Autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxia

Definition

A group of rare early-onset ataxias with dementia characterized by degeneration or abnormal development of the cerebellum and spinal cord. It is a heterogeneous group including disorders that involves both the central and peripheral nervous system (and in some cases other systems and organs), therefore besides ataxia, patients often present with polyneuropathy and clinical symptoms outside the nervous system. It comprises more than half of the known genetic forms of ataxia including congenital ataxias, ataxias associated with metabolic disorders, ataxias with a DNA repair defect, degenerative ataxias and ataxias associated with other features.