Brooke Greenberg
Encyclopedia
Brooke Greenberg is an American from Reisterstown, Maryland
, who has remained physically and cognitively similar to a toddler
, despite her increasing age. She is about 30 inches (76 cm) tall, weighs about 16 pounds (7.3 kg), and has an estimated mental age
of nine months to one year. Brooke's doctors have termed her condition Syndrome X.
Brooke appeared to be a normal infant
.
In her first six years, Brooke Greenberg went through a series of unexplained medical emergencies
from which she recovered. She had seven perforated stomach ulcers. She also suffered a seizure
. This was followed by what was later diagnosed as a stroke
; weeks later, no damage was detected. At age five, Brooke had a mass in her brain that caused her to sleep for 14 days. The doctors diagnosed the mass as a brain tumor
. However, Brooke later awoke, and physicians found no tumor present. Brooke's pediatrician, Dr. Lawrence Pakula, states that the source of her sudden illness remains a mystery.
To keep food from getting into her lungs, Brooke is fed through a permanent stomach tube. Feeding her through the tube takes ten hours a day.
documented Brooke, she was still the size of a six-month-old infant, weighing just 13 lb (5.9 kg) at 27 inches (69 cm) tall. The family still had no explanation. Brooke Greenberg's mother Melanie said: "They [the specialists] just said she’ll catch up. Then we went to the nutritionist
, the endocrinologist. We tried the growth hormone
...". The growth hormone treatment had no effect. Howard, Brooke's father, said: "I mean she did not put on an ounce or she did not grow an inch ... That’s when I knew there was a problem." After the growth hormone administration failed, the doctors, unable to diagnose
a known condition, named her condition Syndrome X.
The Greenbergs made many visits to nearby Johns Hopkins Children's Center, and even took Brooke to New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital
, searching for information about their daughter’s condition. When geneticist
s sequenced Greenberg's DNA
, they found that the gene
s associated with the premature aging diseases were normal, unlike the mutated versions in patients with Werner syndrome
and progeria
.
, said that Brooke's body is not developing as a coordinated unit, but as independent parts that are out of sync. She has never been diagnosed with any known genetic disorder
or chromosomal abnormality that would help explain why. Her telomere
s seem to be shortening at the normal rate.
In 2009, Walker said: "There've been very minimal changes in Brooke's brain ... Various parts of her body, rather than all being at the same stage, seem to be disconnected." Walker noted that Greenberg's brain, for example, is not much more mature than that of a newborn infant. He estimates her mental age at around nine months to a year old. Brooke can make gestures and recognize sounds, but cannot speak. Her bones are like those of a ten-year-old, and she still has her baby teeth
, which have an estimated developmental age of about eight years. Said Walker, "We think that Brooke's condition presents us with a unique opportunity to understand the process of aging." "Different parts of her body are developing at different rates, as if they were not a unit but parts of separate organisms," Walker explains.
Dr. Walker believes that the condition resulted from a failure of central control genes. He has identified two more people with similar developmental issues: Gabrielle Williams of Montana
(born 2004) and Nicky Freeman of Australia
(born 1970), a forty-year-old man who looks like a boy. Others, such as British biologist Aubrey de Grey
, believe that aging and development are not related.
Reisterstown, Maryland
Reisterstown is an unincorporated community and census-designated place in Baltimore County, Maryland. Founded by German immigrant John Reister in 1758, it is located to the northwest of Baltimore. Though it is older than the areas surrounding it, it now serves primarily as a residential suburb of...
, who has remained physically and cognitively similar to a toddler
Toddler
A toddler is a young child, usually defined as being between the ages of one and three. Registered nurse, midwife and author, Robin Barker, states 'Any time from eight months onwards your baby will begin to realise he is a separate person from you...
, despite her increasing age. She is about 30 inches (76 cm) tall, weighs about 16 pounds (7.3 kg), and has an estimated mental age
Mental age
Mental age is a concept in relation to intelligence, expressed as the age at which a child is performing intellectually. The mental age of the child that is tested is the same as the average age at which normal children achieve a particular score....
of nine months to one year. Brooke's doctors have termed her condition Syndrome X.
