Neuronal migration disorders are human (or animal) diseases that result from a disruption in the normal movement of neurons from their original birth site to their final destination during early development. As a consequence, the neurons remain somewhere along their migratory route, their location depending on the pathological mechanism and its severity. The neurons form characteristic abnormal...

Classical lissencephaly (smooth brain) or generalized agyria-pachygyria is a severe brain malformation which results from an arrest of neuronal migration at 9-13 weeks gestation. It has been observed in several malformation syndromes including Miller-Dieker syndrome (MDS) and isolated lissencephaly sequence (ILS). A gene containing beta-transducin like repeats, now known as LIS1, was previously...

X linked lissencephaly and subcortical band heterotopia (XLIS/SBH) is a disorder of cortical development, which causes classical lissencephaly with severe mental retardation and epilepsy in hemizygous males and SBH associated with milder mental retardation and epilepsy in heterozygous females. Here we report the fine mapping of a breakpoint involved in a de novo X;autosomal balanced translocati...

X-linked lissencephaly with ambiguous genitalia is a rare and recently described syndrome. We report a neonate presenting with the classical features of the syndrome which includes lissencephaly, agenesis of the corpus callosum, intractable epilepsy of neonatal onset, acquired microcephaly, and male genotype with ambiguous genitalia. The baby was managed aggressively with antiepileptics. Early ...

Neuronal migration disorders can now be recognised by MRI. This paper reports two families in which the mothers had subcortical laminar heterotopia and four of their children had either similar heterotopia (two girls) or severe pachygyria or lissencephaly (two boys). Laminar heterotopia was more evident on MRI T2 weighted images. The patients had mild to severe epilepsy and mental retardation d...

Lissencephaly refers to diso rders of brain form ation in wh ich the surface of the cerebral cortex appears smooth. In affected individuals the layers of cells in the cerebral cortex are abnormal. Scientists believe that this is due to disruption of the early migration pattern of neurons. The two most common forms of lissencephaly are isolated lissencephaly and Mill er-Dicker syndrome (MDS). Pa...