This is a competitive renewal of a multidisciplinary research program for the study of the clinical, communicative, neurophysiological, nutritional, epidemiologic, molecular genetic, and neuropathological aspects of Rett syndrome (RS). A variety of analytic modalities will be employed to address the fundamental mechanism(s) responsible for this disorder affecting females in early childhood. The program project consists of five projects, an administrative core, and a Design and Analysis Core. Project 1 will assess several problematic clinical features of RS which have therapeutic implications: the frequency, severity, and pattern of progression of ECG abnormalities and the possible relationship to sudden death in RS; the frequency of epileptic and non-epileptic paroxysmal events by video/EEG/monitoring versus the parental reports of seizures, the latter of which we regard as too high. Project 7 will assess energy intake and expenditure in correlation with sleep/wake cycle, heart rate variability and waking activity levels and examine responses of those to nutritional supplementation. Project 4 will continue the epidemiologic studies of the Texas RS Registry (TRSR) and the international RS survival study as well as extend the strategies of the TRSR to the state of Oregon with its significantly different demographic characteristics. Molecular genetic studies (Project 5) will extend the important observations to-date focusing on the X-chromosome with respect to translocation sites and candidate genes. Project 6 will expand the current neuropathologic observations and explore leads with regard to specific brainstem receptors, cerebral cortex morphometry, and possible mitochondrial dysfunction in muscle. Through the Design and Analysis Core, extensive networking will be developed to provide a national database for RS investigators. As stated in the previous application, this research program has evolved from the concerted efforts of clinical and basic researchers over the past eight years and represents an important opportunity to extend these collaborations.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health & Human Development (NICHD)
Type
Research Program Projects (P01)
Project #
5P01HD024234-07
Application #
2199098
Study Section
Mental Retardation Research Committee (HDMR)
Project Start
1988-05-01
Project End
1996-04-30
Budget Start
1994-05-01
Budget End
1995-04-30
Support Year
7
Fiscal Year
1994
Total Cost
Indirect Cost
Name
Baylor College of Medicine
Department
Pediatrics
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
074615394
City
Houston
State
TX
Country
United States
Zip Code
77030
Motil, Kathleen J; Schultz, Rebecca J; Abrams, Steven et al. (2006) Fractional calcium absorption is increased in girls with Rett syndrome. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 42:419-26
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Motil, K J; Schultz, R J; Browning, K et al. (1999) Oropharyngeal dysfunction and gastroesophageal dysmotility are present in girls and women with Rett syndrome. J Pediatr Gastroenterol Nutr 29:31-7
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Armstrong, D D; Dunn, K; Antalffy, B (1998) Decreased dendritic branching in frontal, motor and limbic cortex in Rett syndrome compared with trisomy 21. J Neuropathol Exp Neurol 57:1013-7
Schultz, R; Glaze, D; Motil, K et al. (1998) Hand and foot growth failure in Rett syndrome. J Child Neurol 13:71-4
Wan, M; Cravatt, B F; Ring, H Z et al. (1998) Conserved chromosomal location and genomic structure of human and mouse fatty-acid amide hydrolase genes and evaluation of clasper as a candidate neurological mutation. Genomics 54:408-14
Cummings, C J; Dahle, E J; Zoghbi, H Y (1998) Analysis of the genomic structure of the human glycine receptor alpha2 subunit gene and exclusion of this gene as a candidate for Rett syndrome. Am J Med Genet 78:176-8
Van den Veyver, I B; Subramanian, S; Zoghbi, H Y (1998) Genomic structure of a human holocytochrome c-type synthetase gene in Xp22.3 and mutation analysis in patients with Rett syndrome. Am J Med Genet 78:179-81
Motil, K J; Schultz, R J; Wong, W W et al. (1998) Increased energy expenditure associated with repetitive involuntary movement does not contribute to growth failure in girls with Rett syndrome. J Pediatr 132:228-33

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