Singh Jatinder, Wilkins Georgina, Goodman-Vincent Ella, Chishti Samiya, Bonilla Guerrero Ruben, Fiori Federico, Ameenpur Shashidhar, McFadden Leighton, Zahavi Zvi, Santosh Paramala
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London SE5 8AF, UK.
Centre for Interventional Paediatric Psychopharmacology and Rare Diseases (CIPPRD), South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London SE5 8AZ, UK.
Curr Issues Mol Biol. 2024 Aug 2;46(8):8424-8440. doi: 10.3390/cimb46080497.
Rett syndrome (RTT) is a paediatric neurodevelopmental disorder spanning four developmental stages. This multi-system disorder offers a unique window to explore genotype-phenotype relationships in a disease model. However, genetic prognosticators of RTT have limited clinical value due to the disorder's heterogeneity on multiple levels. This case report used a precision medicine approach to better understand the clinical phenotype of RTT twins with an identical pathogenic mutation and discordant neurodevelopmental profiles. Targeted genotyping, objective physiological monitoring of heart rate variability (HRV) parameters, and clinical severity were assessed in a RTT twin pair (5 years 7 months old) with an identical pathogenic mutation. Longitudinal assessment of autonomic HRV parameters was conducted using the Empatica E4 wristband device, and clinical severity was assessed using the RTT-anchored Clinical Global Impression Scale (RTT-CGI) and the Multi-System Profile of Symptoms Scale (MPSS). Genotype data revealed impaired BDNF function for twin A when compared to twin B. Twin A also had poorer autonomic health than twin B, as indicated by lower autonomic metrics (autonomic inflexibility). Hospitalisation, RTT-CGI-S, and MPSS subscale scores were used as measures of clinical severity, and these were worse in twin A. Treatment using buspirone shifted twin A from an inflexible to a flexible autonomic profile. This was mirrored in the MPSS scores, which showed a reduction in autonomic and cardiac symptoms following buspirone treatment. Our findings showed that a combination of a co-occurring polymorphism, and worse autonomic and clinical profiles led to a poorer prognosis for twin A compared to twin B. Buspirone was able to shift a rigid autonomic profile to a more flexible one for twin A and thereby prevent cardiac and autonomic symptoms from worsening. The clinical profile for twin A represents a departure from the disorder trajectory typically observed in RTT and underscores the importance of wider genotype profiling and longitudinal objective physiological monitoring alongside measures of clinical symptoms and severity when assessing genotype-phenotype relationships in RTT patients with identical pathogenic mutations. A precision medicine approach that assesses genetic and physiological risk factors can be extended to other neurodevelopmental disorders to monitor risk when genotype-phenotype relationships are not so obvious.
雷特综合征(RTT)是一种跨越四个发育阶段的儿科神经发育障碍。这种多系统疾病为在疾病模型中探索基因型-表型关系提供了一个独特的窗口。然而,由于该疾病在多个层面的异质性,RTT的遗传预后指标临床价值有限。本病例报告采用精准医学方法,以更好地了解具有相同致病突变但神经发育特征不一致的RTT双胞胎的临床表型。对一对患有相同致病突变的RTT双胞胎(5岁7个月)进行了靶向基因分型、心率变异性(HRV)参数的客观生理监测以及临床严重程度评估。使用Empatica E4腕带设备对自主神经HRV参数进行纵向评估,并使用基于RTT的临床总体印象量表(RTT-CGI)和多系统症状量表(MPSS)评估临床严重程度。基因型数据显示,与双胞胎B相比,双胞胎A的脑源性神经营养因子(BDNF)功能受损。双胞胎A的自主神经健康状况也比双胞胎B差,自主神经指标较低(自主神经灵活性差)表明了这一点。住院情况、RTT-CGI-S和MPSS子量表得分被用作临床严重程度的衡量指标,双胞胎A的这些指标更差。使用丁螺环酮治疗使双胞胎A从僵化的自主神经状态转变为灵活的自主神经状态。MPSS得分也反映了这一点,该得分显示丁螺环酮治疗后自主神经和心脏症状有所减轻。我们的研究结果表明,与双胞胎B相比,共存的多态性、较差的自主神经和临床特征导致双胞胎A的预后更差。丁螺环酮能够使双胞胎A从僵化的自主神经状态转变为更灵活的状态,从而防止心脏和自主神经症状恶化。双胞胎A的临床特征与RTT中通常观察到的疾病轨迹不同,强调了在评估具有相同致病突变的RTT患者的基因型-表型关系时,除了临床症状和严重程度的测量外,更广泛的基因型分析和纵向客观生理监测的重要性。一种评估遗传和生理风险因素的精准医学方法可以扩展到其他神经发育障碍,以便在基因型-表型关系不那么明显时监测风险。