Birth and early life
Brooke was born on January 8, 1993 at Sinai Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland, one month prior to her due date, weighing just four pounds (1.8 kg). She was born with anterior hip dislocation, a condition which caused her legs to be swiveled upwards toward her shoulders; this was corrected surgically. Otherwise,Brooke appeared to be a normal infant
Infant
A newborn or baby is the very young offspring of a human or other mammal. A newborn is an infant who is within hours, days, or up to a few weeks from birth. In medical contexts, newborn or neonate refers to an infant in the first 28 days after birth...
.
In her first six years, Brooke Greenberg went through a series of unexplained medical emergencies
Medical emergency
A medical emergency is an injury or illness that is acute and poses an immediate risk to a person's life or long term health. These emergencies may require assistance from another person, who should ideally be suitably qualified to do so, although some of these emergencies can be dealt with by the...
from which she recovered. She had seven perforated stomach ulcers. She also suffered a seizure
Seizure
An epileptic seizure, occasionally referred to as a fit, is defined as a transient symptom of "abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain". The outward effect can be as dramatic as a wild thrashing movement or as mild as a brief loss of awareness...
. This was followed by what was later diagnosed as a stroke
Stroke
A stroke, previously known medically as a cerebrovascular accident , is the rapidly developing loss of brain function due to disturbance in the blood supply to the brain. This can be due to ischemia caused by blockage , or a hemorrhage...
; weeks later, no damage was detected. At age five, Brooke had a mass in her brain that caused her to sleep for 14 days. The doctors diagnosed the mass as a brain tumor
Brain tumor
A brain tumor is an intracranial solid neoplasm, a tumor within the brain or the central spinal canal.Brain tumors include all tumors inside the cranium or in the central spinal canal...
. However, Brooke later awoke, and physicians found no tumor present. Brooke's pediatrician, Dr. Lawrence Pakula, states that the source of her sudden illness remains a mystery.
To keep food from getting into her lungs, Brooke is fed through a permanent stomach tube. Feeding her through the tube takes ten hours a day.
Unexplained condition
Over the past several years, the Greenbergs visited many specialists, looking for an explanation for their daughter's strange condition, yet there has been no diagnosis of any known genetic syndrome or chromosomal abnormality. In 2001, when DatelineDateline NBC
Dateline NBC, or Dateline, is a U.S. weekly television newsmagazine broadcast by NBC. It previously was NBC's flagship news magazine, but now focuses on true crime stories. It airs Friday at 9 p.m. EST and after football season on Sunday at 7 p.m. EST.-History:Dateline is historically notable for...
documented Brooke, she was still the size of a six-month-old infant, weighing just 13 lb (5.9 kg) at 27 inches (69 cm) tall. The family still had no explanation. Brooke Greenberg's mother Melanie said: "They [the specialists] just said she’ll catch up. Then we went to the nutritionist
Nutritionist
A nutritionist is a person who advises on matters of food and nutrition impacts on health. Different professional terms are used in different countries, employment settings and contexts — some examples include: nutrition scientist, public health nutritionist, dietitian-nutritionist, clinical...
, the endocrinologist. We tried the growth hormone
Growth hormone
Growth hormone is a peptide hormone that stimulates growth, cell reproduction and regeneration in humans and other animals. Growth hormone is a 191-amino acid, single-chain polypeptide that is synthesized, stored, and secreted by the somatotroph cells within the lateral wings of the anterior...
...". The growth hormone treatment had no effect. Howard, Brooke's father, said: "I mean she did not put on an ounce or she did not grow an inch ... That’s when I knew there was a problem." After the growth hormone administration failed, the doctors, unable to diagnose
Medical diagnosis
Medical diagnosis refers both to the process of attempting to determine or identify a possible disease or disorder , and to the opinion reached by this process...
a known condition, named her condition Syndrome X.
The Greenbergs made many visits to nearby Johns Hopkins Children's Center, and even took Brooke to New York’s Mount Sinai Hospital
Mount Sinai Hospital, New York
Mount Sinai Hospital, founded in 1852, is one of the oldest and largest teaching hospitals in the United States. In 2011-2012, Mount Sinai Hospital was ranked as one of America's best hospitals by U.S...
