Recommendations for the management of gastrointestinal comorbidities with or without trofinetide use in rett syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: Although gastrointestinal (GI) comorbidities are experienced by over 90% of individuals with Rett syndrome (RTT), a neurodevelopmental disorder associated with mutations in the MECP2 gene, many neurologists and pediatricians do not rank the management of these comorbidities among the most important treatment goals for RTT. Trofinetide, the first approved pharmacologic treatment for RTT, confers improvements in RTT symptoms but is associated with adverse GI events, primarily diarrhea and vomiting. Treatment strategies for GI comorbidities and drug-associated symptoms in RTT represent an unmet clinical need. AREAS COVERED: This perspective covers GI comorbidities experienced by those with RTT, either with or without trofinetide treatment. PubMed literature searches were undertaken on treatment recommendations for the following conditions: constipation, diarrhea, vomiting, aspiration, dysphagia, gastroesophageal reflux, nausea, gastroparesis, gastritis, and abdominal bloating. EXPERT OPINION: The authors recommend a proactive approach to management of symptomatic GI comorbidities and drug-associated symptoms in RTT to enhance drug tolerance and improve the quality of life of affected individuals. Management strategies for common GI comorbidities associated with RTT are reviewed based on authors' clinical experience and augmented by recommendations from the literature.

Resolution of severe neurobehavioral difficulties in an individual with Primrose syndrome with sertraline.

Primrose syndrome (PS) is a rare genetic disease characterized by developmental delay, intellectual disability, sensorineural hearing loss, and dysmorphic features. PS is caused by de novo pathogenic variants in the ZBTB20 gene, which encodes a transcription factor modulating neurogenesis. We describe resolution with sertraline of neurobehavioral difficulties in a 17-year-old Hispanic male with PS with de novo heterozygous c.1916G > A (p.C639Y) variant of ZBTB20. Neurobehavioral difficulties included aggression towards self and others, irritability, tearfulness, and mood liability that did not respond to behavioral interventions or aripiprazole. Treatment with sertraline, a medication indicated for psychiatric disorders including anxiety and depression, led to the resolution of neurobehavioral difficulties after 2 weeks of initiation of medication. The treatment course suggests that selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as sertraline, may be a useful tool for neurobehavioral difficulties in PS over antipsychotics that are accompanied by complex side effect profiles, and suggest that anxiety is the primary cause of the neurobehavioral difficulties in this patient.

Severe behavior problems in SYNGAP1-related disorder: A summary of 11 consecutive patients in a tertiary care specialty clinic.

SYNGAP1-related disorder (SYNGAP1-RD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder that is commonly associated with epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and disruptive behaviors. In this study, behavior problems in 11 consecutive patients with SYNGAP1-RD are described and quantified based on a behavioral screening conducted within the context of a multi-disciplinary tertiary care specialty clinic visit. The behavioral phenotype was then compared to published samples of behavior problems in ASD and other genetic cause of epilepsy occurring in the context of neurodevelopmental disorders using results from the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Community (ABC-C), an empirically derived outcome measure. We report common antecedent and consequent events surrounding problem behavior across individuals. Additionally, we report on the management approach of caregivers and the impact of problem behaviors on the family. Our results suggest a number of commonalities between behavioral profiles in SYNGAP1-RD with ASD and other genetic causes of developmental and epileptic encephalopathies, and also highlight severe behavior problems as a specific behavioral phenotype of SYNGAP1-RD.

