Myelin is a highly specialized membrane unique to the nervous system that ensheaths axons to permit the rapid saltatory conduction of impulses. The elaboration of a compact myelin sheath is disrupted in a diverse spectrum of human disorders, many of which are of unknown etiology. The X chromosome-linked human disorder Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease is a clinically and pathologically heterogeneous...

Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) is a rare and progressive condition affecting the central nervous system. [1] It is one of a group of gene-linked disorders known as the leukodystrophies, which are all characterised by myelin sheath abnormalities. This is due to a mutation in the gene that controls the production of a myelin protein called proteolipid protein 1 (PLP1). The exact type of PLP1 ...

Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease (PMD) can now be defined as an X-linked recessive leukodystrophy that is caused by a mutation in the proteolipid protein (PLP) gene on chromosome Xq22. The most common mutation is gene duplication followed in frequency by missense mutations, insertions, and deletions. The clinical spectrum ranges from severe neonatal cases to relatively benign adult forms and X-link...

Pelizaeus-Merzbacher disease is a rare disease of infants and young children in which there is an arrest of myelination of the CNS. The cause of the disorder is unknown. Three cases are reported, representing the connatal and classical forms of the disease. The MR images obtained of these children are compared with histologic findings as reported in the literature. In the connatal form a comple...

In 1885, Pelizaeus described 5 boys in a single family with nystagmus, spastic quadriparesis, ataxia, and delay in cognitive development. In 1910, Merzbacher reexamined this family, which then included 14 affected individuals, including 2 girls, and found that all affected family members shared a common female ancestor. Also, he noted that the disease was passed exclusively through the female l...