, searching for information about their daughter’s condition. When geneticist
Geneticist
A geneticist is a biologist who studies genetics, the science of genes, heredity, and variation of organisms. A geneticist can be employed as a researcher or lecturer. Some geneticists perform experiments and analyze data to interpret the inheritance of skills. A geneticist is also a Consultant or...
s sequenced Greenberg's DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
, they found that the gene
Gene
A gene is a molecular unit of heredity of a living organism. It is a name given to some stretches of DNA and RNA that code for a type of protein or for an RNA chain that has a function in the organism. Living beings depend on genes, as they specify all proteins and functional RNA chains...
s associated with the premature aging diseases were normal, unlike the mutated versions in patients with Werner syndrome
Werner syndrome
Werner syndrome is a very rare, autosomal recessive disorder characterized by the appearance of premature aging....
and progeria
Progeria
Progeria is an extremely rare genetic condition wherein symptoms resembling aspects of aging are manifested at an early age. The word progeria comes from the Greek words "pro" , meaning "before", and "géras" , meaning "old age"...
.
Medical studies
In 2006, Richard Walker, PhD in endocrine physiology of the University of South Florida College of MedicineUniversity of South Florida College of Medicine
University of South Florida College of Medicine is one of the graduate schools of University of South Florida's USF Health conglomerate.It is located in north Tampa, Florida and serves the greater Tampa Bay Area...
, said that Brooke's body is not developing as a coordinated unit, but as independent parts that are out of sync. She has never been diagnosed with any known genetic disorder
Genetic disorder
A genetic disorder is an illness caused by abnormalities in genes or chromosomes, especially a condition that is present from before birth. Most genetic disorders are quite rare and affect one person in every several thousands or millions....
or chromosomal abnormality that would help explain why. Her telomere
Telomere
A telomere is a region of repetitive DNA sequences at the end of a chromosome, which protects the end of the chromosome from deterioration or from fusion with neighboring chromosomes. Its name is derived from the Greek nouns telos "end" and merοs "part"...
s seem to be shortening at the normal rate.
In 2009, Walker said: "There've been very minimal changes in Brooke's brain ... Various parts of her body, rather than all being at the same stage, seem to be disconnected." Walker noted that Greenberg's brain, for example, is not much more mature than that of a newborn infant. He estimates her mental age at around nine months to a year old. Brooke can make gestures and recognize sounds, but cannot speak. Her bones are like those of a ten-year-old, and she still has her baby teeth
Deciduous teeth
Deciduous teeth, otherwise known as reborner teeth, baby teeth, temporary teeth and primary teeth, are the first set of teeth in the growth development of humans and many other mammals. In some Asian countries they are referred to as fall teeth as they will eventually fall out, while in almost all...
, which have an estimated developmental age of about eight years. Said Walker, "We think that Brooke's condition presents us with a unique opportunity to understand the process of aging." "Different parts of her body are developing at different rates, as if they were not a unit but parts of separate organisms," Walker explains.
Dr. Walker believes that the condition resulted from a failure of central control genes. He has identified two more people with similar developmental issues: Gabrielle Williams of Montana
Montana
Montana is a state in the Western United States. The western third of Montana contains numerous mountain ranges. Smaller, "island ranges" are found in the central third of the state, for a total of 77 named ranges of the Rocky Mountains. This geographical fact is reflected in the state's name,...
(born 2004) and Nicky Freeman of Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
(born 1970), a forty-year-old man who looks like a boy. Others, such as British biologist Aubrey de Grey
Aubrey de Grey
Aubrey David Nicholas Jasper de Grey is an English author and theoretician in the field of gerontology, and the Chief Science Officer of the SENS Foundation. He is editor-in-chief of the academic journal Rejuvenation Research, author of The Mitochondrial Free Radical Theory of Aging and co-author...
, believe that aging and development are not related.
External links
- Doctors Baffled, Intrigued by Girl Who Doesn't Age: Years Pass, but Brooke Greenberg Remains a Toddler. No One Can Explain How or Why.
- The Curious Case of Brooke Greenberg: 16-Year-Old Has the Body and Mind of a Toddler
- A video of perpetual toddler Brooke Greenberg on "Fox and Friends" in August 2009
- Brooke looks like any other baby girl. But in fact, she's 12 years old
- Doctors Baffled: Girl, 16, Has Body of a Toddler, Still Can't Speak
- The Girl Who Stopped Growing
- Young Girl Has Not Aged In Years
- Rare conditions
- Doctors baffled by mystery condition that sees teenage girl with body of toddler unable to eat or walk
- Forever young
- Sibs with growth deficiency, delayed bone age, congenital hip dislocation, and iridocorneal abnormalities with glaucoma