Down syndrome, the most frequent form of mental retardation caused by a microscopically demonstrable chromosomal aberration, is characterized by well-defined and distinctive phenotypic features and natural history. It is caused by triplicate state (trisomy) of all or a critical portion of chromosome 21.

TBC1D24-related disorders comprise a continuum of features that were originally described as distinct, recognized phenotypes: DOORS syndrome (deafness, onychodystrophy, osteodystrophy, mental retardation, and seizures). Profound sensorineural hearing loss, onychodystrophy, osteodystrophy, intellectual disability / developmental delay, and seizures. Familial infantile myoclonic epilepsy (FIME). Early-onset myoclonic seizures, focal epilepsy, dysarthria, and mild-to-moderate intellectual disability. Progressive myoclonus epilepsy (PME). Action myoclonus, tonic-clonic seizures, progressive neurologic decline, and ataxia. Early-infantile epileptic encephalopathy 16 (EIEE16). Epileptiform EEG abnormalities which themselves are believed to contribute to progressive disturbance in cerebral function. Autosomal recessive nonsyndromic hearing loss, DFNB86. Profound prelingual deafness. Autosomal dominant nonsyndromic hearing loss, DFNA65. Slowly progressive deafness with onset in the third decade, initially affecting the high frequencies.

Emanuel syndrome is characterized by pre- and postnatal growth deficiency, microcephaly, hypotonia, severe developmental delays, ear anomalies, preauricular tags or pits, cleft or high-arched palate, congenital heart defects, kidney abnormalities, and genital abnormalities in males.

Syndrome with the association of skeletal abnormalities, cutis laxa, craniostenosis, ambiguous genitalia, psychomotor retardation and facial abnormalities. So far, it has been described in two males (maternal first cousins). The mode of inheritance was suggested to be X-linked recessive.

Gillessen-Kaesbach-Nishimura syndrome is an autosomal recessive multiple congenital anomaly disorder characterized by skeletal dysplasia, dysmorphic facial features, and variable visceral abnormalities, including polycystic kidneys, diaphragmatic hernia, lung hypoplasia, and congenital heart defects. It may be lethal in utero or early in life. The disorder is at the severe end of the phenotypic spectrum of congenital disorders of glycosylation (summary by Tham et al., 2016).

A very rare syndrome associating an acro-fronto-facio-nasal dysostosis with genitourinary anomalies. It has been described in three families. Craniofacial manifestations include wide anterior fontanelle, flat occiput, hypertelorism, ptosis, proptosis, broad nasal bridge and nasal tip, long philtrum and posteriorly rotated or low set ears. Hypospadias and shawl scrotum are present in all males. Acral manifestations include syndactyly of fingers, broad thumbs or halluces or preaxial polydactyly. The affected patients have no intellectual deficit. The condition seems to be hereditary, and transmitted as an autosomal recessive trait.

A rare genetic disease characterized by the presence of Müllerian duct derivatives (rudimentary uterus, fallopian tubes, and atretic vagina) and other genital anomalies (cryptorchidism, micropenis) in male newborns, intestinal and pulmonary lymphangiectasia, protein-losing enteropathy, hepatomegaly, and renal anomalies. Postaxial polydactyly, facial dysmorphism (including broad nasal bridge, bulbous nasal tip, long and prominent upper lip with smooth philtrum, hypertrophic alveolar ridges, and mild retrognathia, among other features), and short limbs have also been described. The syndrome is fatal in infancy.

Mitochondrial complex IV deficiency nuclear type 5 (MC4DN5) is an autosomal recessive severe metabolic multisystemic disorder with onset in infancy. Features include delayed psychomotor development, impaired intellectual development with speech delay, mild dysmorphic facial features, hypotonia, ataxia, and seizures. There is increased serum lactate and episodic hypoglycemia. Some patients may have cardiomyopathy, abnormal breathing, or liver abnormalities, reflecting systemic involvement. Brain imaging shows lesions in the brainstem and basal ganglia, consistent with a diagnosis of Leigh syndrome (see 256000). Affected individuals tend to have episodic metabolic and/or neurologic crises in early childhood, which often lead to early death (summary by Debray et al., 2011). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of mitochondrial complex IV (cytochrome c oxidase) deficiency, see 220110.

Blepharophimosis-intellectual disability syndrome, Verloes type is a rare, genetic multiple congenital anomalies/dysmorphic syndrome characterized by congenital microcephaly, severe epilepsy with hypsarrhythmia, adducted thumbs, abnormal genitalia, and normal thyroid function. Hypotonia, moderate to severe psychomotor delay, and characteristic facial dysmorphism (including round face with prominent cheeks, blepharophimosis, large, bulbous nose with wide alae nasi, posteriorly rotated ears with dysplastic conchae, narrow mouth, cleft palate, and mild micrognathia) are additional characteristic features.

Spinocerebellar ataxia-29 (SCA29) is an autosomal dominant neurologic disorder characterized by onset in infancy of delayed motor development and mild cognitive delay. Affected individuals develop a very slowly progressive or nonprogressive gait and limb ataxia associated with cerebellar atrophy on brain imaging. Additional variable features include nystagmus, dysarthria, and tremor (summary by Huang et al., 2012). For a general discussion of autosomal dominant spinocerebellar ataxia, see SCA1 (164400).

