Active clinical trials for "Rett Syndrome"

The aim of this study is to evaluate the safety and tolerability of triheptanoin in participants with Rett syndrome using laboratory values, electrocardiogram, rate of adverse events (AE), and physical exam.This study also seeks to evaluate the efficacy of UX007 (triheptanoin) in improving overall seizure frequency and dystonia.

OBJECTIVES: I. Determine dietary macronutrient intake in children with Rett syndrome and in healthy controls. II. Measure sleeping and awake metabolic rates in various positions, i.e., reclining, sitting, and standing, by whole-room indirect calorimetry and isotope dilution. III. Quantify activity patterns by time-motion studies using 24-hour activity records and 12-hour videotaping. IV. Correlate 24-hour activity patterns with 24-hour heart rate telemetry and short-term oxygen consumption. V. Estimate 24-hour fecal and urinary energy losses. VI. Determine body composition by clinical anthropometry, whole-body potassium counting, and total-body electrical conductance. VII. Calculate apparent energy needs based on measurement of energy intake and expenditure.

Based on our clinical observations, many girls with RETT syndrome, a severe neuro-developmental encephalopathy, suffer from osteoporosis which can appear at a very early age (before age 10) and can lead to fractures, pain and a limitation in mobility. Few epidemiological studies have estimated the frequency of osteoporosis in girls with RETT syndrome and showed that they are more exposed then children with other neuro-developmental diseases with a same degree of neurological handicap. However, the mechanisms that lead to early osteoporosis in RETT syndrome remain unknown. Mutations in the MECP2 gene are found in 95% of RETT patients and preliminary experimental studies have shown that this can lead to abnormal expression of the gene that codes for osteoprotegerin, a protein implicated in bone remodelling by interacting with RANK-ligand. In order to identify risk factors of osteoporosis in RETT syndrome and to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms the study protocol includes: Clinical evaluation of bone health (history of bone fractures, pain, nutritional status, pubertal stage, daily caloric/calcium intake, anti-epileptic drugs, walking ability, vitamin D satus) evaluation of the mineral density at the lumber spine using DEXA measuring concentrations of osteoprotegerin and RANK-ligand

The purpose of this study is to advance understanding of the natural history of Rett syndrome (RTT), MECP2-duplication disorder (MECP2 Dup), CDKL5, FOXG1, and individuals with MECP2 mutations who do not have RTT including the range of clinical involvement and to correlate genotype-phenotype over a broad spectrum of phenotypes. While much has been learned about RTT, improvements are required in understanding the role of factors such as X chromosome inactivation, genetic background, and others including the environment, on the great variability observed even between individuals with the same MECP2 mutation. These data will be essential to the development and conduct of clinical trials that are anticipated from ongoing studies in animal models for RTT. This study will not include clinical trials, but should set the stage for such trials and other translational research projects (e.g., development of biomarkers).

Rett Syndrome (RTT) is a genetic brain disorder that occurs almost exclusively in females and is usually caused by a change (mutation) in the gene MECP2. The disorder is characterized by multiple developmental problems, as well as behavioral features, such as repetitive stereotypic hand movements, including hand washing, wringing, and tapping. While there is no cure for RTT, recent advances in the understanding of the disease suggest that the development of new, effective therapies is promising. This study will gather information on the genetic defects that cause RTT, the physical expressions of these defects, and disease progression. In turn, this may direct the development of future treatments. Expanded studies include individuals with MECP2 Duplication disorder, and RTT-related disorders including individuals with MECP2 mutations, but not meeting obligatory criteria for the diagnosis of RTT and individuals with mutations in CDKL5 and FOXG1 some of whom meet criteria for atypical RTT.

