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What Is Aicardi Syndrome?

What Is Aicardi Syndrome?

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What is Aicardi Syndrome?

Aicardi syndrome is a rare genetic disorder that primarily affects newborn girls. The condition is sporadic, meaning it is not known to pass from parent to child. (An exception is a report of two sisters and a pair of identical twins, all of whom were affected.) The mutation that causes Aicardi syndrome has not been identified. Scientists believe that the gene associated with the condition is located on the X chromosome because nearly all affected individuals are female and the only reports of boys having Aicardi syndrome are in boys born with an extra "X" chromosome. (Females have two X chromosomes, while males normally have an X and a Y chromosome.) Girls with Aicardi syndrome often develop seizures prior to three months and most before one year of age.

Originally, Aicardi syndrome was characterized by three main features: 1) partial or complete absence of the structure (corpus callosum) that links the two halves of the brain (2) complex seizures, generally starting as infantile spasms, and 3) retinal lacunae, lesions on the retina that look like yellowish spots. However, Aicardi syndrome is now known to have a much broader spectrum of abnormalities than was initially described. Not all girls with the condition have the three features described above and many girls have additional features.



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