Randomized clinical trial of low dose suramin intravenous infusions for treatment of autism spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND: There is a critical need for effective treatment of the core symptoms of autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purinergic antagonist suramin may improve core symptoms through restoration of normal mitochondrial function and reduction of neuro-inflammation via its known antagonism of P2X and P2Y receptors. Nonclinical studies in fragile X knockout mice and the maternal immune activation model support these hypotheses. METHODS: We conducted a 14 week, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled proof -of-concept study (N = 52) to test the efficacy and safety of suramin intravenous infusions in boys aged 4-15 years with moderate to severe ASD. The study had 3 treatment arms: 10 mg/kg suramin, 20 mg/kg suramin, and placebo given at baseline, week 4, and week 8. The Aberrant Behavior Checklist of Core Symptoms (ABC-Core) (subscales 2, 3, and 5) was the primary endpoint and the Clinical Global Impressions-Improvement (CGI-I) was a secondary endpoint. RESULTS: Forty-four subjects completed the study. The 10 mg/kg suramin group showed a greater, but statistically non-significant, numeric improvement (- 12.5 ± 3.18 [mean ± SE]) vs. placebo (- 8.9 ± 2.86) in ABC-Core at Week 14. The 20 mg/kg suramin group did not show improvement over placebo. In exploratory analyses, the 10 mg/kg arm showed greater ABC Core differences from placebo in younger subjects and among those with less severe symptoms. In CGI-I, the 10 mg/kg arm showed a statistically significant improvement from baseline (2.8 ± 0.30 [mean ± SE]) compared to placebo (1.7 ± 0.27) (p = 0.016). The 20 mg/kg arm had a 2.0 ± 0.28 improvement in CGI-I, which was not statistically significant compared to placebo (p = 0.65). CONCLUSION: Suramin was generally safe and well tolerated over 14 weeks; most adverse events were mild to moderate in severity. Trial Registration Registered with the South African Health Authority, registration number DOH-27-0419-6116. CLINICALTRIALS: Gov registration ID is NCT06058962, last update posted 2023-09-28.

Clinical and functional consequences of GRIA variants in patients with neurological diseases.

AMPA receptors are members of the glutamate receptor family and mediate a fast component of excitatory synaptic transmission at virtually all central synapses. Thus, their functional characteristics are a critical determinant of brain function. We evaluate intolerance of each GRIA gene to genetic variation using 3DMTR and report here the functional consequences of 52 missense variants in GRIA1-4 identified in patients with various neurological disorders. These variants produce changes in agonist EC50, response time course, desensitization, and/or receptor surface expression. We predict that these functional and localization changes will have important consequences for circuit function, and therefore likely contribute to the patients' clinical phenotype. We evaluated the sensitivity of variant receptors to AMPAR-selective modulators including FDA-approved drugs to explore potential targeted therapeutic options.

Development of webcam-collected and artificial-intelligence-derived social and cognitive performance measures for neurodevelopmental genetic syndromes.

This study focused on the development and initial psychometric evaluation of a set of online, webcam-collected, and artificial intelligence-derived patient performance measures for neurodevelopmental genetic syndromes (NDGS). Initial testing and qualitative input was used to develop four stimulus paradigms capturing social and cognitive processes, including social attention, receptive vocabulary, processing speed, and single-word reading. The paradigms were administered to a sample of 375 participants, including 163 with NDGS, 56 with idiopathic neurodevelopmental disability (NDD), and 156 neurotypical controls. Twelve measures were created from the four stimulus paradigms. Valid completion rates varied from 87 to 100% across measures, with lower but adequate completion rates in participants with intellectual disability. Adequate to excellent internal consistency reliability (α = 0.67 to 0.95) was observed across measures. Test-retest reproducibility at 1-month follow-up and stability at 4-month follow-up was fair to good (r = 0.40-0.73) for 8 of the 12 measures. All gaze-based measures showed evidence of convergent and discriminant validity with parent-report measures of other cognitive and behavioral constructs. Comparisons across NDGS groups revealed distinct patterns of social and cognitive functioning, including people with PTEN mutations showing a less impaired overall pattern and people with SYNGAP1 mutations showing more attentional, processing speed, and social processing difficulties relative to people with NFIX mutations. Webcam-collected performance measures appear to be a reliable and potentially useful method for objective characterization and monitoring of social and cognitive processes in NDGS and idiopathic NDD. Additional validation work, including more detailed convergent and discriminant validity analyses and examination of sensitivity to change, is needed to replicate and extend these observations.

Gain and loss of function variants in EZH1 disrupt neurogenesis and cause dominant and recessive neurodevelopmental disorders.

