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angelman syndrome
Happy Puppet Syndrome
 Nelly Adamson
Anthony Scozzari, 12-05-80
 Angelman syndrome is a neurological disorder characterized by
 severe congenital mental retardation,
 unusual facial appearance,
 and muscular abnormalities.
 Symptoms of Angelman syndrome include [see below]
 unstable jerky gait,
 hand flapping,
 unusually happy demeanor,
 developmental delay,
 lack of or diminished speech,
 and microcephaly (small head).
 Epilepsy may develop in the early years of life,
 however it may decrease with age.
 Patients may also have balance problems.
 A chromosomal disorder resulting in a syndrome characterized by :
 *** dysmorphic facial features
 with neurological and behavioural manifestations.
 age of onset:
first year of life (gross motor delay & microbrachycephaly)
 risk factors:
 maternally-derived de novo deletion of chromosome 15q11-13
M= F
 interstitial deletion (maternally-derived de novo deletion of chromosome 15q11-13)- 75-80%
 no cytogenetic anomaly found (10-15%)
 rearrangement of maternal chromosome 15 (5%)
 uniparental disomy (both chromosome 15's from father) - 3%
Maternal But Not Paternal Transmission of 15q11-13-Linked Nondeletion Angelman Syndrome Leads to Phenotypic Expression
 Developmental delay, functionally severe
 Speech impairment, none or minimal use of words; receptive and non-verbal communication skills higher than verbal ones
 Movement or balance disorder, usually ataxia of gait and/or tremulous movement of limbs
 Behavioral uniqueness: any combination of frequent laughter/smiling; apparent happy demeanor; easily excitable personality, often with hand flapping movements; hypermotoric behavior; short attention span
 Delayed, disproportionate growth in head circumference, usually resulting in Microcephaly (absolute or relative) by age 2
 Seizures, onset usually < 3 years of age
 Abnormal EEC, characteristic pattern with large amplitude slow-spike waves
Associated (20 - 80%)
 Strabismus
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 Hypopigmented skin and eyes
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 Tongue thrusting; suck/swallowing disorders
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 Hyperactive tendon reflexes
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 Feeding problems during infancy
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 Uplifted, flexed arms during walking
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 Prominent mandible
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 Increased sensitivity to heat
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 Wide mouth, wide-spaced teeth
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 Sleep disturbance
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 Frequent drooling, protruding tongue
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 Attraction to/fascination with water
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 Excessive chewing/mouthing behaviors
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 Flat back of head
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CLINICAL FEATURES:
mental retardation
* speech impairment - little or no speech and limited communication skills
* movement or balance disorder - children with Angelman Syndrome usually
have an unsteady, stiff gait with legs wide and arms uplifted. Balance
improves in some individuals with age. Hand tremulousness is also common
* happy, smiling disposition children will laugh easily
* epilepsy
* hyperactivity
* flattened back of the head
* drooling and excessive chewing
* hypopigmented skin - light hair and eye colour
* small widely spaced teeth
* wide mouth, protruding tongue with prominent jaw.
1. Neurological Manifestations
 gross motor developmental delay (100%)
 severe mental retardation (100%)
 ataxia +/- wide-based stiff gait (100%)
 absent speech (98%)
 truncal hypotonia (90%)
 limb hypertonia +/- flexion contractures (85%)
 hyperreflexia (85%)
 seizures (begin in infancy to 2nd year of life and tend to occur in clusters) - 80%
TYPES OF EPILEPTIC SEIZURES
 There are many types of seizures, and Angelman kids usually have more than one type.
 Most seizures are brief, lasting seconds to minutes.
 We use the term status epilepticus to describe seizures lasting longer than 30 to 60 minutes, or shorter seizures occurring frequently, with incomplete recovery of consciousness between the spells.
ABSENCE SEIZURES
 consist of loss of awareness without convulsive jerking.
Absence status epilepticus occurs in Angelman kids who may be in and out of seizures for hours to months.
MYOCLONUS
 consists of a single jerk of a muscle or group of muscles.
 If there are multiple jerks, they are often random and arrhythmic.
 The jerks may be subtle, or involve massive contraction of all the muscles of the body.
 They may be followed briefly by stiffness and momentary confusion.
 These stronger spells are myoclonic seizures. Some children have such frequent seizures that they are in myoclonic status epilepticus.
