'''Brooke Megan Greenberg''' (January 8th, 1993 – October 24, 2013)<ref name=spiegel1029 /><ref name=sollev /> was an American who remained physically and cognitively similar to a [[toddler]], despite her increasing age. She was about {{convert|30|in|cm|abbr=on}} tall, weighed about {{convert|16|lb|abbr=on}} and had an estimated [[mental age]] of nine months to one year. Brooke's doctors termed her condition ''Syndrome X''.
'''Brooke Greenberg''' (January 8, 1993 – October 24, 2013) was an American woman who remained physically and cognitively similar to a toddler, despite her chronological age. Her condition was described by doctors as "[[Syndrome X]]", a term used to denote her unique and unexplained developmental state.
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==Early life==
title='''{{PAGENAME}}'''
Brooke Greenberg was born on January 8, 1993, in [[Baltimore, Maryland]]. She was the daughter of Howard and Melanie Greenberg. Brooke had three sisters, all of whom developed normally. From a young age, it was apparent that Brooke was not developing as expected. She did not grow beyond the size of a toddler, and her mental development remained at the level of a young child.
Brooke was born on January 8th, 1993<ref name=spiegel1029>{{cite web|last=Bethge |first=Philip |url=http://www.spiegel.de/international/zeitgeist/brooke-the-immortal-an-american-child-may-hold-secrets-to-aging-a-725798.html |title=Brooke the Immortal: An American Child May Hold Secrets to Aging |website=[[Der Spiegel]] |date=2010-10-29 |accessdate=2014-05-30}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.foxnews.com/story/2009/08/07/curious-case-brooke-greenberg-16-year-old-has-body-and-mind-toddler |title=The Curious Case of Brooke Greenberg: 16-Year-Old Has the Body and Mind of a Toddler |publisher=Fox News |date=2009-08-07 |accessdate=2014-05-30}}</ref> to parents Howard and Melanie Greenberg<ref name=FFvideo>{{cite AV media| network= Fox| url= http://video.foxnews.com/v/3937480/frozen-in-time | title= Frozen in Time| medium= TV news program| work=[[Fox & Friends]]| date= August 2009|publisher= republished online on May 3, 2011| accessdate= January 20, 2016}}</ref> at [[Sinai Hospital]] in [[Baltimore]], Maryland. She was delivered by [[Caesarean section]], one month before her due date due to "intermittent growth",<ref name=TLCdoc>{{cite AV media| url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwTsRzbgBOU |title=Girl Frozen In Time| medium=TV Documentary| publisher=[[TLC (network)|TLC]] | date= August 9, 2009| website=''uploaded to'' YouTube| accessdate= January 20, 2016}}</ref> weighing just four pounds (1.8 kg). She was born with [[anterior hip dislocation]], a condition that caused her legs to be swiveled upward toward her shoulders; it was corrected surgically. Otherwise, Brooke appeared to be a normal infant.<ref name=frozen>{{cite news| url= http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/9778227/ |title= A child frozen in time| first= Sara |last= James| publisher= [[NBC News]]| date= October 23, 2005}}</ref> She was the third of four girls born to her parents.<ref name=TLCdoc />
Brooke's condition was characterized by her inability to age in the typical manner. She did not experience the physical and cognitive changes associated with growing older. Her condition was not attributed to any known genetic disorder, and extensive testing did not reveal any chromosomal abnormalities. Doctors referred to her condition as "Syndrome X" due to its unknown etiology.
In her first six years, she went through a series of unexplained [[medical emergency|medical emergencies]] from which she recovered. She had seven perforated [[peptic ulcer|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 go into a deep sleep (after confirmation that it was not a [[coma]]) for 14 days. The doctors diagnosed the mass as a [[brain tumor]]. She 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.<ref name="abc1"/>
===Physical characteristics===
Brooke Greenberg's physical characteristics were consistent with those of a toddler. She weighed approximately 16 pounds and was about 30 inches tall. Her bone age was estimated to be that of a 10-year-old, despite her chronological age being much older.