Syndrome with characteristics of severe psychomotor retardation, failure to thrive and intolerance to wheat and dairy products. So far, only two cases have been described. The disease is caused by mutations in the COG8 gene, which encodes a subunit of the COG complex. This complex is involved vesicle transport in the Golgi apparatus.

Congenital alveolar capillary dysplasia with misalignment of pulmonary veins (ACDMPV) is characterized histologically by failure of formation and ingrowth of alveolar capillaries that then do not make contact with alveolar epithelium, medial muscular thickening of small pulmonary arterioles with muscularization of the intraacinar arterioles, thickened alveolar walls, and anomalously situated pulmonary veins running alongside pulmonary arterioles and sharing the same adventitial sheath. Less common features include a reduced number of alveoli and a patchy distribution of the histopathologic changes. The disorder is associated with persistent pulmonary hypertension of the neonate and shows varying degrees of lability and severity (Boggs et al., 1994). Affected infants present with respiratory distress resulting from pulmonary hypertension in the early postnatal period, and the disease is uniformly fatal within the newborn period (Vassal et al., 1998). Additional features of ACDMPV include multiple congenital anomalies affecting the cardiovascular, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, and musculoskeletal systems, as well as disruption of the normal right-left asymmetry of intrathoracic or intraabdominal organs (Sen et al., 2004).

Multiple congenital anomalies-hypotonia-seizures syndrome-2 (MCAHS2) is an X-linked recessive neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by dysmorphic features, neonatal hypotonia, early-onset myoclonic seizures, and variable congenital anomalies involving the central nervous, cardiac, and urinary systems. Some affected individuals die in infancy (summary by Johnston et al., 2012). The phenotype shows clinical variability with regard to severity and extraneurologic features. However, most patients present in infancy with early-onset epileptic encephalopathy associated with developmental arrest and subsequent severe neurologic disability; these features are consistent with a form of developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) (summary by Belet et al., 2014, Kato et al., 2014). The disorder is caused by a defect in glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) biosynthesis. For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of MCAHS, see MCAHS1 (614080). For a discussion of nomenclature and genetic heterogeneity of DEE, see 308350. For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of GPI biosynthesis defects, see GPIBD1 (610293).

Au-Kline syndrome is characterized by developmental delay and hypotonia with moderate-to-severe intellectual disability, and typical facial features that include long palpebral fissures, ptosis, shallow orbits, large and deeply grooved tongue, broad nose with a wide nasal bridge, and downturned mouth. There is frequently variable autonomic dysfunction (gastrointestinal dysmotility, high pain threshold, heat intolerance, recurrent fevers, abnormal sweating). Congenital heart disease, hydronephrosis, palate abnormalities, and oligodontia are also reported in the majority of affected individuals. Additional complications can include craniosynostosis, feeding difficulty, vision issues, osteopenia, and other skeletal anomalies.

CAFDADD is a multisystemic developmental disorder with variable cardiac and digital anomalies and facial dysmorphism. Some patients may have seizures and ocular/aural abnormalities (Tokita et al., 2018).

Bent bone dysplasia syndrome-2 (BBDS2) is characterized by defects in both the axial and appendicular skeleton, with radiographic findings of undermineralized bone and a distinct angulation of the mid femoral shaft. Extraskeletal features include facial dysmorphisms, abnormally formed ears with tags, widely spaced nipples, and atrial septal defects. Abnormalities of muscle function are suggested by the presence of elbow fusions, ulnar flexion contractions at the wrist, and bilateral talipes equinovarus, as well as failure to mount a respiratory effort at birth (Barad et al., 2020). For a general phenotypic description and discussion of genetic heterogeneity of bent bone dysplasia syndrome, see BBDS1 (614592).

X-linked multisystem autoinflammatory disease with immune dysregulation (ADMIDX) is an X-linked recessive disorder with onset of symptoms in infancy or early childhood. Affected individuals may present with variable cytopenias, including anemia, thrombocytopenia, neutropenia, lymphopenia, or hypogammaglobulinemia, and systemic or organ-specific autoinflammatory manifestations. These include skin lesions, panniculitis, inflammatory bowel disease, pulmonary disease, or arthritis associated with recurrent fever, leukocytosis, lymphoproliferation, and hepatosplenomegaly in the absence of an infectious agent. Some patients have circulating autoantibodies that underlie the cytopenias or systemic features, whereas others do not have circulating autoantibodies. In addition, some patients have recurrent infections, whereas others do not show signs of an immunodeficiency. Laboratory studies are consistent with immune dysregulation, including altered B-cell subsets and variably elevated proinflammatory cytokines. Detailed functional studies of platelets, red cells, and T lymphocytes suggest that abnormal actin cytoskeleton remodeling is a basic defect, indicating that this disorder can be classified as an immune-related actinopathy. Severe complications of the disease may result in death in childhood (Boussard et al., 2023; Block et al., 2023).

Neurodegeneration and seizures due to copper transport defect (NSCT) is an autosomal recessive disorder of copper transport characterized by hypotonia, global developmental delay, seizures, and rapid brain atrophy (summary by Dame et al., 2023).