NDRG1-linked Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease (CMT4D) with central nervous system involvement

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 4D (CMT4D) is an autosomal recessive demyelinating polyneuropathy, associated with deafness exclusively found in Gypsies and resulting from a homozygous R148X mutation in the N-myc downstream-regulated gene 1 (NDRG1). We report the detailed phenotypic study of a family without Gypsy ancestry, who presented with severe demyelinating polyneuropathy, deafness, subcortical white matter abnormalities on brain magnetic resonance imaging studies, and the R148X mutation in NDRG1. For the first time, central nervous system white matter lesions are demonstrated in CMT4D. This report extends the clinical knowledge of CMT4D and indicates that the role of the R148X mutation in NDRG1 in the central nervous system should be further studied.