Genetic variants in chromatin regulators are frequently found in neurodevelopmental disorders, but their effect in disease etiology is rarely determined. Here, we uncover and functionally define pathogenic variants in the chromatin modifier EZH1 as the cause of dominant and recessive neurodevelopmental disorders in 19 individuals. EZH1 encodes one of the two alternative histone H3 lysine 27 methyltransferases of the PRC2 complex. Unlike the other PRC2 subunits, which are involved in cancers and developmental syndromes, the implication of EZH1 in human development and disease is largely unknown. Using cellular and biochemical studies, we demonstrate that recessive variants impair EZH1 expression causing loss of function effects, while dominant variants are missense mutations that affect evolutionarily conserved aminoacids, likely impacting EZH1 structure or function. Accordingly, we found increased methyltransferase activity leading to gain of function of two EZH1 missense variants. Furthermore, we show that EZH1 is necessary and sufficient for differentiation of neural progenitor cells in the developing chick embryo neural tube. Finally, using human pluripotent stem cell-derived neural cultures and forebrain organoids, we demonstrate that EZH1 variants perturb cortical neuron differentiation. Overall, our work reveals a critical role of EZH1 in neurogenesis regulation and provides molecular diagnosis for previously undefined neurodevelopmental disorders.

Meaningful Improvements in Rett Syndrome: A Qualitative Study of Caregivers.

BACKGROUND: Rett syndrome is a rare neurodevelopmental disorder primarily affecting females. This syndrome is associated with many comorbidities and impairments related to motor function, breathing, sleep, expressive language, and repetitive hand movements. The Rett Syndrome Behaviour Questionnaire (RSBQ) is one measure used to assess changes in Rett syndrome-related manifestations or core symptoms. Little is known about how caregivers think about meaningful changes in the items that make up the RSBQ scale. METHODS: This qualitative study explored how caregivers of individuals with Rett syndrome viewed changes in the symptoms covered in the RSBQ. We conducted semistructured interviews with 40 caregivers and employed thematic analysis, identifying themes using an iterative process. RESULTS: Two factors characterized caregivers' thoughts about meaningful changes in Rett syndrome manifestations. First, general features of these symptoms rendered them bothersome: the extent of bother compared to other symptoms, if or how they prevented desirable behaviors and their temporal qualities. Second, caregivers evaluated the meaning of improvements by considering the decrease in bother and the potential benefits of change. Improvements had social and psychological consequences for individuals with Rett syndrome and caregivers. In addition, implications for health, fine and gross motor skills, and communication were also substantial.

An exploratory study of sleep quality and quantity in children with causal variants in SYNGAP1, an autism risk gene.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Sleep disturbances are reported in 62% of children with SYNGAP1-Intellectual Disability (SYNGAP1-ID), a rare neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by intellectual disability, epilepsy, autism spectrum disorder (ASD), sensory and behavioral challenges. Although Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) scores are elevated in children with SYNGAP1-ID factors that predict sleep disturbance are not well understood. The goal of this study is to identify predictors of sleep problems. METHODS: Parents of 21 children with SYNGAP1-ID completed questionnaires, and 6 children wore the Actiwatch2 for 14 continuous days. Non-parametric analysis of psychometric scales and actigraphy data were performed. Actigraphy derived sleep parameters were compared to controls and rest activity rhythms were assessed using arctools an open-source R package. RESULTS: CSHQ total sleep scores in children with SYNGAP1-ID and ASD were not different from children with SYNGAP1 without ASD (p = 0.61). Sleep anxiety (ß 1.646, 95% CI 0.9566 to 2.336) and parasomnias (ß 0.6294, 95% CI 0.06423 to 1.195) were strong predictors of bedtime resistance (R2 = 0.767, p < 0.001). The sedentary to active transition probability during the 12-18 h epoch (ß = 0.004, p = 0.008, R2 = 0.85) and the duration of the active bout during the 18-24 h epoch (ß = 0.166, p = 0.029, R2 = 0.74) were strong predictors of total sleep disturbance. CONCLUSION: The CSHQ may be a reliable measure of sleep difficulties in children with SYNGAP1-ID. Sleep anxiety, parasomnias and difficulty winding-down are significant contributors to sleep disturbances.

Development of informant-report neurobehavioral survey scales for PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome and related neurodevelopmental genetic syndromes.

