Periodic breathing in patients with NALCN mutations

J Hum Genet. 2018 Oct;63(10):1093-1096. doi: 10.1038/s10038-018-0484-1. Epub 2018 Jul 3.

Abstract

Biallelic mutations in NALCN are responsible for infantile hypotonia with psychomotor retardation and characteristic facies 1 (IHPRF1). Common features of this condition include severe neonatal-onset hypotonia and profound global developmental delay. Given the rarity of this condition, long-term natural history studies are limited. Here, we present a 9-year-old male with a homozygous nonsense mutation in NALCN (c.3910C>T, p.Arg1304X) leading to profound intellectual disability, seizures, feeding difficulties, and significant periodic breathing. Breathing irregularity was also reported in three previous patients; similar to our patient, those children demonstrated periodic breathing that was characterized by alternating apneic periods with deep, rapid breathing. As the phenotype associated with NALCN mutations continues to be delineated, attention should be given to abnormal respiratory patterns, which may be an important distinguishing feature of this condition.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Child
  • Codon, Nonsense*
  • Homozygote*
  • Humans
  • Intellectual Disability / genetics*
  • Intellectual Disability / physiopathology
  • Ion Channels
  • Male
  • Membrane Proteins
  • Muscle Hypotonia / genetics*
  • Muscle Hypotonia / physiopathology
  • Respiratory Mechanics / genetics*
  • Seizures / genetics*
  • Seizures / physiopathology
  • Sodium Channels / genetics*

Substances

  • Codon, Nonsense
  • Ion Channels
  • Membrane Proteins
  • NALCN protein, human
  • Sodium Channels