Clinical Heterogeneity of Neuronal Ceroid Lipofuscinosis Type 13: A Case Report and Systematic Review of Literature

In this study, we describe a 54-year-old Indian woman who presented with clinical features of Kufs syndrome A (KSA) and Kufs syndrome B (KSB), as well as neuropathologic and genetic findings consistent with neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis type 13 (CLN13). Subsequently, we review the clinicopathologic features of 20 patients with CLN13 reported in the literature.

Data and imaging were obtained from the patient's medical records. The patient was examined neuropathologically, and next-generation sequencing was performed.

Clinical radiologic scans revealed bilateral cortical atrophy, ventriculomegaly, a thin corpus callosum, and cerebellar vermian atrophy. Pathologic examination was remarkable for NCL. Postmortem genetic testing revealed a homozygous cathepsin F (CTSF) indel variant. A review of 20 reported CLN13 patients revealed novel clinical subtypes, including KSB type I (KSB-I), KSB type II (KSB-II), and Kufs syndrome C (KSC).

CLN13 was clinically heterogeneous. Most patients with CLN13 (14/20) did not present with classic KSB (KSB-I). Instead, 6 patients presented with KSB-II, 4 patients presented with KSC (including the present patient), and 3 patients presented with dementia. Our results expand the CLN13 clinical spectrum and emphasize the importance of screening CTSF variants in clinical dementia and movement disorder cohorts.