BACKGROUND Fragile X-associated tremor/ataxia syndrome (FXTAS), a novel disorder in male carriers of premutations of the fragile X mental retardation 1 gene (FMR1), was recently described. The clinical presentation of FXTAS most closely resembles multiple system atrophy (MSA) because both disorders manifest with cerebellar ataxia, intention tremor, autonomic dysfunction, and parkinsonism. It ha...

Ataxia with ocular motor apraxia type 1 (AOA1) is an autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia (ARCA) associated with oculomotor apraxia, hypoalbuminaemia and hypercholesterolaemia. The gene APTX, which encodes aprataxin, has been identified recently. We studied a large series of 158 families with non-Friedreich progressive ARCA. We identified 14 patients (nine families) with five different missens...

INTRODUCTION Cerebellar ataxia with neuropathy and bilateral vestibular areflexia syndrome (CANVAS) is a recently described multisystem ataxia defined by the presence of cerebellar ataxia, bilateral vestibulopathy, and a somatosensory deficit. The characteristic clinical sign is an abnormal visually enhanced vestibuloocular reflex. The somatosensory deficit contributes to a significant level of...

BACKGROUND Although mentioned in most series, "pure" autosomal dominant cerebellar ataxias, except spinocerebellar ataxia type 6, are difficult to differentiate on clinical grounds. OBJECTIVE To describe Portuguese families with a peculiar pure form of dominant ataxia that, to our knowledge, has never been documented before and in which cerebellar signs are preceded by spasmodic cough. PATI...

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) research in identifying altered brain structure and function in ataxia-telangiectasia, an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder, is limited. Diffusion-weighted MRI were obtained from 11 ataxia telangiectasia patients (age range, 7-22 years; mean, 12 years) and 11 typically developing age-matched participants (age range, 8-23 years; mean, 13 years). Gray...

BACKGROUND Anti-glutamic acid decarboxylase antibody (GAD-ab)-associated cerebellar ataxia is a rare neurological disorder characterized by cerebellar symptoms concomitant with high GAD-ab levels in serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF). CASE REPORT We report on 2 female siblings (aged 74 and 76 years) presenting with gradual progression of rotational vertigo, gait ataxia and vertical diplopia,...

We evaluated cerebellar subregional metabolic alterations in patients with cerebellar ataxia, a representative disease involving the spinocerebellum. We retrospectively analyzed 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (18F-FDG PET) images in 44 patients with multiple system atrophy of the cerebellar type (MSA-C), 9 patients with spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) type 2, and 14 patients w...

Kearns-Sayre syndrome is a mitochondrial myopathy, which was first described by Tomas Kearn in 1958. Diagnostic symptoms of this condition include retinitis pigmentosa, chronic progressive external ophthalmoplegia, and one or more of the following factors: cardiac conduction system diseases, cerebellar ataxia, and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) with protein content above 100 mg/dL. The nature of thi...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Cerebellar ataxia can be induced by a large number of drugs. We here conducted a systemic review of the drugs that can lead to cerebellar ataxia as an adverse drug reaction (ADR). METHODS We performed a systematic literature search in Pubmed (1966 to January 2014) and EMBASE (1988 to January 2014) to identify all of the drugs that can have ataxia as an ADR and to ass...

Spinocerebellar ataxia 36 has been recently described in Japanese families as a new type of spinocerebellar ataxia with motor neuron signs. It is caused by a GGCCTG repeat expansion in intron 1 of NOP56. Family interview and document research allowed us to reconstruct two extensive, multigenerational kindreds stemming from the same village (Costa da Morte in Galicia, Spain), in the 17th century...