During an interview on the talk show ''[[Katie (talk show)|Katie]]'', her father stated that between the ages of four and five, she stopped growing.<ref>{{cite web|author=Greenfield, Beth |url=http://shine.yahoo.com/parenting/toddler-20-years-old-forever-young-due-baffling-175300753.html |title='Toddler' is 20 Years Old, and Forever Young, Due to Baffling Medical Condition |website= Yahoo.com |date=2013-01-11 |accessdate=2013-01-12}}</ref> ''Child Frozen In Time'', a documentary about Brooke,<ref name=TLCdoc /> was first broadcast on [[TLC (network)|TLC]] on August 9, 2009.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.mahalo.com/brooke-greenberg| title= Brooke Greenberg| website= Mahalo.com| accessdate= January 20, 2009}}</ref>
===Cognitive development===
Cognitively, Brooke functioned at the level of a young child. She was unable to speak and communicated through gestures and facial expressions. Her cognitive abilities did not progress beyond those of a toddler throughout her life.
== Unexplained condition ==
==Impact on medical research==
Over several years, the Greenbergs visited many specialists, looking for an explanation for their daughter's strange condition, yet there was no diagnosis of any known genetic syndrome or chromosomal abnormality.<ref name=walker>{{Cite journal| last1 = Walker | first1 = R.| last2 = Pakula | first2 = L.| last3 = Sutcliffe | first3 = M.| last4 = Kruk | first4 = P.| last5 = Graakjaer | first5 = J.| last6 = Shay | first6 = J.| title = A case study of "disorganized development" and its possible relevance to genetic determinants of aging| journal = Mechanisms of Ageing and Development| volume = 130| issue = 5| pages = 350–356| year = 2009| pmid = 19428454| doi = 10.1016/j.mad.2009.02.003}}</ref> In 2001, when ''[[Dateline NBC|Dateline]]'' documented Brooke at eight years of age, she was still the size of a six-month-old infant, weighing just 13 lb (5.9 kg) at 30 inches (76 cm) tall. The family still had no explanation. Brooke'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 [[medical diagnosis|diagnose]] a known condition, named her condition ''Syndrome X''.
Brooke Greenberg's unique condition attracted significant attention from the medical community. Researchers were interested in understanding the genetic and biological mechanisms that could lead to such a condition. Her case provided insights into the processes of human growth and development, and it raised questions about the potential for genetic factors to influence aging.
The Greenbergs made many visits to nearby [[Johns Hopkins Children's Center]] and even took Brooke to New York’s [[Mount Sinai Hospital, New York|Mount Sinai Hospital]], searching for information about their daughter’s condition.<ref name=frozen /> When [[geneticist]]s sequenced Greenberg's [[DNA]], they found that the [[gene]]s associated with the [[DNA repair-deficiency disorder|premature aging disease]]s were normal, unlike the [[Genetic mutation|mutated]] versions in patients with [[Werner syndrome]] and [[progeria]].<ref name="newscientist">{{cite news|url= https://www.newscientist.com/article/dn17379-teenage-baby-may-lack-master-ageing-gene.html |title= Teenage 'baby' may lack master ageing gene| first= Andy |last= Coghlan| work=[[New Scientist]]| date= June 25, 2009}}</ref>
==Death==
Brooke Greenberg passed away on October 24, 2013, at the age of 20. Her death was attributed to bronchomalacia, a condition that affects the airways in the lungs.
== Medical studies ==
==Legacy==
In 2006, Richard Walker, an endocrine physiologist at the [[University of South Florida College of Medicine]], said that Brooke's body was not developing as a coordinated unit but as independent parts that were out of synchronization.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.dovepress.com/journal-editor--clinical-interventions-in-aging-eic4 |title=Clinical Interventions in Aging|year=2009 |publisher=[[Dove Medical Press]] Ltd. |accessdate=2010-07-25 }}</ref>{{Failed verification|date=December 2015}}<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Health/maryland-20-year-dies-aged/story?id=20712718|title=20-Year-Old Dies Never Having Aged|last=News|first=A. B. C.|date=2013-10-29|website=ABC News|language=en|access-date=2018-04-10}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|url=http://abcnews.go.com/Health/40-year-child-benjamin-button-children-grow-age/story?id=12724960|title=Forever Young: Benjamin Button Children Never Grow or Age|last=News|first=A. B. C.|date=2011-01-21|website=ABC News|language=en|access-date=2018-04-10}}</ref> She was never diagnosed with any known [[genetic disorder]] or [[chromosomal abnormality]] that would help explain why.<ref name="abc1">{{ cite news |url=http://abcnews.go.com/2020/Health/story?id=7880954&page=1 |title=Doctors Baffled, Intrigued by Girl Who Doesn't Age |last=Brown |first=Bob |date=2006-06-23 |work=Health |publisher=[[ABC News]] |accessdate=2009-06-27}}</ref> Her [[telomere]]s seemed to be shortening at the normal rate.<ref name=walker/>
Brooke's case continues to be of interest to researchers studying human development and aging. Her life has been the subject of various documentaries and media reports, highlighting the mysteries of her condition and the impact it had on her family and the medical community.
