title: Hereditary adult-onset Alexander's disease with palatal myoclonus, spastic paraparesis, and cerebellar ataxia.
abstract: We describe a progressive neurologic disorder in three sisters characterized clinically by palatal myoclonus, spastic weakness, hyperreflexia, mild cerebellar dysfunction, and ocular motor abnormalities. Postmortem examination of one patient demonstrated widespread Rosenthal fiber deposition associated with demyelination. The father previously was reported to have similar pathologic findings and carried a clinical diagnosis of multiple sclerosis. These clinical and pathologic findings describe a rare familial leukodystrophy that corresponds most closely to cases reported as adult Alexander's disease. Although similar pathologically to the well-characterized infantile variant of Alexander's disease, it is not known whether this adult variant represents the same disease process.
authors.affiliation: Veterans Administration Outpatient Clinic, Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center, Lubbock, USA.
authors.forename: J D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Schwankhaus
authors.forename: J E
authors.initials: JE
authors.lastname: Parisi
authors.forename: W R
authors.initials: WR
authors.lastname: Gulledge
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chin
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Currier
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D001921:Brain / Q000473:pathology; D002524:Cerebellar Ataxia / Q000150:complications*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008279:Magnetic Resonance Imaging; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009207:Myoclonus / Q000150:complications*; D009410:Nerve Degeneration; D009422:Nervous System Diseases / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics* / Q000473:pathology; D010156:Palatal Muscles; D015493:Paraparesis, Tropical Spastic / Q000150:complications*; D010375:Pedigree