Fragile X syndrome (FXS), a severe neurodevelopmental anomaly, and one of the earliest disorders linked to an unstable (‘dynamic’) mutation, is caused by the large (>200) CGG repeat expansions in the noncoding portion of the FMR1 (Fragile X Mental Retardation-1) gene. These expansions, termed full mutations, normally silence this gene's promoter through methylation, leading to a gross deficit of the Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP) that is essential for normal brain development. Rare individuals with the expansion but with an unmethylated promoter (and thus, FMRP production), present a much less severe form of FXS.