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."<ref name="abc1"/> Walker noted that Brooke's brain, for example, was not much more mature than that of a newborn infant. He estimated her mental age at around nine months to a year old. Brooke could make gestures and recognize sounds but could not speak. Her bones were like those of a ten-year-old, and she still had her [[deciduous teeth|baby teeth]], which had 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."<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.nationalledger.com/lifestyle/article_272631718.shtml |title=Brooke Greenberg Frozen in Time - 17-Year Old 'Toddler' |work=National Ledger |first= Christi | last= Hall| date=May 10, 2010 |accessdate=May 12, 2010 }}</ref> "Different parts of her body are developing at different rates, as if they were not a unit but parts of separate organisms," Walker explained.<ref name=spiegel1029 /> Dr. Walker did not say whether the genes responsible for development are the same ones responsible for aging.
==Related pages==
* [[Syndrome X]]
* [[Genetic disorders]]
* [[Human development]]
== Death ==
Brooke Greenberg died on October 24, 2013, at the Herman and Walter Samuelson Children's Hospital at Sinai Medical Center in Baltimore, the same hospital where she was born. Her funeral service took place on October 27, 2013, and that same morning, she was buried at Baltimore Hebrew Cemetery - Berrymans Lane, in [[Reisterstown, Maryland|Reisterstown]], [[Maryland]].<ref name=sollev>[https://web.archive.org/web/20131205061324/http://www.sollevinson.com/notice.php?lr=loc&id=24879 Brooke Megan Greenberg], obituary and condolences at the Sol Levinson & Bros., Inc. site, stored at the [[Wayback Machine]]</ref> The cause of her death was [[bronchomalacia]], a medical condition usually occurring in children, which results in difficulty breathing due to weak cartilage in the walls of the [[bronchus|bronchial tubes]].<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.baltimoresun.com/news/obituaries/bs-md-brooke-greenberg-20131030,0,6177724.story |first= Nayana | last= Davis |title=Brooke Greenberg, 20, who suffered from rare genetic condition, dies |work=The Baltimore Sun |date=October 30, 2013 }}</ref>
== Comparable cases ==
Dr. Walker believed that Brooke Greenberg's condition had resulted from a failure of central control genes. He identified two more people with similar developmental issues: Gabrielle Williams<ref>{{cite news|last=Healy|first=Donna|title=Medical Mystery: Tiny Billings girl thrives on her family's love|url=http://billingsgazette.com/news/local/tiny-billings-girl-thrives-on-her-family-s-love/article_be0ef523-aea8-5a21-8f6f-32c0e839af73.html|newspaper=Billings Gazette|date=May 22, 2011 |accessdate=January 29, 2012}}</ref> of [[Montana]] (born in 2004) and Nicky Freeman<ref>{{cite news|last=Calautti|first=Lisa|title=Forty-year-old trapped in child's body |url=https://thewest.com.au/news/australia/forty-year-old-trapped-in-childs-body-ng-ya-220462|newspaper=The West Australian| date= February 27, 2010 |accessdate=January 29, 2012}}</ref> of [[Australia]] (born in December 28, 1969), a [[middle age]]d man who looks like a preteen boy.
Gabrielle Williams's condition has since been determined to have been the result of a genetic mutation. Nicky Freeman has been diagnosed with deformity of the pituitary gland.
María Audenete do Nascimento, a Brazilian woman who lives in the town of [[Caucaia]] near [[Fortaleza]] in the state of [[Ceará]], [[Brazil]], was once thought to have also been suffering from a condition similar to Greenberg's. She was reportedly born in May 1981 but stopped growing after nine months.<ref>{{cite web|title=Presa no Corpo de Uma Criança|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JFzwglD1mF0|work=31 May 2013|publisher=Discovery Brasil's YouTube channel|accessdate=31 August 2013}}</ref> She has been diagnosed with severe [[hypothyroidism]].
