Key issues in Rett syndrome: emotional, behavioural and autonomic dysregulation (EBAD) - a target for clinical trials. 2018

Jatinder Singh, and Paramala Santosh
Department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, UK.

Complex neurodevelopmental disorders need multi-disciplinary treatment approaches for optimal care. The clinical effectiveness of treatments is limited in patients with rare genetic syndromes with multisystem morbidity. Emotional and behavioural dysregulation is common across many neurodevelopmental disorders. It can manifest in children across multiple diagnostic groups, including those on the autism spectrum and in rare genetic syndromes such as Rett Syndrome (RTT). There is, however a remarkable scarcity in the literature on the impact of the autonomic component on emotional and behavioural regulation in these disorders, and on the longer-term outcomes on disorder burden.RTT is a debilitating and often life-threatening disorder involving multiple overlapping physiological systems. Autonomic dysregulation otherwise known as dysautonomia is a cardinal feature of RTT characterised by an imbalance between the sympathetic and parasympathetic arms of the autonomic nervous system. Unlocking the autonomic component of emotional and behavioural dysregulation would be central in reducing the impairment seen in patients with RTT. In this vein, Emotional, Behavioural and Autonomic Dysregulation (EBAD) would be a useful construct to target for treatment which could mitigate burden and improve the quality of life of patients.RTT can be considered as a congenital dysautonomia and because EBAD can give rise to impairments occurring in multiple overlapping physiological systems, understanding these physiological responses arising out of EBAD would be a critical part to consider when planning treatment strategies and improving clinical outcomes in these patients. Biometric guided pharmacological and bio-feedback therapy for the behavioural and emotional aspects of the disorder offers an attracting perspective to manage EBAD in these patients. This can also allow for the stratification of patients into clinical trials and could ultimately help streamline the patient care pathway for optimal outcomes.The objectives of this review are to emphasise the key issues relating to the management of EBAD in patients with RTT, appraise clinical trials done in RTT from the perspective of autonomic physiology and to discuss the potential of EBAD as a target for clinical trials.

UI MeSH Term Description Entries
D009421 Nervous System Malformations Structural abnormalities of the central or peripheral nervous system resulting primarily from defects of embryogenesis. Nervous System Abnormalities,Abnormalities, Congenital, Nervous System,Abnormalities, Nervous System,Anomalies, Nervous System,Congenital Abnormalities, Nervous System,Congenital Anomalies, Nervous System,Congenital Malformations, Nervous System,Cranioschisis,Malformations, Nervous System, Congenital,Nervous System Anomalies,Nervous System Congenital Abnormalities,Nervous System Congenital Malformations,Nervous System Malformations, Congenital,Abnormality, Nervous System,Anomaly, Nervous System,Cranioschises,Malformation, Nervous System,Malformations, Nervous System,Nervous System Abnormality,Nervous System Anomaly,Nervous System Malformation
D011788 Quality of Life A generic concept reflecting concern with the modification and enhancement of life attributes, e.g., physical, political, moral, social environment as well as health and disease. HRQOL,Health-Related Quality Of Life,Life Quality,Health Related Quality Of Life
D002986 Clinical Trials as Topic Works about pre-planned studies of the safety, efficacy, or optimum dosage schedule (if appropriate) of one or more diagnostic, therapeutic, or prophylactic drugs, devices, or techniques selected according to predetermined criteria of eligibility and observed for predefined evidence of favorable and unfavorable effects. This concept includes clinical trials conducted both in the U.S. and in other countries. Clinical Trial as Topic
D004644 Emotions Those affective states which can be experienced and have arousing and motivational properties. Feelings,Regret,Emotion,Feeling,Regrets
D006801 Humans Members of the species Homo sapiens. Homo sapiens,Man (Taxonomy),Human,Man, Modern,Modern Man
D015518 Rett Syndrome An inherited neurological developmental disorder that is associated with X-LINKED INHERITANCE and may be lethal in utero to hemizygous males. The affected female is normal until the age of 6-25 months when progressive loss of voluntary control of hand movements and communication skills; ATAXIA; SEIZURES; autistic behavior; intermittent HYPERVENTILATION; and HYPERAMMONEMIA appear. (From Menkes, Textbook of Child Neurology, 5th ed, p199) Autism-Dementia-Ataxia-Loss of Purposeful Hand Use Syndrome,Cerebroatrophic Hyperammonemia,Autism, Dementia, Ataxia, and Loss of Purposeful Hand Use,Rett Disorder,Rett's Disorder,Rett's Syndrome,Autism Dementia Ataxia Loss of Purposeful Hand Use Syndrome,Cerebroatrophic Hyperammonemias,Hyperammonemia, Cerebroatrophic,Hyperammonemias, Cerebroatrophic,Retts Syndrome,Syndrome, Rett,Syndrome, Rett's

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