Premium
Partial agenesis of the corpus callosum, hippocampal atrophy, and stable intellectual disability associated with Roifman syndrome
Author(s) -
Fairchild Helen R.,
Fairchild Graeme,
Tierney Kevin M.,
McCartney Deborah L.,
Cross Justin J.,
de Vries Petrus J.
Publication year - 2011
Publication title -
american journal of medical genetics part a
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.064
H-Index - 112
eISSN - 1552-4833
pISSN - 1552-4825
DOI - 10.1002/ajmg.a.34215
Subject(s) - psychology , corpus callosum , neurocognitive , intellectual disability , audiology , cognition , amygdala , williams syndrome , superior temporal sulcus , corpus callosum agenesis , borderline intellectual functioning , atrophy , agenesis , agenesis of the corpus callosum , developmental psychology , neuroscience , medicine , psychiatry , pathology , perception , anatomy
In 2006, we reported the cognitive and behavioral phenotype of the seventh case of Roifman syndrome (OMIM 300258). Aged 11 years 6 months, the patient displayed significant intellectual disability with proportionate impairments in attentional‐executive, memory, and visuo‐spatial abilities despite appearing socially “able.” This discrepancy may be explained by good social‐emotional skills masking his intellectual disability, by decline in cognitive abilities over time, or by unusual neuroradiological abnormalities not previously examined in Roifman syndrome. Here, we present results from a structural MRI scan, neurocognitive evaluations repeated 2 and 5 years post‐baseline and assessments of face and emotional processing. The MRI revealed partial agenesis of the corpus callosum, bilateral hypoplastic hippocampi but bilaterally intact amygdala. No evidence was found for decline in the patient's neurocognitive profile. Emotional processing data indicated an age‐appropriate pattern of reactivity to emotional stimuli and preserved facial identity recognition abilities, but impairments in recognition of negative facial expressions. The results confirmed a stable pattern of intellectual disability, and indicated that Roifman syndrome may be associated with major structural neuro‐anatomical abnormalities. We suggest that the relative strengths in emotion and face processing are consistent with the patient's apparently able social behavior, and with intact amygdalar function. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.