relatives study of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder
- 2019
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In: Biological Psychiatry. - : Elsevier. - 0006-3223 .- 1873-2402. ; 86:7, s. 545-556
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia and bipolar disorder share genetic liability, and some structural brain abnormalities are common to both conditions. First-degree relatives of patients with schizophrenia (FDRs-SZ) show similar brain abnormalities to patients, albeit with smaller effect sizes. Imaging findings in first-degree relatives of patients with bipolar disorder (FDRs-BD) have been inconsistent in the past, but recent studies report regionally greater volumes compared with control subjects.METHODS: We performed a meta-analysis of global and subcortical brain measures of 6008 individuals (1228 FDRs-SZ, 852 FDRs-BD, 2246 control subjects, 1016 patients with schizophrenia, 666 patients with bipolar disorder) from 34 schizophrenia and/or bipolar disorder family cohorts with standardized methods. Analyses were repeated with a correction for intracranial volume (ICV) and for the presence of any psychopathology in the relatives and control subjects.RESULTS: FDRs-BD had significantly larger ICV (d = +0.16, q < .05 corrected), whereas FDRs-SZ showed smaller thalamic volumes than control subjects (d = -0.12, q < .05 corrected). ICV explained the enlargements in the brain measures in FDRs-BD. In FDRs-SZ, after correction for ICV, total brain, cortical gray matter, cerebral white matter, cerebellar gray and white matter, and thalamus volumes were significantly smaller; the cortex was thinner (d < -0.09, q < .05 corrected); and third ventricle was larger (d = +0.15, q < .05 corrected). The findings were not explained by psychopathology in the relatives or control subjects.CONCLUSIONS: Despite shared genetic liability, FDRs-SZ and FDRs-BD show a differential pattern of structural brain abnormalities, specifically a divergent effect in ICV. This may imply that the neurodevelopmental trajectories leading to brain anomalies in schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are distinct.
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| 8. |
- de Zwarte, Sonja M. C., et al.
(author)
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Intelligence, educational attainment, and brain structure in those at familial high-risk for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder
- 2022
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In: Human Brain Mapping. - : John Wiley & Sons. - 1065-9471 .- 1097-0193. ; 43:1, s. 414-430
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- First-degree relatives of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia (SZ-FDRs) show similar patterns of brain abnormalities and cognitive alterations to patients, albeit with smaller effect sizes. First-degree relatives of patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BD-FDRs) show divergent patterns; on average, intracranial volume is larger compared to controls, and findings on cognitive alterations in BD-FDRs are inconsistent. Here, we performed a meta-analysis of global and regional brain measures (cortical and subcortical), current IQ, and educational attainment in 5,795 individuals (1,103 SZ-FDRs, 867 BD-FDRs, 2,190 controls, 942 schizophrenia patients, 693 bipolar patients) from 36 schizophrenia and/or bipolar disorder family cohorts, with standardized methods. Compared to controls, SZ-FDRs showed a pattern of widespread thinner cortex, while BD-FDRs had widespread larger cortical surface area. IQ was lower in SZ-FDRs (d = -0.42, p = 3 × 10-5 ), with weak evidence of IQ reductions among BD-FDRs (d = -0.23, p = .045). Both relative groups had similar educational attainment compared to controls. When adjusting for IQ or educational attainment, the group-effects on brain measures changed, albeit modestly. Changes were in the expected direction, with less pronounced brain abnormalities in SZ-FDRs and more pronounced effects in BD-FDRs. To conclude, SZ-FDRs and BD-FDRs show a differential pattern of structural brain abnormalities. In contrast, both had lower IQ scores and similar school achievements compared to controls. Given that brain differences between SZ-FDRs and BD-FDRs remain after adjusting for IQ or educational attainment, we suggest that differential brain developmental processes underlying predisposition for schizophrenia or bipolar disorder are likely independent of general cognitive impairment.
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- Mingardo, E, et al.
