Incidence of different pressure patterns of spinal cerebellar ataxia and analysis of imaging and genetic diagnosis

Open Life Sci. 2023 Dec 12;18(1):20220762. doi: 10.1515/biol-2022-0762. eCollection 2023.

Abstract

Neurologists have a difficult time identifying sporadic cerebellar ataxia. Multiple system atrophy of the cerebellar type (MSA-C), spontaneous late cortical cerebellar atrophy, and prolonged alcohol use are a few possible causes. In a group of people with sporadic cerebellar ataxia that was not MSA-C, an autosomal-dominant spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) mutation was recently discovered. Chinese single-hospital cohort will be used in this study to genetic screen for SCA-related genes. One hundred forty individuals with CA were monitored over 8 years. Thirty-one individuals had familial CA, 109 patients had sporadic CA, 73 had MSA-C, and 36 had non-MSA-C sporadic CA. In 28 of the 31 non-MSA-C sporadic patients who requested the test, we carried out gene analysis, including SCA1, SCA2, SCA3, SCA6, SCA7, SCA8, SCA12, SCA17, SCA31, and dentatorubro-pallidoluysian atrophy (DRPLA). The control group consisted of family members of the patients. In 57% of the instances with spontaneous CA that were not MSA-C, gene abnormalities were discovered. The most frequent exception among individuals with sporadic CA was SCA6 (36%), followed by monsters in SCA1, 2, 3, 8, and DRPLA. In contrast, 75% of the patients with familial CA had gene abnormalities, the most frequent of which was SCA6 abnormality. The age of 69 vs 59 was higher, and the CAG repeat length was a minor age of 23 vs 25 in the former instances compared to the last one among individuals with SCA6 anomalies that were sporadic as opposed to familial cases. In sporadic CA, autosomal-dominant mutations in SCA genes, notably in SCA6, are common. Although the cause of the increased incidence of SCA6 mutations is unknown, it may be related to a greater age of onset and varied penetrance of SCA6 mutations.

Keywords: genetic diagnosis; heredity; spinal cerebellar ataxia; sporadic.