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URL of this page: https://medlineplus.gov/genetics/condition/autosomal-recessive-congenital-stationary-night-blindness/

Autosomal recessive congenital stationary night blindness

Description

Autosomal recessive congenital stationary night blindness is a disorder of the retina, which is the specialized tissue at the back of the eye that detects light and color. People with this condition typically have difficulty seeing and distinguishing objects in low light (night blindness). For example, they may not be able to identify road signs at night or see stars in the night sky. They also often have other vision problems, including loss of sharpness (reduced acuity), nearsightedness (myopia), involuntary movements of the eyes (nystagmus), and eyes that do not look in the same direction (strabismus).

The vision problems associated with this condition are congenital, which means they are present from birth. They tend to remain stable (stationary) over time.

Frequency

Autosomal recessive congenital stationary night blindness is likely a rare disease; however, its prevalence is unknown.

Causes

Mutations in several genes can cause autosomal recessive congenital stationary night blindness. Each of these genes provide instructions for making proteins that are found in the retina. These proteins are involved in sending (transmitting) visual signals from cells called rods, which are specialized for vision in low light, to cells called bipolar cells, which relay the signals to other retinal cells. This signaling is an essential step in the transmission of visual information from the eyes to the brain.

Mutations in two genes, GRM6 and TRPM1, cause most cases of this condition. These genes provide instructions for making proteins that are necessary for bipolar cells to receive and relay signals. Mutations in other genes involved in the same bipolar cell signaling pathway are likely responsible for a small percentage of cases of autosomal recessive congenital stationary night blindness.

Gene mutations that cause autosomal recessive congenital stationary night blindness disrupt the transmission of visual signals between rod cells and bipolar cells or interfere with the bipolar cells' ability to pass on these signals. As a result, visual information received by rod cells cannot be effectively transmitted to the brain, leading to difficulty seeing in low light. The cause of the other vision problems associated with this condition is unclear. It has been suggested that the mechanisms that underlie night blindness can interfere with other visual systems, causing myopia, reduced visual acuity, and other impairments.

Some people with autosomal recessive congenital stationary night blindness have no identified mutation in any of the known genes. The cause of the disorder in these individuals is unknown.

Learn more about the genes associated with Autosomal recessive congenital stationary night blindness

Additional Information from NCBI Gene:

Inheritance

This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but they typically do not show signs and symptoms of the condition.

Other Names for This Condition

  • Autosomal recessive complete congenital stationary night blindness
  • Autosomal recessive incomplete congenital stationary night blindness

