Congenital mirror movements in a family: Outcomes associated with DCC mutations

Congenital mirror movement disorder refers to involuntary movements on one side of the body that mimic the deliberate movements on the opposite side. Congenital mirror movement is primarily associated with mutations in the DCC netrin-1 receptor (DCC) gene.

A 3-year-old child had been involuntarily grasping with one hand and then the other from infancy. His neuromotor development corresponded with that of his contemporaries. Identical unusual movements were also observed in his father, uncle, and grandmother within his family heritage. In the family where identical observations were noted throughout three generations, the mildest manifestations were reported in the grandmother, but our patient, the index case, had more significant symptoms. The quadruple WES study of the family indicated that all clinically symptomatic individuals harbored a nonsense mutation in the DCC gene.

Mirror movements, typically identified in childhood, may result from genetic or neurological disorders. This study presents four individuals from the same family diagnosed with congenital mirror movement disorder.