OBJECTIVE@#To delineate the nature and origin of a chromosomal aberration detected in a boy with mental retardation.@*METHODS@#The proband and his parents were subjected to routine G-banded chromosomal karyotyping and single nucleotide polymorphism array (SNP-array) analysis.@*RESULTS@#The karyotype of the proband was determined as 46, XX, add(8)(p23). No karyotypic abnormality was detected in either of his parents. SNP-array has identified a 34.9 Mb duplication at 8p23.1q11.1 and a 6.78 Mb microdeletion at 8p23.1pter in the proband. No copy number variation was detected in either parent.@*CONCLUSION@#The child was diagnosed with 8p inverted duplication deletion syndrome, which might be induced by non-allelic homologous recombination between olfactory genes in the 8p23.1 region.