Novel mutation in STXBP1 gene in a patient with non-lesional Ohtahara syndrome

Ohtahara syndrome (OS, OMIM#308350, ORPHA1934) is an early-onset epileptic encephalopathy (EOEE) characterised by spasms, intractable seizures, suppression-burst pattern on the electroencephalogram, and severe psychomotor retardation. Mutations in STXBP1 -a gene that codes for syntaxin binding protein 1 and is involved in synaptic vesicle exocytosis- has been identified in most patients with OS.

We report the case of a 19-month-old child with OS who displays a previously unreported mutation in STXBP1 (c.1249+2T>C, G417AfsX7). This mutation is located in a donor splice site and eliminates exon 14, resulting in a truncated protein.

This previously unreported STXBP1 mutation in a subject with Ohtahara syndrome and non-lesional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) broadens the mutational spectrum associated with this devastating epileptic syndrome.