DROP ATTACKS
 (also called astatic, atonic and akinetic seizures) are similar to myoclonic seizures.
 In these spells, the children may have a slight droop of the head, or fall to the floor or against the table with no ability to protect themselves.
 These kids often need to wear a helmet to protect the face and head.
Ataxia comprises the unsteadiness and inaccurate movements of Angelman kids, and is not epileptic. Similarly, the unprovoked laughter in some Angelman kids is not epileptic.
TONIC-CLONIC CONVULSIONS
 consist of stiffening (tonic phase), usually with extension of the body and limbs.
 Rhythmic jerking (clonic phase) consists of a rapid muscle contraction followed by a longer period of relaxation giving a "check mark" shape to the movements.
 After the spell, the child is often floppy and sleepy, but may be confused and combative.
 A spell of stiffening without jerking is called a tonic convulsion.
 Prolonged convulsive status epilepticus can cause brain damage, or death, and is a medical emergency.
PARTIAL SEIZURES
 may involve turning of the head and eyes to one side.
 Sometimes the whole body turns, or the person may walk in a circle.
 If there is a loss of consciousness, the spell is called a complex partial seizure.
REFLEX INDUCED SEIZURES
 are very unusual, but do occur in some Angelman kids.
 The seizures may be of any type.
 A sudden, unexpected noise, such as the phone ringing, may bring on the spell.
 Eating induced seizures may occur even with the thought of food.
SPELLS WHICH ARE NOT EPILEPTIC SEIZURES
STARING SPELLS
 may be confused with seizures.
 The child may be unresponsive to calling his or her name, but usually comes around when touched or gently shaken.
 The spells usually do not occur when the child is actively interested in something.
 The important difference is that there is no change in consciousness if the child is just not paying attention.
CHOREA
 is a movement disorder with jerks of a muscle or a group of muscles occurring randomly.
 Occasionally, chorea can be so severe as to resemble a convulsion.
 Acute DYSTONIC reactions also may resemble seizures.
 These sometimes occur with drugs such as Compazine or Phenergan.
Angelman kids have lots of tremors and jerky movements normally, and they may be hard to distinguish from seizures.
ANGRY OUTBURSTS,
 or temper tantrums, are common in all kids, and in Angelman children.
 Sometimes children seem to lose control for no reason.
 However, careful history usually reveals some precipitating event.
 Afterward the child is drained and often sleeps.
2. Facial Dysmorphisms*
 pointed chin +/- prognathism (95%)
 brachycephaly with flattened occiput (90%)
 blue eyes (88%)
 macrostomia (large mouth) - 75%
 tongue protrusion (70%)
 blond hair (65%)
 widely-spaced teeth (60%)
 strabismus (40%)
 occipital groove (35%)
 bowed primary dentation (35%)
 Others: head circumference <25th%, thin upper lip, mid- facial hypoplasia, deep set eyes, decreased pigment of choroid and iris
* absent at birth but become evident by 5 years of age
3. Behavioural Manifestations
 jerky movements ( develop by 1 year of age)
 tongue thrusting and mouthing
 hand flapping
 hyperactivity & hypermotor behaviours
 sleep disturbances
 miserable babies
 paroxysms of laughter (develop at 3-4 years of age)
4. Musculoskeletal Manifestations
 scoliosis (10%) - onset by 5 years of age and progressive
 arms flexed at the elbows and upheld
 small hands and feet
5. Other Manifestations
 skin hypopigmentation
 feeding problems (75%)
INVESTIGATIONS:
1. Imaging Studies
1. CT/MRI
mild cortical atrophy
mild generalized ventricular enlargement
2. EEG
 large amplitude slow wave activity (4-6 cycles/sec) which persists and is unrelated to drowsiness
 very large amplitude slow wave activity (2-3 cycles/sec) occurring in runs and more prominent anteriorly - spikes or sharp waves mixed with large amplitude 3-4 cycles /sec components seen posteriorly and usually on passive eye closure
 findings less evident with age
MANAGEMENT:
1. Supportive
 no treatment for underlying disease
 multidisciplinary approach
 Paediatrics, Neurology, Orthopedics
 physiotherapy and adaptive devices
 non-speaking methods of communication
 surgery for flexion contractures
 genetic counselling
2. Prognosis
 most reach adulthood
 basic self-care skills are needed throughout adulthood
 severity of seizures tends to decrease with age
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