There are few well-validated measures that are appropriate for assessing the full range of neurobehavioral presentations in PTEN hamartoma tumor syndrome (PHTS) and other neurodevelopmental genetic syndromes (NDGS). As potential therapeutics are developed, having reliable, valid, free, and easily accessible measures to track a range of neurobehavioral domains will be crucial for future clinical trials. This study focused on the development and initial psychometric evaluation of a set of freely available informant-report survey scales for PHTS-the Neurobehavioral Evaluation Tool (NET). Concept elicitation, quantitative ratings, and cognitive interviewing processes were conducted with stakeholders and clinician-scientist experts, used to identify the most important neurobehavioral domains for this population, and to ensure items were appropriate for the full range of individuals with PHTS. Results of this process identified a PHTS neurobehavioral impact model with 11 domains. The final NET scales assessing these domains were administered to a sample of 384 participants (median completion time = 20.6 min), including 32 people with PHTS, 141 with other NDGS, 47 with idiopathic neurodevelopmental disorder (NDD), and 164 neurotypical controls. Initial psychometric results for the total scores of each scale indicated very good model (ω = 0.83-0.99) and internal consistency reliability (α = 0.82-0.98) as well as excellent test-retest reproducibility at 1-month follow-up (r = 0.78-0.98) and stability at 4-month follow-up (r = 0.76-0.96). Conditional reliability estimates indicated very strong measurement precision in key score ranges for assessing PHTS and other people with NDGS and/or idiopathic NDD. Comparisons across domains between PHTS and the other groups revealed specific patterns of symptoms and functioning, including lower levels of challenging behavior and more developed daily living and executive functioning skills relative to other NDGS. The NET appears to be a reliable and potentially useful tool for clinical characterization and monitoring of neurobehavioral symptoms in PHTS and may also have utility in the assessment of other NDGS and idiopathic NDD. Additional validation work, including convergent and discriminant validity analyses, are needed to replicate and extend these observations.

Pandemic intake questionnaire to improve quality, effectiveness, and efficiency of outpatient neurologic and developmental care at the Kennedy Krieger institute during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic uniquely affects patients with neurologic and developmental disabilities at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. These patients are at increased risk of co-morbidities, increasing their risk of contracting COVID-19. Disruptions in their home and school routines, and restrictions accessing crucial healthcare services has had a significant impact. Methods: A Pandemic Intake questionnaire regarding COVID-19 related medical concerns of guardians of patients was distributed using Qualtrics. Data from May-December 2020 were merged with demographic information of patients from 10 clinics (Center for Autism and Related Disorders (CARD), Neurology, Epigenetics, Neurogenetics, Center for Development and Learning (CDL) Sickle Cell, Spinal Cord, Sturge-Weber syndrome (SWS), Tourette's, and Metabolism). A provider feedback survey was distributed to program directors to assess the effectiveness of this intervention. Results: Analysis included responses from 1643 guardians of pediatric patients (mean age 9.5 years, range 0-21.6 years). Guardians of patients in more medically complicated clinics reported perceived increased risk of COVID-19 (p < 0.001) and inability to obtain therapies (p < 0.001) and surgeries (p < 0.001). Guardian responses from CARD had increased reports of worsening behavior (p = 0.01). Providers increased availability of in-person and virtual therapies and visits and made referrals for additional care to address this. In a survey of medical providers, five out of six program directors who received the responses to this survey found this questionnaire helpful in caring for their patients. Conclusion: This quality improvement project successfully implemented a pre-visit questionnaire to quickly assess areas of impact of COVID-19 on patients with neurodevelopmental disorders. During the pandemic, results identified several major areas of impact, including patient populations at increased risk for behavioral changes, sleep and/or disruptions of medical care. Most program directors reported improved patient care as a result.

Heterozygous NOTCH1 Variants Cause CNS Immune Activation and Microangiopathy.

NOTCH1 belongs to the NOTCH family of proteins that regulate cell fate and inflammatory responses. Somatic and germline NOTCH1 variants have been implicated in cancer, Adams-Oliver syndrome, and cardiovascular defects. We describe 7 unrelated patients grouped by the presence of leukoencephalopathy with calcifications and heterozygous de novo gain-of-function variants in NOTCH1. Immunologic profiling showed upregulated CSF IP-10, a cytokine secreted downstream of NOTCH1 signaling. Autopsy revealed extensive leukoencephalopathy and microangiopathy with vascular calcifications. This evidence implicates that heterozygous gain-of-function variants in NOTCH1 lead to a chronic central nervous system (CNS) inflammatory response resulting in a calcifying microangiopathy with leukoencephalopathy. ANN NEUROL 2022;92:895-901.

mTORC1 functional assay reveals SZT2 loss-of-function variants and a founder in-frame deletion.