In May 2015, it was reported that Layla Qualls of Oklahoma looks like she is 9 or 10 months old, but is 3 years old. She is among seven children worldwide with Syndrome X that are being studied by researchers at the [[University of California, Los Angeles]]. In their ongoing research they found that the blood of Syndrome X children appears to age normally.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.foxnews.com/health/2015/05/08/oklahoma-girls-rare-syndrome-prevents-her-from-aging/ |title= Oklahoma girl's rare syndrome prevents her from aging |publisher=Fox News |date=2015-05-08 |accessdate=2015-05-09}}</ref> Layla has also been featured in a TLC documentary titled "The Girls Who Don't Age". This documentary aired July 18, 2016 on TLC.<ref name=TLCdocumentary>{{cite AV media| url= https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-OZcxShY_M |title=Girls Who Don't Age| medium=TV Documentary| publisher=[[TLC (network)|TLC]] | date= July 20, 2016| website=''uploaded to'' YouTube| accessdate= July 20, 2016}}</ref>
In July 2016, it was reported that Alyssa Pennington of New Mexico looks like she is five years old, but is 12 years old.<ref name="TLCdocumentary"/> She is another Syndrome X case.<ref>{{cite web| url=http://krqe.com/2016/07/19/new-mexico-girl-one-of-six-with-rare-genetic-disorder/ |title= New Mexico girl one of six with rare genetic disorder |publisher=KRQE News 13 |date=2016-07-19 |accessdate=2016-07-20}}</ref>
Another case that has been reported in July 2016 is Jenifer Sandoval of Colorado. Although she looks like she is four years old, she is 22 years old.<ref name="TLCdocumentary"/><ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.barcroft.tv/tlc-girls-who-dont-age-america |title= The Real Peter Pans: The Girls Who Don't Age |publisher=Barcroft Media Ltd |date=2016-07-16 |accessdate=2016-07-16}}</ref>
In April 2017, [[NTD Television]] reported about Manpreet Singh from a village in the northern [[Mansa district, Punjab|Mansa]], [[India]]. At 22 years old, he is only 23 inches tall and was born after ten months. He did not show any signs of growth and development such as speaking after six months. Doctors said his condition could be caused by his late birth and a deficiency of growth hormones.<ref>{{cite web|title=Mysterious illness leaves Indian man trapped in toddler's body|url=http://www.ntd.tv/2017/04/14/mysterious-illness-leaves-indian-man-trapped-in-toddlers-body/|publisher=NTD Television|accessdate=24 April 2017|date=14 April 2017}}</ref>
Another reported case in 2017 is Angus Palmes from [[Macclesfield]], UK. At the age of 13 he weighs {{convert|2.14|st|lb}} and has a height of 3 feet 1 inch tall. He is believed to have a [[chromosomal translocation]] of 15/20 and a [[Aneuploidy|partial trisomy]] of 22q12.3.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.manchestereveningnews.co.uk/news/greater-manchester-news/meet-angus-brave-13-year-13481651 |title=Meet Angus - the brave 13-year-old boy with a rare condition that means he's the size of a toddler |last=Adams |first=Chris |last2=Greer |first2=Stuart |date=2017-08-15 |website=men |access-date=2019-02-02}}</ref>
Blood tissue from five other female Syndrome X cases (whose average age was 6.3 years) turned out to be age appropriate<ref name= walkerEpigenetics>{{Cite journal | pmid = 25991677| year = 2015| author1 = Walker| first1 = R. F.| title = Epigenetic age analysis of children who seem to evade aging| journal = Aging| last2 = Liu| first2 = J. S.| last3 = Peters| first3 = B. A.| last4 = Ritz| first4 = B. R.| last5 = Wu| first5 = T| last6 = Ophoff| first6 = R. A.| last7 = Horvath| first7 = S| volume=7| issue = 5| pages=334–9| doi=10.18632/aging.100744| pmc=4468314}}</ref> according to a biomarker of aging known as [[epigenetic clock]]. The mean epigenetic age of the five pure Syndrome X subjects was 6.7 years (standard error=1.0) which is not significantly different from the mean chronological age of 6.3 years (standard error=1.8). Notably, the oldest pure Syndrome X case had an epigenetic age of 14.5 years which was 3.2 years older than her true chronological age. It is not yet known whether the epigenetic age of other tissues is also age appropriate in these cases.
