Lethal neonatal rigidity and multifocal seizure syndrome (RMFSL) is a severe autosomal recessive epileptic encephalopathy characterized by onset of rigidity and intractable seizures at or soon after birth. Affected infants achieve no developmental milestones and die within the first months or years of life (summary by Saitsu et al., 2014).

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy-21 (DEE21) is an autosomal recessive neurologic disorder characterized by the onset of intractable seizures in the first months of life. Affected individuals have severely impaired psychomotor development with poor head control and inability to fix and follow visually. Other features may include axial hypotonia, peripheral hypertonia, and cerebral atrophy or delayed myelination on brain imaging (summary by Alazami et al., 2014 and Alsahli et al., 2018). For a general phenotypic description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of DEE, see 308350.

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy-25 with amelogenesis imperfecta (DEE25) is an autosomal recessive neurologic disorder characterized by the onset of refractory seizures in early infancy. Most patients present with seizures in the neonatal period, which is often associated with status epilepticus. However, there is phenotypic variability, and some patients have onset of seizures later in infancy. Affected individuals show global developmental delay with intellectual disability and poor speech and communication. The seizures may remit somewhat with age, but there are persistent neurologic symptoms, including ataxia, spasticity, and abnormal involuntary movements. In addition to neurologic deficits, patients also have dental anomalies with amelogenesis imperfecta (summary by Thevenon et al., 2014 and Schossig et al., 2017). For a general phenotypic description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of DEE, see 308350.

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy-38 (DEE38) is an autosomal recessive neurologic and neurodegenerative disorder characterized by the onset of various type of seizures usually between about 4 and 7 months of age. Prior to the onset of seizures, most infants show severely impaired global development, hypotonia with poor head control, and visual inattention with roving eye movements and nystagmus. Seizures are usually refractory to treatment and associated with status epilepticus. Patients have little or no development with inability to walk or speak, spasticity or abnormal movements, and often cortical blindness. There is failure to thrive, and many require tube-feeding. Death in early childhood due to aspiration or intractable epilepsy may occur. The disorder is associated with a defect in GPI-anchoring of membrane-bound proteins (summary by Palmer et al., 2016; Davids et al., 2020). For a general phenotypic description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of DEE, see 308350. For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of GPI biosynthesis defects, see GPIBD1 (610293).

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy-37 (DEE37) is an autosomal recessive epileptic-dyskinetic neurologic disorder characterized by the onset of intractable seizures or abnormal movements in the first months or years of life. Patients typically have normal or only mildly delayed development in early infancy, but then show developmental regression and stagnation after the onset of seizures, which can occur between about 6 months to 2 years of age. In addition to epileptic encephalopathy, affected individuals also manifest a hyperkinetic movement disorder with choreoathetosis, spasticity, and rigidity. There is severely impaired intellectual development and function, loss of verbal skills with absent speech, and impaired volitional movements (summary by Madeo et al., 2016). For a general phenotypic description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of DEE, see 308350.

The current (but limited) understanding of the WARS2 deficiency phenotypic spectrum, based on 29 individuals from 24 families reported to date, can be viewed as a clustering of hallmark features within the broad phenotypes of epilepsy and movement disorder. The epilepsy spectrum encompasses neonatal- or infantile-onset developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) and other less well described seizure types. DEE manifests mostly in the neonatal period or within the first year of life. Seizures are generally difficult to control and may lead to status epilepticus and death. Over time the following become evident: global developmental delay, mild-to-severe intellectual disability, speech impairment (slurred and slow speech, dysarthria or no speech production but preserved receptive speech), weakness and muscle atrophy, motor hyperactivity with athetosis, and neuropsychiatric manifestations including aggressiveness and sleep disorders. The movement disorder spectrum encompasses the overlapping phenotypes of levodopa-responsive parkinsonism/dystonia and progressive myoclonus-ataxia/hyperkinetic movement disorder and is primarily associated with childhood or early adulthood onset. Of note, the continua within and between the epilepsy spectrum and the movement disorder spectrum remain to be determined pending reporting of more individuals with WARS2 deficiency.

