**New Genetic Disorder Leads to Extra Digits and Neurological Problems**

A new genetic disorder has been discovered by researchers at the University of Tokyo, in which an individual has more than the normal number of fingers or toes and various neurological symptoms. In a breakthrough finding, an international research team has said that the condition results from individual mutations in the MAX gene and can be treated with a small molecule that is currently being trialed for another condition.

**I[b]dentification of a New Genetic Disorder[/b]**

Researchers at the University of Leeds, heading a recent collaborative study, have identified a rare genetic disorder causing polydactyly—extra fingers and toes—and other birth defects. The condition, as yet unnamed, is associated with mutations in the MAX gene. It also involves symptoms such as constant issues with brain development, including autism.

Polydactyly is a congenital condition; the result is one or both hands and/or feet have more digits than normal. These extra digits can be either fully functional appendages or very vestigial appendages and which form taken varies. This is among the most common congenital limb anomaly.

This study is the first to identify this genetic link and the first to propose a molecule that could be used to both treat some neurological symptoms of the disease and halt their progression. The molecule, nevertheless, has not been tested.

The research, reported in the *American Journal of Human Genetics*, involved an examination of three individuals who share a medical history of polydactyly and macrocephaly, or an enlarged head circumference, who experienced developmental delay in eye development, impairing vision early in childhood. Comparisons of their DNA showed a shared mutation responsible for causing these birth defects.

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