ataxia

(ətăk`sēə), lack of coordination of the voluntary muscles resulting in irregular movements of the body. Ataxia can be brought on by an injury, infection, or degenerative disease of the central nervous system, e.g., syphilis, encephalitis, brain tumor, or multiple sclerosis. The term also designates a specific type of cerebral palsycerebral palsy
, disability caused by brain damage before or during birth or in the first years, resulting in a loss of voluntary muscular control and coordination. Although the exact cause is unknown, apparent predisposing factors include disease (e.g.
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Ataxia

a disturbance in the coordination of voluntary movements. The coordination of a number of muscle groups, which in turn depends on the activity of many parts of the brain (cerebellum, cortex, and so forth), is required for the proper and precise execution of movements and for the maintenance of balance in various body positions. Impulses from muscles, tendons, joints, and ligaments travel via the posterior columns of the spinal cord to the brain. Signals from the semicircular canals of the inner ear are very important for the coordination of movements.

Ataxia appears when there is a disease in one or more of the links in this system. Autonomic, cerebellar, frontal, and labyrinthic ataxias are distinguished according to the site of the condition. Static ataxia (disruption of balance when the person is standing) and locomotor ataxia (actual disruption of the coordination of movement) are distinguished according to clinical manifestations. Sensory ataxia is observed in disease of the peripheral nerves or of the posterior columns of the spinal cord. When the patient stands with his feet together and his eyes closed, his torso begins to sway. His gait is disrupted, and he moves slowly, looking at his feet and casting them far out to either side. In cerebellar ataxia (which affects the connections or structures of the cerebellum) the patient uses excessive space to execute movements; for example, in trying to touch an object, he brings his arm out too far (hypermetria). His speech loses coherence—he speaks loudly, then softly, dividing his words into syllables (scanning). When rising from a lying to a standing position without using his hands, the patient raises his legs instead of his torso. His gait resembles that of an inebriate. Frontal ataxia, which occurs with the disruption of frontal-cerebellar pathways, is similar to cerebellar ataxia in its manifestations. Labyrinthic ataxia is manifested in severe dizziness and horizontal nystagmus. The treatment of ataxia consists of eliminating the fundamental disease with which it is associated, doing therapeutic exercise, and aiding in the restoration of proper coordination of movement.

REFERENCES

Mnogotomnoe rukovodstvo po nevrologii, vol. 7. Edited by S. N. Davidenkov. Moscow, 1960. Page 217.
Davidenkov, S. N. Klinicheskie lektsii po nervnym bolezniam, issue 4. Leningrad, 1961.

A. M. VEIN

ataxia

[ə′tak·sē·ə] (medicine) Lack of muscular coordination due to any of several nervous system diseases.

ataxia

, ataxy Pathol lack of muscular coordination

ataxia

[ah-tak´se-ah] failure of muscular coordination; irregularity of muscular action. adj., adj atac´tic, atax´ic.cerebellar ataxia ataxia due to disease of the cerebellum.Friedreich's ataxia see friedreich's ataxia.frontal ataxia disturbance of equilibrium associated with tumor of the frontal lobe.hereditary ataxia Friedreich's ataxia.hysterical ataxia ataxia recognizable as a conversion symptom; see also astasia-abasia.locomotor ataxia tabes dorsalis.sensory ataxia ataxia due to loss of proprioception (joint position sense), resulting in poorly judged movements and becoming aggravated when the eyes are closed.ataxia-telangiectasia a severe, autosomal recessive, progressive ataxia, associated with telangiectasias (dilation of small blood vessels) in the skin and eyes; immunodeficiency with frequent infections of the respiratory tract from sinuses to lungs; and abnormal eye movements. Called also Louis-Bar's syndrome.