(author)
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A genome-wide association study with tissue transcriptomics identifies genetic drivers for classic bladder exstrophy
- 2022
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In: Communications biology. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 2399-3642. ; 5:1, s. 1203-
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Classic bladder exstrophy represents the most severe end of all human congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract and is associated with bladder cancer susceptibility. Previous genetic studies identified one locus to be involved in classic bladder exstrophy, but were limited to a restrict number of cohort. Here we show the largest classic bladder exstrophy genome-wide association analysis to date where we identify eight genome-wide significant loci, seven of which are novel. In these regions reside ten coding and four non-coding genes. Among the coding genes is EFNA1, strongly expressed in mouse embryonic genital tubercle, urethra, and primitive bladder. Re-sequence of EFNA1 in the investigated classic bladder exstrophy cohort of our study displays an enrichment of rare protein altering variants. We show that all coding genes are expressed and/or significantly regulated in both mouse and human embryonic developmental bladder stages. Furthermore, nine of the coding genes residing in the regions of genome-wide significance are differentially expressed in bladder cancers. Our data suggest genetic drivers for classic bladder exstrophy, as well as a possible role for these drivers to relevant bladder cancer susceptibility.
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| 13. |
- Terhal, Paulien A., et al.
(author)
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A Study of the Clinical and Radiological Features in a Cohort of 93 Patients with a COL2A1 Mutation Causing Spondyloepiphyseal Dysplasia Congenita or a Related Phenotype
- 2015
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In: American Journal of Medical Genetics. Part A. - : Wiley. - 1552-4825 .- 1552-4833. ; 167A:3, s. 461-475
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Type 2 collagen disorders encompass a diverse group of skeletal dysplasias that are commonly associated with orthopedic, ocular, and hearing problems. However, the frequency of many clinical features has never been determined. We retrospectively investigated the clinical, radiological, and genotypic data in a group of 93 patients with molecularly confirmed SEDC or a related disorder. The majority of the patients (80/93) had short stature, with radiological features of SEDC (n=64), others having SEMD (n=5), Kniest dysplasia (n=7), spondyloperipheral dysplasia (n=2), or Torrance-like dysplasia (n=2). The remaining 13 patients had normal stature with mild SED, Stickler-like syndrome or multiple epiphyseal dysplasia. Over 50% of the patients had undergone orthopedic surgery, usually for scoliosis, femoral osteotomy or hip replacement. Odontoid hypoplasia was present in 56% (95% CI 38-74) and a correlation between odontoid hypoplasia and short stature was observed. Atlanto-axial instability, was observed in 5 of the 18 patients (28%, 95% CI 10-54) in whom flexion-extension films of the cervical spine were available; however, it was rarely accompanied by myelopathy. Myopia was found in 45% (95% CI 35-56), and retinal detachment had occurred in 12% (95% CI 6-21; median age 14 years; youngest age 3.5 years). Thirty-two patients complained of hearing loss (37%, 95% CI 27-48) of whom 17 required hearing aids. The ophthalmological features and possibly also hearing loss are often relatively frequent and severe in patients with splicing mutations. Based on clinical findings, age at onset and genotype-phenotype correlations in this cohort, we propose guidelines for the management and follow-up in this group of disorders.
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| 16. |
- Fanjul, María, et al.
(author)
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Tethered cord in patients affected by anorectal malformations : a survey from the ARM-Net Consortium
- 2017
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In: Pediatric Surgery International. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0179-0358 .- 1437-9813. ; 33:8, s. 849-854
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Purpose: The goal of this study was to determine the degree of consensus in the management of spinal cord tethering (TC) in patients with anorectal malformation (ARM) in a large cohort of European pediatric centers. Methods: A survey was sent to pediatric surgeons (one per center) members of the ARM-Net Consortium. Results: Twenty-four (86%) from ten different countries completed the survey. Overall prevalence of TC was: 21% unknown, 46% below 15, and 29% between 15 and 30%. Ninety-six agreed on screening all patients for TC regardless the type of ARM and 79% start screening at birth. Responses varied in TC definition and diagnostic tools. Fifty percent of respondents prefer ultrasound (US), 21% indicate either US or magnetic resonance (MRI) based on a pre-defined risk of presenting TC, and 21% perform both. Discrepancy exists in complementary test: 82% carry out urodynamic studies (UDS) and only 37% perform somatosensory-evoked potentials (SSEP). Prophylactic untethering is performed in only two centers (8%). Conclusions: Survey results support TC screening in all patients with ARM and conservative management of TC. There is discrepancy in the definition of TC, screening tools, and complementary test. Protocols should be developed to avoid such variability in management.
