title: Familial aggregation in developmental topographical disorientation (DTD).
abstract: A variety of brain lesions may affect the ability to orient, resulting in what is termed "acquired topographical disorientation". In some individuals, however, topographical disorientation is present from childhood, with no apparent brain abnormalities and otherwise intact general cognitive abilities, a condition referred to as "developmental topographical disorientation" (DTD). Individuals affected by DTD often report relatives experiencing the same lifelong orientation difficulties. Here, we sought to assess the familial aggregation of DTD by investigating its occurrence in the families of DTD probands, and in the families of control probands who did not experience topographical disorientation. We found that DTD appears to cluster in the DTD families, with tested relatives displaying the trait, whereas in the control families we did not detect any individuals with DTD. These findings provide the very first evidence for the familial clustering of DTD and motivate further work investigating the genetic factors producing this clustering.
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine , University of Calgary , Calgary , AB , Canada.
authors.forename: Sarah F
authors.initials: SF
authors.lastname: Barclay
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary , Calgary , AB , Canada.
authors.forename: Ford
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Burles
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary , Calgary , AB , Canada.
authors.forename: Kendra
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Potocki
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine , University of Calgary , Calgary , AB , Canada.
authors.forename: Kate M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Rancourt
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine , University of Calgary , Calgary , AB , Canada.
authors.forename: Mary Lou
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Nicolson
authors.affiliation: a Department of Medical Genetics and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, Cumming School of Medicine , University of Calgary , Calgary , AB , Canada.
authors.forename: N Torben
authors.initials: NT
authors.lastname: Bech-Hansen
authors.affiliation: b Department of Psychology , Hotchkiss Brain Institute, and Alberta Children's Hospital Research Institute, University of Calgary , Calgary , AB , Canada.
authors.forename: Giuseppe
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Iaria
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D003221:Confusion; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009483:Neuropsychological Tests; D000072458:Orientation, Spatial / Q000502:physiology*; D019371:Topography, Medical / Q000379:methods*; D055815:Young Adult
keywords: Genetics; getting lost; heredity; navigation; spatial orientation