Neurodevelopmental disorders in children with neurofibromatosis type 1

Abstract

Over the past several decades, neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) has become increasingly recognized as a neurodevelopmental disorder conferring increased risk for several important neurodevelopmental problems. In this review, we summarize the specific neurodevelopmental problems encountered in the context of NF1. These include impairments in general cognitive function, deficits in specific cognitive domains such as executive function and visuospatial processing and risk for specific learning disorders, impairments in attention and social skills and the overlap with attention-deficit–hyperactivity disorder and autism spectrum disorder, and the risk of developing other psychiatric conditions including anxiety and depression. Early recognition of these developmental impairments is important for the effective treatment of children with NF1, and further characterization is essential to improve our understanding of how mutations in the NF1 gene create the diversity of clinical neuropsychiatric symptomatology observed in this at-risk population.