Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 1 (AOA1): clinical and neuropsychological features in 2 new patients and differential diagnosis

J Child Neurol. 2008 Aug;23(8):895-900. doi: 10.1177/0883073808314959. Epub 2008 Apr 10.

Abstract

Ataxia with oculomotor apraxia type 1 (AOA1) is an autosomal recessive disease characterized by early-onset and slowly progressive cerebellar ataxia, areflexia, and peripheral neuropathy. Ocular apraxia is most prominent in the early stage of the disease, by contrast, hypoalbuminemia, hypercholesterolemia, and cognitive impairment are present in the adult stage. AOA1 is caused by a mutation in the APTX gene (9p13.3) encoding a nuclear protein named aprataxin, which is involved in the mechanism of DNA repair. We report here the clinical features of 2 patients with mutations in the APTX gene, and we discuss the differential diagnosis with other forms of hereditary ataxia.

Publication types

  • Case Reports

MeSH terms

  • Adolescent
  • Apraxias / diagnosis
  • Apraxias / genetics*
  • Atrophy
  • Cerebellar Ataxia / diagnosis
  • Cerebellar Ataxia / genetics*
  • Cerebellum / pathology
  • Child
  • Chromosome Aberrations
  • Cognition Disorders / diagnosis
  • Cognition Disorders / genetics*
  • Consanguinity
  • DNA Mutational Analysis
  • DNA-Binding Proteins / genetics
  • Diagnosis, Differential
  • Female
  • Genes, Recessive / genetics
  • Humans
  • Intellectual Disability / diagnosis
  • Intellectual Disability / genetics
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • Male
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins / genetics
  • Neurologic Examination
  • Neuropsychological Tests*
  • Nuclear Proteins / genetics
  • Polyneuropathies / diagnosis
  • Polyneuropathies / genetics*

Substances

  • APTX protein, human
  • DNA-Binding Proteins
  • HINT1 protein, human
  • Nerve Tissue Proteins
  • Nuclear Proteins