Thrombocytopenia-absent radius (TAR) syndrome: a clinical genetic series of 14 further cases. impact of the associated 1q21.1 deletion on the genetic counselling.

Thrombocytopenia-absent radius Syndrome (TAR) is a rare congenital malformation syndrome of complicated transmission. 1q21.1 deletion is necessary but not sufficient for its expression. We report the result of a French multicentric clinical study, and we emphasized on the role of the associated 1q21.1 deletion in the diagnosis and the genetic counselling of our patients. We gathered information on 14 patients presenting with TAR syndrome and referred for genetic counselling in six different university hospitals (8 foetuses, 1 child and 5 adults). Clinical or pathology details, as well as skeletal X-rays were analyzed. Genetic studies were performed by Array-CGH, and Quantitative Multiplex PCR. We demonstrated the very variable phenotypes of TAR syndrome. Female:male ratio was ∼2:1. All patients presented with bilateral radial aplasia/hypoplasia with preserved thumbs. Phocomelia and lower limb anomalies were present in 28% of the cases. We reported the first case of cystic hygroma on affected foetus. 1q21.1 deletions ranging from 330 to 1100 kb were identified in all affected patients. Most of them were inherited from one healthy parent (80%). The identification of a 1q21.1 deletion allowed confirmation of TAR syndrome diagnosis, particularly in foetuses and in atypical phenotypes. Additionally, it allowed accurate genetic counselling, especially when it occurred de novo. These findings allowed discussing the diagnostic criteria and management towards TAR syndrome.

Fetal cortical activation to sound at 33 weeks of gestation: a functional MRI study.

Hearing already functions before birth, but little is known about the neural basis of fetal life experiences. Recent imaging studies have validated the use of functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) in pregnant women at 38-weeks of gestation. The aim of the present study was to examine fetal brain activation to sound, using fMRI at the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy. 6 pregnant women between 28- and 34-weeks of gestation were scanned using a magnetic strength of 1.5 T, with an auditory stimulus applied to their abdomen. 3 fetuses with a gestational age of 33 weeks, showed significant activation to sound in the left temporal lobe, measured using a new data-driven approach (Independent Component Analysis for fMRI time series). Only 2 of these fetuses showed left temporal activation, when the standard voxel-wise analysis method was used (p=0.007; p=0.001). Moreover, motion parameters added as predictors of the General Linear Model confirmed that motion cannot account for the signal variance in the fetal temporal cortex (p=0.01). Comparison between the statistical maps obtained from MRI scans of the fetuses with those obtained from adults, made it possible to confirm our hypothesis, that there is brain activation in the primary auditory cortex in response to sound. Measurement of the fetal hemodynamic response revealed an average fMRI signal change of +3.5%. This study shows that it is possible to use fMRI to detect early fetal brain function, but also confirms that sound processing occurs beyond the reflexive sub-cortical level, at the beginning of the third trimester of pregnancy.