== Neotenic Complex Syndrome ==
{{main|Neotenic complex syndrome}}
Blood samples from each of the "Syndrome X" girls were sent to Dr Radoje Drmanac in San Francisco, who did a full genomic sequencing and found the common link shared by the girls, leading the syndrome to be renamed "[[neotenic complex syndrome]]".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.barcroft.tv/tlc-girls-who-dont-age-america|title=The real Peter Pans: The Girls Who Don't Age|website=Barcroft TV}}</ref><ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.nature.com/articles/gim2017140|title=Clinical and genetic analysis of a rare syndrome associated with neoteny|first1=Richard F|last1=Walker|first2=Serban|last2=Ciotlos|first3=Qing|last3=Mao|first4=Robert|last4=Chin|first5=Snezana|last5=Drmanac|first6=Nina|last6=Barua|first7=Misha R|last7=Agarwal|first8=Rebecca Yu|last8=Zhang|first9=Zhenyu|last9=Li|first10=Michelle Ka Yan|last10=Wu|first11=Kevin|last11=Sun|first12=Katharine|last12=Lee|first13=Staci|last13=Nguyen|first14=Jia Sophie|last14=Liu|first15=Paolo|last15=Carnevali|first16=Radoje|last16=Drmanac|first17=Brock A|last17=Peters|journal=Genetics in Medicine|volume=19|issue=9|pages=495–502|doi=10.1038/gim.2017.140|pmid=29758565|year=2018}}</ref>
== References ==
{{reflist|30em}}
== External links ==
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kwTsRzbgBOU ''Girl Frozen In Time'' (TV Movie)] (TLC Documentary) at YouTube
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6gF9SkmCEEU The Amazing Girl Who Doesn't Age!] on ''ABC's Good Morning America'' in August 2009
{{DEFAULTSORT:Greenberg, Brooke}}
[[Category:1993 births]]
[[Category:1993 births]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:2013 deaths]]
[[Category:American people with disabilities]]
[[Category:Deaths from respiratory disease]]
[[Category:Growth disorders]]
[[Category:People from Baltimore]]
[[Category:People from Baltimore]]
[[Category:People from Reistertown, Maryland]]
[[Category:People with intellectual impairment]]
[[Category:American people of Jewish descent]]
[[Category:Rare diseases]]
[[Category:Rare diseases]]
[[Category:Stroke survivors]]
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Latest revision as of 11:37, 15 February 2025
American woman with a rare genetic condition
Brooke Greenberg (January 8, 1993 – October 24, 2013) was an American woman who remained physically and cognitively similar to a toddler, despite her chronological age. Her condition was described by doctors as "Syndrome X", a term used to denote her unique and unexplained developmental state.
Brooke Greenberg was born on January 8, 1993, in Baltimore, Maryland. She was the daughter of Howard and Melanie Greenberg. Brooke had three sisters, all of whom developed normally. From a young age, it was apparent that Brooke was not developing as expected. She did not grow beyond the size of a toddler, and her mental development remained at the level of a young child.
Brooke's condition was characterized by her inability to age in the typical manner. She did not experience the physical and cognitive changes associated with growing older. Her condition was not attributed to any known genetic disorder, and extensive testing did not reveal any chromosomal abnormalities. Doctors referred to her condition as "Syndrome X" due to its unknown etiology.
Brooke Greenberg's physical characteristics were consistent with those of a toddler. She weighed approximately 16 pounds and was about 30 inches tall. Her bone age was estimated to be that of a 10-year-old, despite her chronological age being much older.
Cognitively, Brooke functioned at the level of a young child. She was unable to speak and communicated through gestures and facial expressions. Her cognitive abilities did not progress beyond those of a toddler throughout her life.
Brooke Greenberg's unique condition attracted significant attention from the medical community. Researchers were interested in understanding the genetic and biological mechanisms that could lead to such a condition. Her case provided insights into the processes of human growth and development, and it raised questions about the potential for genetic factors to influence aging.
Brooke Greenberg passed away on October 24, 2013, at the age of 20. Her death was attributed to bronchomalacia, a condition that affects the airways in the lungs.
Brooke's case continues to be of interest to researchers studying human development and aging. Her life has been the subject of various documentaries and media reports, highlighting the mysteries of her condition and the impact it had on her family and the medical community.