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| 18. |
- Galosi, Serena, et al.
(author)
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De novo DHDDS variants cause a neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorder with myoclonus
- 2022
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In: Brain : a journal of neurology. - : Oxford University Press (OUP). - 1460-2156. ; 145:1, s. 208-223
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Subcellular membrane systems are highly enriched in dolichol, whose role in organelle homeostasis and endosomal-lysosomal pathway remains largely unclear besides being involved in protein glycosylation. DHDDS encodes for the catalytic subunit (DHDDS) of the enzyme cis-prenyltransferase (cis-PTase), involved in dolichol biosynthesis and dolichol-dependent protein glycosylation in the endoplasmic reticulum. An autosomal recessive form of retinitis pigmentosa (retinitis pigmentosa 59) has been associated with a recurrent DHDDS variant. Moreover, two recurring de novo substitutions were detected in a few cases presenting with neurodevelopmental disorder, epilepsy, and movement disorder. We evaluated a large cohort of patients (n=25) with de novo pathogenic variants in DHDDS and provided the first systematic description of the clinical features and long-term outcome of this new neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative disorder. The functional impact of the identified variants was explored by yeast complementation system and enzymatic assay. Patients presented during infancy or childhood with a variable association of neurodevelopmental disorder, generalized epilepsy, action myoclonus/cortical tremor, and ataxia. Later in the disease course they experienced a slow neurological decline with the emergence of hyperkinetic and/or hypokinetic movement disorder, cognitive deterioration, and psychiatric disturbances. Storage of lipidic material and altered lysosomes were detected in myelinated fibers and fibroblasts, suggesting a dysfunction of the lysosomal enzymatic scavenger machinery. Serum glycoprotein hypoglycosylation was not detected and, in contrast to retinitis pigmentosa and other congenital disorders of glycosylation involving dolichol metabolism, the urinary dolichol D18/D19 ratio was normal. Mapping the disease-causing variants into the protein structure revealed that most of them clustered around the active site of the DHDDS subunit. Functional studies using yeast complementation assay and in vitro activity measurements confirmed that these changes affected the catalytic activity of the cis-PTase and showed growth defect in yeast complementation system as compared with the wild-type enzyme and retinitis pigmentosa-associated protein. In conclusion, we characterized a distinctive neurodegenerative disorder due to de novo DHDDS variants, which clinically belongs to the spectrum of genetic progressive encephalopathies with myoclonus. Clinical and biochemical data from this cohort depicted a condition at the intersection of congenital disorders of glycosylation and inherited storage diseases with several features akin to of progressive myoclonus epilepsy such as neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis and other lysosomal disorders.
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| 19. |
- Hageman, Isabel C., et al.
(author)
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A Quality Assessment of the ARM-Net Registry Design and Data Collection
- 2023
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In: Journal of Pediatric Surgery. - : Elsevier BV. - 0022-3468. ; 58:10, s. 1921-1928
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background: Registries are important in rare disease research. The Anorectal Malformation Network (ARM-Net) registry is a well-established European patient registry collecting demographic, clinical, and functional outcome data. We assessed the quality of this registry through review of the structure, data elements, collected data, and user experience. Material and methods: Design and data elements were assessed for completeness, consistency, usefulness, accuracy, validity, and comparability. An intra- and inter-user variability study was conducted through monitoring and re-registration of patients. User experience was assessed via a questionnaire on registration, design of registry, and satisfaction. Results: We evaluated 119 data elements, of which 107 were utilized and comprised 42 string and 65 numeric elements. A minority (37.0%) of the 2278 included records had complete data, though this improved to 83.5% when follow-up elements were excluded. Intra-observer variability demonstrated 11.7% incongruence, while inter-observer variability was 14.7%. Users were predominantly pediatric surgeons and typically registered patients within 11–30 min. Users did not experience any significant difficulties with data entry and were generally satisfied with the registry, but preferred more longitudinal data and patient-reported outcomes. Conclusions: The ARM-Net registry presents one of the largest ARM cohorts. Although its collected data are valuable, they are susceptible to error and user variability. Continuous evaluations are required to maintain relevant and high-quality data and to achieve long-term sustainability. With the recommendations resulting from this study, we call for rare disease patient registries to take example and aim to continuously improve their data quality to enhance the small, but impactful, field of rare disease research. Level of Evidence: V.
