GRI Awareness Month

On Sunday 9th March 2025, The National Wallace Monument will be lit up blue to raise awareness of GRI Gene Disorders.

There are many landmarks joining the cause around the world and the UK this year, to name but a few including Louisiana State Capitol, Louisiana Children’s Hospital, North Brunswick Municipal Buildings New Jersey, Niagara Falls, University of Edinburgh, St Edmunds Cathedral, St Albans Cathedrals, Pennsylvania State Capitol, CN Tower Ontario, Peace Bridge Ontario, St Joseph’s River Indiana and Hamilton Town Hall and Library South Lanarkshire.

GRI Gene Disorders are a group of genetic conditions associated with ionotropic glutamate receptors. This class of glutamate receptors are critical for neural communication, and changes in these receptors can be linked to various neurological disorders. These receptors are essential for learning and memory along with other vital biological processes. GRI Gene Disorders relate to genes called GRI, GRID, GRIK or GRIN.

Children and Adults with a GRI Gene Disorder can often suffer from epilepsy and seizures, severe developmental delay, and profound and multiple learning difficulties, hypotonia, gastric disorders, limited or non-verbal communication, cortical visual impairment, paroxysmal systematic, hyperactivity, dystonia, sleep disorders, feeding difficulties, limited mobility and autism and will require care for all of their lives.

GRI Gene Disorders are often labelled as ‘global development delay’ until a diagnosis can be determined.

For further information, please visit GRI-UK (UK Based Charity GRI-UK) and Cure GRIN (American Based Charity/Worldwide Presence CureGRIN Foundation).