Biallelic pathogenic variants in SZT2 result in a neurodevelopmental disorder with shared features, including early-onset epilepsy, developmental delay, macrocephaly, and corpus callosum abnormalities. SZT2 is as a critical scaffolding protein in the amino acid sensing arm of the mTORC1 signalling pathway. Due to its large size (3432 amino acids), lack of crystal structure, and absence of functional domains, it is difficult to determine the pathogenicity of SZT2 missense and in-frame deletions, but these variants are increasingly detected and reported by clinical genetic testing in individuals with epilepsy. To exemplify this latter point, here we describe a cohort of 12 individuals with biallelic SZT2 variants and phenotypic overlap with SZT2-related neurodevelopmental disorders. However, the majority of individuals carried one or more SZT2 variants of uncertain significance (VUS), highlighting the need for functional characterization to determine, which, if any, of these VUS were pathogenic. Thus, we developed a novel individualized platform to identify SZT2 loss-of-function variants in the context of mTORC1 signalling and reclassify VUS. Using this platform, we identified a recurrent in-frame deletion (SZT2 p.Val1984del) which was determined to be a loss-of-function variant and therefore likely pathogenic. Haplotype analysis revealed that this single in-frame deletion is a founder variant in those of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry. Moreover, this approach allowed us to tentatively reclassify all of the VUS in our cohort of 12 individuals, identifying five individuals with biallelic pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants. Clinical features of these five individuals consisted of early-onset seizures (median 24 months), focal seizures, developmental delay and macrocephaly similar to previous reports. However, we also show a widening of the phenotypic spectrum, as none of the five individuals had corpus callosum abnormalities, in contrast to previous reports. Overall, we present a rapid assay to resolve VUS in SZT2, identify a founder variant in individuals of Ashkenazi Jewish ancestry, and demonstrate that corpus callosum abnormalities is not a hallmark feature of this condition. Our approach is widely applicable to other mTORopathies including the most common causes of the focal genetic epilepsies, DEPDC5, TSC1/2, MTOR and NPRL2/3.

Delineating the genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of HECW2-related neurodevelopmental disorders.

BACKGROUND: Variants in HECW2 have recently been reported to cause a neurodevelopmental disorder with hypotonia, seizures and impaired language; however, only six variants have been reported and the clinical characteristics have only broadly been defined. METHODS: Molecular and clinical data were collected from clinical and research cohorts. Massive parallel sequencing was performed and identified individuals with a HECW2-related neurodevelopmental disorder. RESULTS: We identified 13 novel missense variants in HECW2 in 22 unpublished cases, of which 18 were confirmed to have a de novo variant. In addition, we reviewed the genotypes and phenotypes of previously reported and new cases with HECW2 variants (n=35 cases). All variants identified are missense, and the majority of likely pathogenic and pathogenic variants are located in or near the C-terminal HECT domain (88.2%). We identified several clustered variants and four recurrent variants (p.(Arg1191Gln);p.(Asn1199Lys);p.(Phe1327Ser);p.(Arg1330Trp)). Two variants, (p.(Arg1191Gln);p.(Arg1330Trp)), accounted for 22.9% and 20% of cases, respectively. Clinical characterisation suggests complete penetrance for hypotonia with or without spasticity (100%), developmental delay/intellectual disability (100%) and developmental language disorder (100%). Other common features are behavioural problems (88.9%), vision problems (83.9%), motor coordination/movement (75%) and gastrointestinal issues (70%). Seizures were present in 61.3% of individuals. Genotype-phenotype analysis shows that HECT domain variants are more frequently associated with cortical visual impairment and gastrointestinal issues. Seizures were only observed in individuals with variants in or near the HECT domain. CONCLUSION: We provide a comprehensive review and expansion of the genotypic and phenotypic spectrum of HECW2 disorders, aiding future molecular and clinical diagnosis and management.

Bi-allelic variants in SPATA5L1 lead to intellectual disability, spastic-dystonic cerebral palsy, epilepsy, and hearing loss.