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy-95 (DEE95) is a severe autosomal recessive disorder characterized by severely impaired global development, hypotonia, weakness, ataxia, coarse facial features, and intractable seizures. More variable features may include abnormalities of the hands and feet, inguinal hernia, and feeding difficulties. The disorder is part of a group of similar neurologic disorders resulting from biochemical defects in the glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI) biosynthetic pathway (summary by Nguyen et al., 2018). For a general phenotypic description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of DEE, see 308350. For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of GPI biosynthesis defects, see GPIBD1 (610293).

Stress-induced childhood-onset neurodegeneration with variable ataxia and seizures (CONDSIAS) is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder with onset in the first years of life following normal early development. Patient have cyclic episodic deterioration in response to stress, such as infection or febrile illness. The severity is highly variable: some patients develop seizures early in life that are associated with loss of developmental milestones and early sudden death in childhood, whereas others present at a later age with muscle weakness, gait ataxia, impaired speech, more subtle clinical deterioration, and cognitive decline. Neurologic involvement includes gait ataxia, cerebellar signs associated with cerebellar atrophy, generalized brain atrophy, impaired intellectual development, hearing loss, and peripheral neuropathy (summary by Ghosh et al., 2018).

CDKL5 deficiency disorder (CDD) is a developmental and epileptic encephalopathy (DEE) characterized by severe early-onset intractable epilepsy and motor, cognitive, visual, and autonomic disturbances. Movement disorders include chorea, dystonia, and stereotypical hand and leg movements. Although females are more commonly affected than males (female-to-male ratio is approximately 4:1), the severity of manifestations in heterozygous females and hemizygous males can be equivalent. However, the severity of the phenotype can vary depending on the type and position of the CDKL5 pathogenic variant, pattern of X-chromosome inactivation in females, and presence of postzygotic mosaicism in males or females, who can have mild manifestations.

Multiple congenital anomalies-hypotonia-seizures syndrome-4 (MCAHS4) is an autosomal recessive neurologic disorder characterized by onset of refractory seizures in the first months of life. Patients have severe global developmental delay, and may have additional variable features, including dysmorphic or coarse facial features, visual defects, and mild skeletal or renal anomalies. At the cellular level, the disorder is caused by a defect in the synthesis of glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI), and thus affects the expression of GPI-anchored proteins at the cell surface (summary by Starr et al., 2019). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of MCAHS, see MCAHS1 (614080). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of DEE, see 308350. For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of GPI biosynthesis defects, see GPIBD1 (610293).

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy-85 with or without midline brain defects (DEE85) is an X-linked neurologic disorder characterized by onset of severe refractory seizures in the first year of life, global developmental delay with impaired intellectual development and poor or absent speech, and dysmorphic facial features. The seizures tend to show a cyclic pattern with clustering. Many patients have midline brain defects on brain imaging, including thin corpus callosum and/or variable forms of holoprosencephaly (HPE). The severity and clinical manifestations are variable. Almost all reported patients are females with de novo mutations predicted to result in a loss of function (LOF). However, some patients may show skewed X inactivation, and the pathogenic mechanism may be due to a dominant-negative effect. The SMC1A protein is part of the multiprotein cohesin complex involved in chromatid cohesion during DNA replication and transcriptional regulation; DEE85 can thus be classified as a 'cohesinopathy' (summary by Symonds et al., 2017 and Kruszka et al., 2019). For a general phenotypic description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of DEE, see 308350.