The overall purpose of this project is to advance understanding of the neurophysiological features of Rett syndrome (RTT), MECP2 Duplication (MECP2 Dup) and RTT-related disorders (CDKL5, FOXG1) to gain insight into disease pathogenesis, with an emphasis on identifying biomarkers of disease evolution and severity. This specific study is intertwined to the core study Natural History of Rett Syndrome and Related Disorders (RTT5211), which characterizes range of clinical involvement and genotype-phenotype correlations and will provide phenotypical data for determining the clinical relevance of the neurophysiologic parameters; study subjects here are co- and primarily enrolled in RTT5211. The proposed studies will serve as basis of future translational investigations, including further refinement of biomarkers, development of outcome measures, and clinical trials per se.

The overarching purpose of this study is to advance understanding of the natural history of Rett syndrome (RTT), MECP2-duplication disorder (MECP2 Dup), RTT-related disorders including CDKL5, FOXG1, and individuals with MECP2 mutations who do not have RTT. Although all these disorders are the result of specific genetic changes, there remains broad clinical variation that is not entirely accounted for by known biological factors. Additionally, clinical investigators currently do not have any biomarkers of disease status, clinical severity, or responsiveness to therapeutic intervention. To address these issues, biological materials (DNA, RNA, plasma, cell lines) will be collected from affected individuals and in some cases from unaffected family members, initial evaluation performed to identify additional biological factors contributing to disease severity, and these materials will be stored for future characterization.

OBJECTIVES: I. Evaluate electrocardiographic parameters, including QT and PR intervals and QRS morphology/duration, across clinical stages in patients with Rett syndrome. II. Characterize abnormalities of cardiac conduction and repolarization. III. Assess arrhythmias, heart rate variability, and autonomic nervous system function in these patients using 24-hour Holter monitoring. IV. Record events believed to represent seizures with video, electroencephalogram (EEG), and polygraph monitoring in patients who have more than 1 clinical seizure every 5 days. V. Characterize these events with respect to clinical manifestations, EEG correlates, and other physiologic data. VI. Determine the frequency of seizures vs. events without electrographic correlates in these patients. VII. Determine whether Rett syndrome patients have characteristic or unique types of seizures and/or an epileptic syndrome.

The overall purpose of this study is to develop a broad-based (i.e., multiple domains) behavioral outcome measure for children between the ages of 3-18 years with Rett syndrome (RTT). The innovative approach of this proposal consists of integrating the process of developing a behavioral questionnaire to an ongoing large-scale data collection project. The Natural History Study of Rett Syndrome and Related Disorders (RTT5211) is a project that collects data on diverse aspects of the clinical evolution of individuals with RTT and related disorders. This project will serve as the basis for recruitment of subjects and it will also provide key demographic and clinical data for cohort characterization and for determining clinical relevance of the instrument (RettBe). An initial 100-subject cohort will allow for the testing with one rater of RettBe 1.0, a 50-item questionnaire formed from existing measures, a panel of clinicians and behavioral experts in RTT, and a focus group of parents and caregivers of children with RTT. Scores on RettBe 1.0 will be statistically analyzed to determine their psychometric properties, including its content validity. Items that do not meet psychometric standards (e.g., ceiling effect) will be eliminated. Additional items will be added if the parental survey attached to RettBe 1.0 or clinician input suggests so. The resulting modified assessment, called RettBe 2.0, will be administered to a larger (validation) cohort of 300 participants. RettBe 2.0 will also be subjected to analysis of psychometric properties. RettBe 2.0 will also be administered to two raters per subject, in order to determine inter-rater reliability. In addition, these raters will be completing other behavioral and clinical measures for further evaluating the validity of RettBe 2.0 as well as for determining its clinical and functional significance. Finally, the investigators will obtain input from a panel of clinicians (site PIs and their designated clinicians) about content validity and clinical impact. The resulting version will be released as RettBe 3.0.

This measurement validation study will use qualitative and quantitative methodology to evaluate the Observer-Reported Communication Ability Measure (ORCA), to appropriately capture communication abilities in individuals with Rett syndrome. The ORCA Measure is a caregiver-reported questionnaire that collects caregiver observations of their child's communication abilities including expressive, receptive and pragmatic communication types. Caregivers will participate via phone interviews and online surveys. Approximately 270 participants will be enrolled.