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Publication year
2006Source
Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology, 23, 4, (2006), pp. 381-387ISSN
Publication type
Article / Letter to editor

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Organization
Neurology
Human Genetics
Journal title
Journal of Clinical Neurophysiology
Volume
vol. 23
Issue
iss. 4
Page start
p. 381
Page end
p. 387
Subject
DCN 1: Perception and Action; DCN 2: Functional Neurogenomics; IGMD 3: Genomic disorders and inherited multi-system disorders; UMCN 3.2: Cognitive neurosciences; UMCN 5.1: Genetic defects of metabolismAbstract
The discovery of the gene for Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) has not only broadened the FRDA phenotype, but has also identified patients with early-onset cerebellar ataxia who resemble FRDA clinically but who do not carry a mutation in the frataxin gene. In order to identify subgroups that may represent a uniform underlying disorder, we performed neurophysiologic studies, including nerve conduction studies, electromyography, and transcranial magnetic stimulation, in 15 patients with a slowly progressive, unexplained, early-onset cerebellar ataxia (EOCA). In addition, sural nerve biopsy data were available in four patients. The neurophysiologic data identified three distinctive groups of EOCA patients: three patients with normal motor and sensory conduction velocities and borderline sensory amplitudes (group 1); three patients with a mild, predominantly motor, axonal neuropathy (group 2); and nine patients with a highly uniform syndrome characterized by pyramidal features and a severe sensory and motor axonal neuropathy (group 3). We conclude that, on the basis of neurophysiologic studies, distinctive groups of patients with EOCA can be delineated, and that differentiation between patients with EOCA can be useful for differential diagnostic consideration. Whether this splitting also reflects a fundamental phenotypic difference and, therefore, may direct future DNA studies, remains to be established.
This item appears in the following Collection(s)
- Academic publications [202786]
- Electronic publications [100870]
- Faculty of Medical Sciences [80017]
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