a·tax·i·a

(ă-tak'sē-ă), An inability to coordinate muscle activity during voluntary movement; most often results from disorders of the cerebellum or the posterior columns of the spinal cord; may involve the limbs, head, or trunk. Synonym(s): ataxy, incoordination [G. a-prov. + taxis, order]

ataxia

(ə-tăk′sē-ə)n.1. Loss of the ability to coordinate muscular movement.2. Any of various degenerative, often hereditary, disorders that are characterized by ataxia and are frequently associated with cerebellar atrophy.

a·tax′ic adj. & n.

ataxia

Neurology
Partial or complete loss of co-ordination of voluntary muscular movement; muscle incoordination and gait unsteadiness due to cerebellar dysfunction, and compromised regulation of limb movement.
DiffDx
Hereditary (AD, AR, X-linked, DNA repair defects, metabolic disorders, mitochondrial disease, multisystem disorders, immune defects, Miller-Fisher syndrome), multiple sclerosis, paraneoplastic, infections (CNS, acute ataxia, viral, Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, meningitis mass lesion), abscess, neoplasm, sarcoid, paroxysmal, epilepsy, febrile, migraine, polyneuropathy, anti-MAG Syndrome, GALOP Syndrome, sensory neuronopathy, large fibre, supratentorial, gait disorders, elderly, extrapyramidal, hydrocephalus systemic, amyloid, autoimmune, endocrine (hypoparathyroid, thyroid), GI disorders (coeliac disease, sprue, vitamin E malabsorption, Whipple's disease), toxins and drugs, trauma, vascular, vestibular.

ataxia

Neurology Muscle incoordination and gait unsteadiness due to cerebellar dysfunction, and compromise in regulating limb movement. See Cerebellar gait, Friedreich's ataxia, Hereditary cerebellar ataxia, Spinocerebellar ataxia Vox populi Wobbling.

a·tax·i·a

(ă-taksē-ă) An inability to coordinate muscle activity, causing jerkiness, and inefficiency of voluntary movement. Often due to disorders of the cerebellum or the posterior columns of the spinal cord; may involve limbs, head, or trunk.
Synonym(s): incoordination. [G. a-prov. + taxis, order]

ataxia

Unsteadiness in standing and walking from a disorder of the control mechanisms in the brain, or from inadequate information input to the brain from the skin, muscles and joints. From the Greek a , not and taxis , order or arrangement.

Ataxia

The inability to control voluntary muscle movement, most frequently resulting from disorders in the brain or spinal cord.Mentioned in: Adrenoleukodystrophy, Ataxia-Telangiectasia, Cerebral Amyloid Angiopathy, Cerebral Palsy, Friedreich's Ataxia, Fugu Poisoning, Gulf War Syndrome

ataxia

An inability to coordinate muscular activity during voluntary movements.

a·tax·i·a

(ă-taksē-ă) Inability to coordinate muscle activity during voluntary movement; results from disorders of the cerebellum or posterior columns of spinal cord; may involve limbs, head, or trunk. Also called ataxy. [G. a-prov. + taxis, order]

Patient discussion about ataxia

Q. Can I inherit ataxia to my children? I have Ataxia. Does this mean that all my kids will have it too?A. The hereditary ataxias are genetic, which means they are caused by a defect in a certain gene that is present from the start of a person's life. There are both dominant and recessive ataxias. If it's a dominant ataxia then each child of a parent with an autosomal dominant ataxia gene has a 50/50 chance of whether they will inherit the ataxia gene or not. If it's recessive then it takes a "double dose" of the ataxia gene to result in disease symptoms. Both parents must be carriers of the disease gene in order for it to pass on. Each child of parents who are both carriers of a recessive disease has a 25% chance of inheriting two ataxia genes so will develop the disease, a 50% chance of inheriting just one of the ataxia genes and, therefore, be a carrier and a 25% chance of inheriting no ataxia gene and be completely free of ataxia.
Therefore, it depends which ataxia gene you have, if it's dominant or recessive and whether your spouse is a carrier too.

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Synonyms for ataxia

noun inability to coordinate voluntary muscle movements

Synonyms

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