Clinical recognition and aspects of the cerebral folate deficiency syndromes

Abstract

We characterized cerebral folate deficiency (CFD) as any neuro-psychiatric condition associated with low spinal fluid (CSF) N5-methyltetrahydrofolate (MTHF) but normal folate status outside the central nervous system (CNS). The commonest cause underlying CFD syndromes is the presence of serum autoantibodies of the blocking type directed against folate receptor-α (FRα) attached to the plasma-side of choroid plexus epithelial cells. Blocking FR antibodies inhibit MTHF transport across the choroid plexus. Serum titers of FR antibodies may fluctuate significantly over time. Less frequent causes of CFD are FOLR-1 mutations, mitochondrial disorders and inborn errors affecting folate metabolism. Maternal FR antibodies have been associated with neural tube defects while the presence of FR antibodies in either one or both parents increases the risk of an offspring with infantile autism. Recognizable CFD syndromes attributed to FR-antibodies in childhood are infantile-onset CFD presenting 4-6 months after birth, infantile autism with neurological deficits, and a spastic ataxic syndrome from the age of 1 year, while progressive dystonic or schizophrenic syndromes develop during adolescence. FR autoantibodies are frequently found in autism spectrum disorders, in an Aicardi-Goutières variant and in Rett syndrome. The heterogeneous phenotype of CFD syndromes might be determined by different ages of onset and periods when FR autoantibodies are generated with consequent CNS folate deficiency. Folate deficiency during various critical stages of fetal and infantile development affects structural and functional refinement of the brain. Awareness of CFD syndromes should lead to early detection, diagnosis and improved prognosis of these potentially treatable group of autoimmune and genetically determined conditions.