Congenital disorder of glycosylation type IIt (CDG2t) is an autosomal recessive multisystemic metabolic disorder characterized by global developmental delay, poor overall growth, severely impaired intellectual development with absent language, and behavioral abnormalities. Most patients develop early-onset seizures; brain imaging tends to show white matter abnormalities. Variable dysmorphic features, including long face, almond-shaped eyes, protruding maxilla, and short philtrum, are also present. The disorder, which is associated with low levels of HDL cholesterol, results from defective posttranslational O-linked glycosylation of certain plasma lipids and proteins (summary by Zilmer et al., 2020). For an overview of congenital disorders of glycosylation, see CDG1A (212065) and CDG2A (212066).

X-linked syndromic intellectual developmental disorder with pigmentary mosaicism and coarse facies (MRXSPF) is characterized by a phenotypic triad of severe developmental delay, coarse facial dysmorphisms, and Blaschkoid pigmentary mosaicism. Additional clinical features may include epilepsy, orthopedic abnormalities, hypotonia, and growth abnormalities. The disorder affects both males and females (Villegas et al., 2019; Diaz et al., 2020).

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy-99 (DEE99) is characterized by onset of seizures in early childhood associated with global developmental delay and severely impaired intellectual development. Other features may include hypotonia, quadriparesis, nystagmus, and apnea. Brain imaging may be normal or show nonspecific and variable abnormalities, including cerebral atrophy and polymicrogyria. The severity is variable; some patients die of refractory status epilepticus (summary by Vetro et al., 2021). For a general phenotypic description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of DEE, see 308350.

PPP2R5D-related neurodevelopmental disorder (PPP2R5D-NDD) is characterized by mild-to-profound neurodevelopmental delay, pronounced hypotonia, and macrocephaly. Onset of independent walking varies widely, and ataxia and movement disorders, including early-onset parkinsonism, are reported. Almost all individuals have speech impairment, with a wide range of abilities. Autism spectrum disorder is also reported in some individuals. Seizures and ophthalmologic abnormalities are reported in fewer than half of individuals. Gastrointestinal and skeletal manifestations are reported. Endocrine, cardiac, and genitourinary issues are each reported in a few individuals. To date, more than 100 individuals with PPP2R5D-NDD have been reported.

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy-31B (DEE31B) is an autosomal recessive neurologic disorder with early-onset epilepsy, generalized muscular hypotonia, visual impairment, and severe neurodevelopmental delay (Yigit et al., 2022).

Mitochondrial dysfunctions syndrome-7 (MMDS7) is an autosomal recessive disorder characterized by a clinical spectrum ranging from neonatal fatal glycine encephalopathy to an attenuated phenotype of developmental delay, behavioral problems, limited epilepsy, and variable movement problems (Arribas-Carreira et al., 2023). For a general description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of multiple mitochondrial dysfunctions syndrome, see MMDS1 (605711).

Early-onset epilepsy-3 with or without developmental delay (EPEO3) is an autosomal dominant neurologic disorder characterized by the onset of various types of seizures in the first months or years of life. Many patients present with febrile seizures and later develop afebrile seizures. The severity and disease course is highly variable: some affected individuals have global developmental delay or regression with impaired intellectual development, poor or absent speech, and motor delay, whereas others have normal psychomotor development. More severely affected individuals often show additional features, including hypotonia, gait ataxia, nonspecific dysmorphic features, behavioral abnormalities, and variable anomalies on brain imaging (Mattison et al., 2023, Zhao et al., 2023). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of EPEO, see 617290.

Developmental and epileptic encephalopathy-111 (DEE111) is an autosomal recessive severe neurologic disorder characterized by early-onset refractory seizures, global developmental delay, hypotonia, impaired gross motor development, impaired intellectual development, and absent speech. Most patients have macrocephaly. Brain imaging shows frontal, parietal, and perisylvian polymicrogyria, dysmorphic basal ganglia and corpus callosum, and hypoplastic pons. Additional features may include feeding difficulties, poor vision with ocular anomalies, congenital cardiac abnormalities, and recurrent infections associated with neutropenia. Death in early childhood may occur (Ververi et al., 2023). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of DEE, see 308350.