A rare form of hereditary optic atrophy seen in only 4 families to date. With onset in early childhood the disease has characteristics of progressive loss of visual acuity, significant optic nerve pallor and occasionally additional neurological manifestations, with females being unaffected.

An axonal peripheral sensorimotor polyneuropathy associated with pyramidal involvement. So far, it has been described in 13 members of a large Tunisian family. Onset occurred during the first decade of life with progressive distal atrophy involving both the upper and lower limbs, associated with a mild pyramidal syndrome (brisk patellar and upper limb reflexes, absent ankle reflexes and unattainable plantar reflexes). Transmitted in an autosomal recessive manner and the disease-causing locus has been mapped to 8q13-21.1.

Autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay (ARSACS) is clinically characterized by a progressive cerebellar ataxia, peripheral neuropathy, and spasticity. Disease onset of classic ARSACS is often in early childhood, leading to delayed walking because of gait unsteadiness in very young toddlers, while an increasing number of individuals with disease onset in teenage or early-adult years are now being described. Typically the ataxia is followed by lower-limb spasticity and later by peripheral neuropathy – although pronounced peripheral neuropathy has been observed as a first sign of ARSACS. Oculomotor disturbances, dysarthria, and upper-limb ataxia develop with slower progression than the other findings. Brain imaging demonstrates atrophy of the superior vermis and the cerebellar hemisphere with additional findings on MRI, such as linear hypointensities in the pons and hyperintense rims around the thalami. Many affected individuals (though not all) have yellow streaks of hypermyelinated fibers radiating from the edges of the optic disc noted on ophthalmologic exam, and thickened retinal fibers can be demonstrated by optical coherence tomography. Mild intellectual disability, hearing loss, and urinary urgency and incontinence have been reported in some individuals.

Autosomal recessive distal hereditary motor neuronopathy-2 (HMNR2) is a neuromuscular disorder characterized by onset of distal muscle weakness and wasting affecting the lower and upper limbs in the first decade; there is no sensory involvement (summary by Li et al., 2015). For a general phenotypic description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of autosomal recessive HMN, see HMNR1 (604320).

PNPLA6 disorders span a phenotypic continuum characterized by variable combinations of cerebellar ataxia; upper motor neuron involvement manifesting as spasticity and/or brisk reflexes; chorioretinal dystrophy associated with variable degrees of reduced visual function; and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism (delayed puberty and lack of secondary sex characteristics). The hypogonadotropic hypogonadism occurs either in isolation or as part of anterior hypopituitarism (growth hormone, thyroid hormone, or gonadotropin deficiencies). Common but less frequent features are peripheral neuropathy (usually of axonal type manifesting as reduced distal reflexes, diminished vibratory sensation, and/or distal muscle wasting); hair anomalies (long eyelashes, bushy eyebrows, or scalp alopecia); short stature; and impaired cognitive functioning (learning disabilities in children; deficits in attention, visuospatial abilities, and recall in adults). Some of these features can occur in distinct clusters on the phenotypic continuum: Boucher-Neuhäuser syndrome (cerebellar ataxia, chorioretinal dystrophy, and hypogonadotropic hypogonadism); Gordon Holmes syndrome (cerebellar ataxia, hypogonadotropic hypogonadism, and – to a variable degree – brisk reflexes); Oliver-McFarlane syndrome (trichomegaly, chorioretinal dystrophy, short stature, intellectual disability, and hypopituitarism); Laurence-Moon syndrome; and spastic paraplegia type 39 (SPG39) (upper motor neuron involvement, peripheral neuropathy, and sometimes reduced cognitive functioning and/or cerebellar ataxia).

A rare genetic autosomal recessive spastic ataxia disease with characteristics of the onset in early childhood of spastic paraparesis, cerebellar ataxia, dysarthria and optic atrophy. Caused by homozygous mutation in the MTPAP gene on chromosome 10p11.

Autosomal recessive spinocerebellar ataxia-10 is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder with onset in the teenage or young adult years of gait and limb ataxia, dysarthria, and nystagmus associated with marked cerebellar atrophy on brain imaging (summary by Vermeer et al., 2010). Some patients have low levels of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) in muscle and may show some clinical improvement with CoQ10 treatment (Balreira et al., 2014).

Usher syndrome type III is characterized by postlingual, progressive hearing loss, variable vestibular dysfunction, and onset of retinitis pigmentosa symptoms, including nyctalopia, constriction of the visual fields, and loss of central visual acuity, usually by the second decade of life (Karjalainen et al., 1983; Pakarinen et al., 1995). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of type III Usher syndrome, see USH3A (276902).

Autosomal recessive spastic paraplegia-61 (SPG61) is a complicated, early-onset spastic paraplegia (summary by Chukhrova et al., 2019).

Mitochondrial complex IV deficiency nuclear type 16 (MC4DN16) is an autosomal recessive metabolic disorder with highly variable manifestations. Common features include failure to thrive with poor overall growth, short stature, and microcephaly. Some patients additionally have neurologic involvement, including developmental regression with severe hypotonia, feeding difficulties, and seizures. Brain imaging in the more severely affected patients shows cerebral and cerebellar atrophy and abnormal lesions in the basal ganglia. In all cases, patient tissues show variably decreased levels and activity of mitochondrial respiratory complex IV (summary by Pillai et al., 2019). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of mitochondrial complex IV (cytochrome c oxidase) deficiency, see 220110.

Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease type 2W is an autosomal dominant neurologic disorder characterized by a peripheral neuropathy mainly affecting the lower limbs and resulting in gait difficulties and distal sensory impairment, although most patients also have upper limb involvement. The age at onset is highly variable, ranging from childhood to late adulthood (summary by Safka Brozkova et al., 2015). For a phenotypic description and a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of axonal CMT, see CMT2A1 (118210).

Autosomal dominant distal hereditary motor neuronopathy-11 (HMND11) is a peripheral axonal motor neuropathy characterized by juvenile or young-adult onset of distal limb muscle weakness and atrophy mainly affecting the lower limbs, resulting in gait instability and walking difficulties. Foot deformities may also be present. The disorder is usually slowly progressive, and patients remain ambulatory until late adulthood. Some affected individuals may have distal upper limb and hand involvement or mild distal sensory abnormalities, but motor symptoms dominate the clinical picture. Electrophysiologic studies are consistent with a length-dependent axonal motor or sensorimotor neuropathy. Seizures are not present and brain imaging is normal (Beijer et al., 2019). One reported affected individual had a marfanoid habitus and mild speech delay with learning disabilities, suggesting possible expansion of the phenotypic spectrum (Ylikallio et al., 2020). For a discussion of genetic heterogeneity of autosomal dominant distal HMN, see HMND1 (182960).