Psychiatric illness and intellectual disability in the Prader-Willi syndrome with different molecular defects--a meta

Lin Yang1, Guo-dong Zhan, Jun-jie Ding

  • 1Children's Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai, China.

Plos One
|August 23, 2013
PubMed

Insights

Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) with paternal deletion shows lower IQ, while maternal uniparental disomy (mUPD) is linked to higher psychiatric risks. These findings highlight distinct clinical features based on PWS genetic causes.

Area of Science:

  • Genetics
  • Neuroscience
  • Clinical Medicine

Background:

  • Prader-Willi syndrome (PWS) is a complex genetic disorder.
  • Existing research suggests varying clinical presentations based on the molecular genetic cause of PWS, specifically paternal 15q11-q13 deletion versus maternal uniparental disomy (mUPD).

Purpose of the Study:

  • To conduct a meta-analysis evaluating the association between different genetic defects in PWS and clinical features.
  • To compare intellectual ability and psychiatric illness profiles in PWS patients with paternal deletion versus mUPD.

Main Methods:

  • Systematic literature search of PubMed and EMBASE databases (1956-2012).
  • Meta-analysis using a fixed-effect model.
  • Calculation of mean differences and odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals for cognitive and psychiatric outcomes.

Main Results:

  • Analysis of 744 PWS cases (423 paternal deletion, 318 mUPD).
  • PWS with paternal deletion showed significantly lower Full Scale IQ and Verbal IQ, but higher Performance IQ compared to mUPD.
  • PWS with mUPD had a significantly higher risk of psychiatric illness, including bipolar disorder, compared to paternal deletion.

Conclusions:

  • Distinct cognitive and psychiatric profiles are associated with different molecular defects in Prader-Willi syndrome.
  • These findings support tailored evaluation and management strategies for PWS based on its specific genetic cause.
Abstract

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