Additional Information & Resources

Genetic Testing Information

Patient Support and Advocacy Resources

Catalog of Genes and Diseases from OMIM

Scientific Articles on PubMed

References

  • Audo I, Bujakowska K, Orhan E, Poloschek CM, Defoort-Dhellemmes S, Drumare I, Kohl S, Luu TD, Lecompte O, Zrenner E, Lancelot ME, Antonio A, Germain A, Michiels C, Audier C, Letexier M, Saraiva JP, Leroy BP, Munier FL, Mohand-Said S, Lorenz B, Friedburg C, Preising M, Kellner U, Renner AB, Moskova-Doumanova V, Berger W, Wissinger B, Hamel CP, Schorderet DF, De Baere E, Sharon D, Banin E, Jacobson SG, Bonneau D, Zanlonghi X, Le Meur G, Casteels I, Koenekoop R, Long VW, Meire F, Prescott K, de Ravel T, Simmons I, Nguyen H, Dollfus H, Poch O, Leveillard T, Nguyen-Ba-Charvet K, Sahel JA, Bhattacharya SS, Zeitz C. Whole-exome sequencing identifies mutations in GPR179 leading to autosomal-recessive complete congenital stationary night blindness. Am J Hum Genet. 2012 Feb 10;90(2):321-30. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2011.12.007. Erratum In: Am J Hum Genet. 2012 Jul 13;91(1):209. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
  • Audo I, Kohl S, Leroy BP, Munier FL, Guillonneau X, Mohand-Said S, Bujakowska K, Nandrot EF, Lorenz B, Preising M, Kellner U, Renner AB, Bernd A, Antonio A, Moskova-Doumanova V, Lancelot ME, Poloschek CM, Drumare I, Defoort-Dhellemmes S, Wissinger B, Leveillard T, Hamel CP, Schorderet DF, De Baere E, Berger W, Jacobson SG, Zrenner E, Sahel JA, Bhattacharya SS, Zeitz C. TRPM1 is mutated in patients with autosomal-recessive complete congenital stationary night blindness. Am J Hum Genet. 2009 Nov;85(5):720-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2009.10.013. Epub 2009 Nov 5. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
  • Dryja TP, McGee TL, Berson EL, Fishman GA, Sandberg MA, Alexander KR, Derlacki DJ, Rajagopalan AS. Night blindness and abnormal cone electroretinogram ON responses in patients with mutations in the GRM6 gene encoding mGluR6. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 2005 Mar 29;102(13):4884-9. doi: 10.1073/pnas.0501233102. Epub 2005 Mar 21. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
  • Li Z, Sergouniotis PI, Michaelides M, Mackay DS, Wright GA, Devery S, Moore AT, Holder GE, Robson AG, Webster AR. Recessive mutations of the gene TRPM1 abrogate ON bipolar cell function and cause complete congenital stationary night blindness in humans. Am J Hum Genet. 2009 Nov;85(5):711-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2009.10.003. Epub 2009 Oct 29. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
  • Peachey NS, Ray TA, Florijn R, Rowe LB, Sjoerdsma T, Contreras-Alcantara S, Baba K, Tosini G, Pozdeyev N, Iuvone PM, Bojang P Jr, Pearring JN, Simonsz HJ, van Genderen M, Birch DG, Traboulsi EI, Dorfman A, Lopez I, Ren H, Goldberg AF, Nishina PM, Lachapelle P, McCall MA, Koenekoop RK, Bergen AA, Kamermans M, Gregg RG. GPR179 is required for depolarizing bipolar cell function and is mutated in autosomal-recessive complete congenital stationary night blindness. Am J Hum Genet. 2012 Feb 10;90(2):331-9. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2011.12.006. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
  • Riazuddin SA, Shahzadi A, Zeitz C, Ahmed ZM, Ayyagari R, Chavali VR, Ponferrada VG, Audo I, Michiels C, Lancelot ME, Nasir IA, Zafar AU, Khan SN, Husnain T, Jiao X, MacDonald IM, Riazuddin S, Sieving PA, Katsanis N, Hejtmancik JF. A mutation in SLC24A1 implicated in autosomal-recessive congenital stationary night blindness. Am J Hum Genet. 2010 Oct 8;87(4):523-31. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2010.08.013. Epub 2010 Sep 16. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
  • van Genderen MM, Bijveld MM, Claassen YB, Florijn RJ, Pearring JN, Meire FM, McCall MA, Riemslag FC, Gregg RG, Bergen AA, Kamermans M. Mutations in TRPM1 are a common cause of complete congenital stationary night blindness. Am J Hum Genet. 2009 Nov;85(5):730-6. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2009.10.012. Epub 2009 Nov 5. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
  • Zeitz C, Jacobson SG, Hamel CP, Bujakowska K, Neuille M, Orhan E, Zanlonghi X, Lancelot ME, Michiels C, Schwartz SB, Bocquet B; Congenital Stationary Night Blindness Consortium; Antonio A, Audier C, Letexier M, Saraiva JP, Luu TD, Sennlaub F, Nguyen H, Poch O, Dollfus H, Lecompte O, Kohl S, Sahel JA, Bhattacharya SS, Audo I. Whole-exome sequencing identifies LRIT3 mutations as a cause of autosomal-recessive complete congenital stationary night blindness. Am J Hum Genet. 2013 Jan 10;92(1):67-75. doi: 10.1016/j.ajhg.2012.10.023. Epub 2012 Dec 13. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
  • Zeitz C, Kloeckener-Gruissem B, Forster U, Kohl S, Magyar I, Wissinger B, Matyas G, Borruat FX, Schorderet DF, Zrenner E, Munier FL, Berger W. Mutations in CABP4, the gene encoding the Ca2+-binding protein 4, cause autosomal recessive night blindness. Am J Hum Genet. 2006 Oct;79(4):657-67. doi: 10.1086/508067. Epub 2006 Aug 23. Citation on PubMed or Free article on PubMed Central
  • Zeitz C, van Genderen M, Neidhardt J, Luhmann UF, Hoeben F, Forster U, Wycisk K, Matyas G, Hoyng CB, Riemslag F, Meire F, Cremers FP, Berger W. Mutations in GRM6 cause autosomal recessive congenital stationary night blindness with a distinctive scotopic 15-Hz flicker electroretinogram. Invest Ophthalmol Vis Sci. 2005 Nov;46(11):4328-35. doi: 10.1167/iovs.05-0526. Citation on PubMed

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