Baraitser-Winter syndrome
Last updated 17 Sept 2024
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Baraitser-Winter syndrome is a condition that affects the development of many parts of the body, particularly the face and the brain.
Description
Baraitser-Winter syndrome is a condition that affects the development of many parts of the body, particularly the face and the brain.
An unusual facial appearance is the most common characteristic of Baraitser-Winter syndrome. Distinctive facial features can include widely spaced eyes (hypertelorism), large eyelid openings, droopy eyelids (ptosis), high-arched eyebrows, a broad nasal bridge and tip of the nose, a long space between the nose and upper lip (philtrum), full cheeks, and a pointed chin.
Structural brain abnormalities are also present in most people with Baraitser-Winter syndrome. These abnormalities are related to impaired neuronal migration, a process by which nerve cells (neurons) move to their proper positions in the developing brain. The most frequent brain abnormality associated with Baraitser-Winter syndrome is pachygyria, which is an area of the brain that has an abnormally smooth surface with fewer folds and grooves. Less commonly, affected individuals have lissencephaly, which is similar to pachygyria but involves the entire brain surface. These structural changes can cause mild to severe intellectual disability, developmental delay, and seizures.
Other features of Baraitser-Winter syndrome can include short stature, ear abnormalities and hearing loss, heart defects, presence of an extra (duplicated) thumb, and abnormalities of the kidneys and urinary system. Some affected individuals have limited movement of large joints, such as the elbows and knees, which may be present at birth or develop over time. Rarely, people with Baraitser-Winter syndrome have involuntary muscle tensing (dystonia).
Inheritance patterns
The source lists the following possible inheritance patterns: Autosomal dominant. More than one pattern can apply in different cases.
Related genes
Other names
BRWS
Cerebro-frontofacial syndrome, type 3
Fryns-Aftimos syndrome
Iris coloboma with ptosis, hypertelorism, and mental retardation
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Further reading and references
- Baraitser-Winter syndrome; MedlinePlus, National Library of Medicine.
- Baraitser M, Winter RM. Iris coloboma, ptosis, hypertelorism, and mental retardation: a new syndrome. J Med Genet. 1988 Jan;25(1):41-3. doi: 10.1136/jmg.25.1.41.
- Pallotta R. Iris coloboma, ptosis, hypertelorism, and mental retardation: a new syndrome possibly localised on chromosome 2. J Med Genet. 1991 May;28(5):342-4. doi: 10.1136/jmg.28.5.342.
- Ramer JC, Lin AE, Dobyns WB, Winter R, Ayme S, Pallotta R, Ladda RL. Previously apparently undescribed syndrome: shallow orbits, ptosis, coloboma, trigonocephaly, gyral malformations, and mental and growth retardation. Am J Med Genet. 1995 Jul 3;57(3):403-9. doi: 10.1002/ajmg.1320570308.
- Riviere JB, van Bon BW, Hoischen A, Kholmanskikh SS, O'Roak BJ, Gilissen C, Gijsen S, Sullivan CT, Christian SL, Abdul-Rahman OA, Atkin JF, Chassaing N, Drouin-Garraud V, Fry AE, Fryns JP, Gripp KW, Kempers M, Kleefstra T, Mancini GM, Nowaczyk MJ, van Ravenswaaij-Arts CM, Roscioli T, Marble M, Rosenfeld JA, Siu VM, de Vries BB, Shendure J, Verloes A, Veltman JA, Brunner HG, Ross ME, Pilz DT, Dobyns WB. De novo mutations in the actin genes ACTB and ACTG1 cause Baraitser-Winter syndrome. Nat Genet. 2012 Feb 26;44(4):440-4, S1-2. doi: 10.1038/ng.1091.
- Rossi M, Guerrini R, Dobyns WB, Andria G, Winter RM. Characterization of brain malformations in the Baraitser-Winter syndrome and review of the literature. Neuropediatrics. 2003 Dec;34(6):287-92. doi: 10.1055/s-2003-44666.
- Verloes A. Iris coloboma, ptosis, hypertelorism, and mental retardation: Baraitser-Winter syndrome or Noonan syndrome? J Med Genet. 1993 May;30(5):425-6. doi: 10.1136/jmg.30.5.425.
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