Evidence Hub

A Rare CTBP1-Related Neurodevelopmental Disorder Is Associated with Impaired Mitochondrial Bioenergetics: A Functional Case Report

Ivanov Z, Gevezova M, Pacheva I, Ketev K, Chochkova-Bukova L, Sarafian V, Ivanov I

International journal of molecular sciences, 2026

1 citation

Abstract

The C-terminal binding protein 1 (CTBP1) is a transcriptional corepressor with a major role in nervous system growth and development. There are only 20 published cases with CTBP1 mutations, displaying a phenotype of Hypotonia, Ataxia, Developmental Delay and Tooth enamel defect Syndrome (HADDTS). Histochemical evidence of decreased mitochondrial respiratory chain activity has been previously reported, but comprehensive data on the metabolic phenotype assessed by various cellular respiration parameters are still missing. We present a 10-year-old female with typical HADDTS features, harboring the most reported de novo heterozygous CTBP1 mutation c.991C>T. To elucidate her metabolic phenotype, we quantified mitochondrial respiration in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) utilizing an analyzer for assessing mitochondrial function (Seahorse XFp). Real-time metabolic assays revealed profound mitochondrial dysfunction with significantly attenuated maximal respiration and spare respiratory capacity compared to neurotypical controls. Following mitochondria-targeted nutritional support for one-year measurable bioenergetic improvements and reduced number of respiratory infections were registered. However, neurological recovery and new skill acquisition were not observed. We present a novel case of CTBP1-related neurodevelopmental disorder and demonstrate, for the first time, the application of non-invasive, real-time mitochondrial functional assessment in this setting, providing…

How strong is the evidence?

Evidence Hub reads this as a case report, done in people. Its evidence level is 5 of 5 (Very low · case / narrative / animal / in vitro / in silico). Case reports, narrative reviews, and animal, cell or computer-model studies give the weakest evidence for human health.

How the five levels of evidence work. The level is assigned automatically from the abstract and can be wrong, so check the paper.

Read the paper

Related studies

Go deeper in Evidence Hub

Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.

Open this study Sign up free