title: Movement disorders in spinocerebellar ataxias in a cohort of Brazilian patients.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Movement disorders (MDs) are well recognized in all subtypes of spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA), but phenomenology and frequency vary widely.
  
  
  METHODS
  Three hundred seventy-eight patients, from 169 Brazilian families, with SCAs were assessed with neurological examination and molecular genetic testing.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Dystonia was the most common movement disorder, found in 5.5% of all patients, particularly in SCA3. We observed Parkinsonian features in 6.6% of SCA3 patients, and myoclonus in two patients of our cohort.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our study demonstrated that MDs are major extracerebellar manifestations of SCA. The observed phenotypes in addition to ataxia may provide significant clues for a particular SCA genotype.
authors.affiliation: Movement Disorders Unit, Neurology Service, Internal Medicine Department, Hospital de Clínicas, Federal University of Paraná, Curitiba PR, Brazil.
authors.forename: Adriana
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Moro
authors.forename: Renato P
authors.initials: RP
authors.lastname: Munhoz
authors.forename: Mariana
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Moscovich
authors.forename: Walter O
authors.initials: WO
authors.lastname: Arruda
authors.forename: Salmo
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Raskin
authors.forename: Hélio A G
authors.initials: HA
authors.lastname: Teive
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D001938:Brazil / Q000453:epidemiology; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology; D009460:Neurologic Examination; D010641:Phenotype; D012189:Retrospective Studies; D020754:Spinocerebellar Ataxias / Q000453:epidemiology* / Q000235:genetics / Q000503:physiopathology