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| 21. |
- Rieke, Johanna Magdalena, et al.
(author)
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SLC20A1Is Involved in Urinary Tract and Urorectal Development
- 2020
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In: Frontiers in Cell and Developmental Biology. - : FRONTIERS MEDIA SA. - 2296-634X. ; 8
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Previous studies in developingXenopusand zebrafish reported that the phosphate transporterslc20a1ais expressed in pronephric kidneys. The recent identification ofSLC20A1as a monoallelic candidate gene for cloacal exstrophy further suggests its involvement in the urinary tract and urorectal development. However, little is known of the functional role ofSLC20A1in urinary tract development. Here, we investigated this using morpholino oligonucleotide knockdown of the zebrafish orthologslc20a1a. This caused kidney cysts and malformations of the cloaca. Moreover, in morphants we demonstrated dysfunctional voiding and hindgut opening defects mimicking imperforate anus in human cloacal exstrophy. Furthermore, we performed immunohistochemistry of an unaffected 6-week-old human embryo and detectedSLC20A1in the urinary tract and the abdominal midline, structures implicated in the pathogenesis of cloacal exstrophy. Additionally, we resequencedSLC20A1in 690 individuals with bladder exstrophy-epispadias complex (BEEC) including 84 individuals with cloacal exstrophy. We identified two additional monoallelicde novovariants. One was identified in a case-parent trio with classic bladder exstrophy, and one additional novelde novovariant was detected in an affected mother who transmitted this variant to her affected son. To study the potential cellular impact ofSLC20A1variants, we expressed them in HEK293 cells. Here, phosphate transport was not compromised, suggesting that it is not a disease mechanism. However, there was a tendency for lower levels of cleaved caspase-3, perhaps implicating apoptosis pathways in the disease. Our results suggestSLC20A1is involved in urinary tract and urorectal development and implicateSLC20A1as a disease-gene for BEEC.
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| 22. |
- Wincent, J, et al.
(author)
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Sixteen New Cases Contributing to the Characterization of Patients with Distal 22q11.2 Microduplications
- 2010
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In: Molecular syndromology. - : S. Karger AG. - 1661-8769 .- 1661-8777. ; 1:5, s. 246-254
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The chromosome region 22q11.2 has long been recognized to be susceptible to genomic rearrangement. More recently, this genomic instability has been shown to extend distally (involving LCR22E–H) to the commonly deleted/duplicated region. To date, 21 index cases with ‘distal’ 22q11.2 duplications have been reported. We report on the clinical and molecular characterization of 16 individuals with distal 22q11.2 duplications identified by DNA microarray analysis. Two of the individuals have been partly described previously. The clinical phenotype varied among the patients in this study, although the majority displayed various degrees of developmental delay and speech disturbances. Other clinical features included behavioral problems, hypotonia, and dysmorphic facial features. Notably, none of the patients was diagnosed with a congenital heart defect. We found a high degree of inherited duplications. Additional copy number changes of unclear clinical significance were identified in 5 of our patients, and it is possible that these may contribute to the phenotypic expression in these patients as has been suggested recently in a 2-hit ‘digenic’ model for 16p12.1 deletions. The varied phenotypic expression and incomplete penetrance observed for distal 22q11.2 duplications makes it exceedingly difficult to ascribe pathogenicity for these duplications. Given the observed enrichment of the duplication in patient samples versus healthy controls, it is likely that distal 22q11.2 duplications represent a susceptibility/risk locus for speech and mild developmental delay.
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