Clinical and neurobehavioral phenotype in children with autism and intragenic copy number duplications in CNTN4: Case series report

Abstract

Copy Number Variation (CNV) of contactin genes (CNTNs) - CNTN3, CNTN4, CNTN5, and CNTN6 - have been associated with various neurodevelopmental disorders, including Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, the literature on the associated phenotypes to specific copy number variants of these genes is still scarce. Therefore, limiting clinicians' and researchers' understanding of the impact of these CNVs makes genetic counselling regarding recurrence risks more challenging. In this study, we report on five patients with rare CNVs involving the CNTN4 gene and the associated clinical and neurobehavioral phenotype. Overall, the patients exhibited stereotypic motor symptoms, including finger and hand mannerisms (4/5), and repetitive use of objects (4/5), as well as sensory symptoms, including unusual sensory interests or hypersensitivity (4/5). One child of the cohort had epilepsy, and (4/5) had Intellectual Disability. All cases fulfilled DSM-5 criteria for diagnosis of Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). However, larger cohorts are needed for unbiased characterization of the phenotypic features associated with the genetic variations in CNTN4.