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Johanna loves to play with Leo in the garden at home. A neighbor’s golden retriever often visits Johanna’s. That puts a smile on her face. Joan is four years old. Due to the very rare gene defect Syngap 1, she is mentally handicapped from birth. “Not enough syngap protein is made in their brains. This deficiency ensures that the synapses that are needed to control one’s own actions do not connect. Johanna will never be able to lead a self-determined life,” says Johanna’s father Timo Jepkens.