Cerebellar ataxia, dystonia, and tremor within a family: variable phenotypes of a single genetic disorder?

Mov Disord. 1994 Mar;9(2):155-60. doi: 10.1002/mds.870090205.

Abstract

We report a non-Jewish, Anglo-Saxon, American family, in which one sibling has dystonia, a second has cerebellar ataxia, and a third has a combination of dystonia and ataxia. All three siblings have pyramidal signs. Their mother and maternal uncle have tremor, and their maternal grandmother may have had a neurodegenerative disorder. Although the inheritance pattern is uncertain, this may represent phenotypic variability resulting from a single gene mutation. The multiple phenotypes within this family do not fit any known inherited neurodegenerative or metabolic disorder.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
  • Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Aged
  • Brain / pathology
  • Dystonia / diagnosis
  • Dystonia / genetics*
  • Female
  • Humans
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Neurologic Examination
  • Pedigree
  • Phenotype*
  • Spinocerebellar Degenerations / diagnosis
  • Spinocerebellar Degenerations / genetics*