Tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC), also known as Bourneville-Pringle disease, is a rare, slowly progressive genetic disorder characterized by pervasive benign tumors in most organ systems including the brain, skin, kidney, liver, lung, and heart, which is inherited in an autosomal dominant manner. Patients with TSC are frequently diagnosed with comorbid neurological disorders, including epilepsy, intellectual disability, behavioral dysregulation, sleep disorders, and autism spectrum disorders (ASD). TSC most often results from spontaneous genetic mutations in one or two genes, TSC1 and TSC2, which encode hamartin and tuberin, respectively. These gene products form a physical and functional complex to limit activation of the mammalian target rapamycin (mTOR) complex 1. When these genes are deficient, mTOR complex 1 is constitutively up-regulated, leading to uncontrolled cell growth and protein synthesis.