Spermatogenesis-associated 5 like 1 (SPATA5L1) represents an orphan gene encoding a protein of unknown function. We report 28 bi-allelic variants in SPATA5L1 associated with sensorineural hearing loss in 47 individuals from 28 (26 unrelated) families. In addition, 25/47 affected individuals (53%) presented with microcephaly, developmental delay/intellectual disability, cerebral palsy, and/or epilepsy. Modeling indicated damaging effect of variants on the protein, largely via destabilizing effects on protein domains. Brain imaging revealed diminished cerebral volume, thin corpus callosum, and periventricular leukomalacia, and quantitative volumetry demonstrated significantly diminished white matter volumes in several individuals. Immunofluorescent imaging in rat hippocampal neurons revealed localization of Spata5l1 in neuronal and glial cell nuclei and more prominent expression in neurons. In the rodent inner ear, Spata5l1 is expressed in the neurosensory hair cells and inner ear supporting cells. Transcriptomic analysis performed with fibroblasts from affected individuals was able to distinguish affected from controls by principal components. Analysis of differentially expressed genes and networks suggested a role for SPATA5L1 in cell surface adhesion receptor function, intracellular focal adhesions, and DNA replication and mitosis. Collectively, our results indicate that bi-allelic SPATA5L1 variants lead to a human disease characterized by sensorineural hearing loss (SNHL) with or without a nonprogressive mixed neurodevelopmental phenotype.

Sleep Abnormalities in the Synaptopathies-SYNGAP1-Related Intellectual Disability and Phelan-McDermid Syndrome.

Neurodevelopmental disorders are frequently associated with sleep disturbances. One class of neurodevelopmental disorders, the genetic synaptopathies, is caused by mutations in genes encoding proteins found at the synapse. Mutations in these genes cause derangement of synapse development and function. We utilized a validated sleep instrument, Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) to examine the nature of sleep abnormalities occurring in individuals with two synaptopathies-Phelan-McDermid syndrome (PMD) (N = 47, male = 23, female = 24, age 1-46 years) and SYNGAP1-related intellectual disability (SYNGAP1-ID) (N = 64, male = 31, female = 33, age 1-64 years), when compared with unaffected siblings (N = 61, male = 25, female = 36, age 1-17 years). We found that both PMD and SYNGAP1-ID have significant sleep abnormalities with SYNGAP1-ID having greater severity of sleep disturbance than PMD. In addition, sleep disturbances were more severe for PMD in individuals 11 years and older compared with those less than 11 years old. Individuals with either disorder were more likely to use sleep aids than unaffected siblings. In conclusion, sleep disturbances are a significant phenotype in the synaptopathies PMD and SYNGAP1-ID. Improved sleep is a viable endpoint for future clinical trials for these neurodevelopmental disorders.

The Impact of X-Chromosome Inactivation on Phenotypic Expression of X-Linked Neurodevelopmental Disorders.

Nearly 20% of genes located on the X chromosome are associated with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDD) due to their expression and role in brain functioning. Given their location, several of these genes are either subject to or can escape X-chromosome inactivation (XCI). The degree to which genes are subject to XCI can influence the NDD phenotype between males and females. We provide a general review of X-linked NDD genes in the context of XCI and detailed discussion of the sex-based differences related to MECP2 and FMR1, two common X-linked causes of NDD that are subject to XCI. Understanding the effects of XCI on phenotypic expression of NDD genes may guide the development of stratification biomarkers in X-linked disorders.

Truncating variants in the SHANK1 gene are associated with a spectrum of neurodevelopmental disorders.

PURPOSE: In this study, we aimed to characterize the clinical phenotype of a SHANK1-related disorder and define the functional consequences of SHANK1 truncating variants. METHODS: Exome sequencing (ES) was performed for six individuals who presented with neurodevelopmental disorders. Individuals were ascertained with the use of GeneMatcher and Database of Chromosomal Imbalance and Phenotype in Humans Using Ensembl Resources (DECIPHER). We evaluated potential nonsense-mediated decay (NMD) of two variants by making knock-in cell lines of endogenous truncated SHANK1, and expressed the truncated SHANK1 complementary DNA (cDNA) in HEK293 cells and cultured hippocampal neurons to examine the proteins. RESULTS: ES detected de novo truncating variants in SHANK1 in six individuals. Evaluation of NMD resulted in stable transcripts, and the truncated SHANK1 completely lost binding with Homer1, a linker protein that binds to the C-terminus of SHANK1. These variants may disrupt protein-protein networks in dendritic spines. Dispersed localization of the truncated SHANK1 variants within the spine and dendritic shaft was also observed when expressed in neurons, indicating impaired synaptic localization of truncated SHANK1. CONCLUSION: This report expands the clinical spectrum of individuals with truncating SHANK1 variants and describes the impact these variants may have on the pathophysiology of neurodevelopmental disorders.