Van Hirtum LDFM, Van Damme T, Van Hove JLK, Steyaert JG. The behavioral phenotype of children and adolescents with attenuated non-ketotic hyperglycinemia, intermediate to good subtype.
Orphanet J Rare Dis 2024;
19:150. [PMID:
38589924 PMCID:
PMC11003182 DOI:
10.1186/s13023-024-03172-3]
[Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/30/2024] [Indexed: 04/10/2024] Open
Abstract
AIM
We aim to describe the behavioral phenotype of children and adolescents with the good to intermediate attenuated form of non-ketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH) and to explore associations between the behavioral phenotype and age, sex, plasma glycine levels and drug treatment.
METHOD
Parents of children with attenuated NKH completed questionnaires assessing maladaptive behavior, adaptive behavior, social communication, speech/language development and motor development in addition to demographic and medical questions.
RESULTS AND INTERPRETATION
Twelve children, age 6 to 21y, functioned at mild to severe intellectual disability levels. Their speech/language development was in line with their developmental quotient. Relative to their intellectual functioning, their motor development and communication were weaker in comparison to their general development. Their adaptive behavior, however, appeared a relative strength. There was no evidence for autism spectrum disorder occurring more frequently than expected, rather social skills, except for communication, were rated as a relative strength. Maladaptive behaviors with ADHD-like characteristics were present in more than two thirds of children. Maladaptive behaviors were significantly related to female sex and to taking dextromethorphan, but no significant relation between plasma glycine levels and behavior was found. Future studies will need to evaluate causality in the observed relation between dextromethorphan use and maladaptive behaviors. Clinicians should reconsider the benefit of dextromethorphan when presented with disruptive behaviors in children with attenuated NKH.
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