Smooth muscle dysfunction syndrome (SMDYS) presents with a recognizable pattern of complications, including congenital mydriasis, patent ductus arteriosus (PDA), pulmonary artery hypertension, aortic and other arterial aneurysms, moyamoya-like cerebrovascular disease, intestinal hypoperistalsis and malrotation, and hypotonic bladder. It is caused by heterozygous mutations of the ACTA2 gene altering the arginine-179 codon (summary by Regalado et al., 2018).

Neurodegeneration with developmental delay, early respiratory failure, myoclonic seizures, and brain abnormalities (NDDRSB) is a severe autosomal recessive disorder characterized by onset of these features in infancy. Affected individuals present with respiratory failure requiring intubation soon after birth; some die due to cardiorespiratory insufficiency. Those that survive show severe global developmental delay, refractory myoclonic seizures, hyperkinetic movements with exaggerated startle response, and microcephaly with dysmorphic features. Additional findings may include sensorineural hearing loss and ocular defects. Brain imaging shows variable abnormalities consistent with progressive neurodegeneration (Cali et al., 2022).