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Description
Infantile-onset spinocerebellar ataxia (IOSCA) is a progressive disorder that affects the nervous system. Babies with IOSCA develop normally during the first year of life. During early childhood, however, they begin experiencing difficulty coordinating movements (ataxia); very weak muscle tone (hypotonia); involuntary writhing movements of the limbs (athetosis); and decreased reflexes. By their teenage years affected individuals require wheelchair assistance.
People with IOSCA often develop problems with the autonomic nervous system, which controls involuntary body functions. As a result, they may experience excessive sweating, difficulty controlling urination, and severe constipation.
IOSCA also leads to vision and hearing problems that begin by about age 7. Children with this disorder develop weakness in the muscles that control eye movement (ophthalmoplegia). In their teenage years they experience degeneration of the nerves that carry information from the eyes to the brain (optic atrophy), which can result in vision loss. Hearing loss caused by nerve damage (sensorineural hearing loss) typically occurs during childhood and progresses to profound deafness.
Individuals with IOSCA may have recurrent seizures (epilepsy). These seizures can lead to severe brain dysfunction (encephalopathy).
Most people with IOSCA survive into adulthood. However, a few individuals with IOSCA have an especially severe form of the disorder involving liver damage and encephalopathy that develops during early childhood. These children do not generally live past age 5.
Frequency
More than 20 individuals with IOSCA have been identified in Finland. A few individuals with similar symptoms have been reported elsewhere in Europe.
Causes
Mutations in the TWNK gene cause IOSCA. The TWNK gene provides instructions for making two very similar proteins called Twinkle and Twinky. These proteins are found in the mitochondria, which are structures within cells that convert the energy from food into a form that cells can use.
Mitochondria each contain a small amount of DNA, known as mitochondrial DNA or mtDNA, which is essential for the normal function of these structures. The Twinkle protein is involved in the production and maintenance of mtDNA. The function of the Twinky protein is unknown.
The TWNK gene mutations that cause IOSCA interfere with the function of the Twinkle protein and result in reduced quantities of mtDNA (mtDNA depletion). Impaired mitochondrial function in the nervous system, muscles, and other tissues that require a large amount of energy leads to neurological dysfunction and the other problems associated with IOSCA.
Inheritance
This condition is inherited in an autosomal recessive pattern, which means both copies of the gene in each cell have mutations. The parents of an individual with an autosomal recessive condition each carry one copy of the mutated gene, but they typically do not show signs and symptoms of the condition.
Other Names for This Condition
- IOSCA
- Ohaha syndrome
- Ophthalmoplegia, hypotonia, ataxia, hypacusis, and athetosis
Additional Information & Resources
Genetic Testing Information
Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center
Patient Support and Advocacy Resources
Catalog of Genes and Diseases from OMIM
Scientific Articles on PubMed
References
- Finsterer J. Ataxias with autosomal, X-chromosomal or maternal inheritance. Can J Neurol Sci. 2009 Jul;36(4):409-28. doi: 10.1017/s0317167100007733. Citation on PubMed
- Finsterer J. Mitochondrial ataxias. Can J Neurol Sci. 2009 Sep;36(5):543-53. doi: 10.1017/s0317167100008027. Citation on PubMed
- Hakonen AH, Goffart S, Marjavaara S, Paetau A, Cooper H, Mattila K, Lampinen M, Sajantila A, Lonnqvist T, Spelbrink JN, Suomalainen A. Infantile-onset spinocerebellar ataxia and mitochondrial recessive ataxia syndrome are associated with neuronal complex I defect and mtDNA depletion. Hum Mol Genet. 2008 Dec 1;17(23):3822-35. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddn280. Epub 2008 Sep 5. Citation on PubMed
- Lonnqvist T, Paetau A, Valanne L, Pihko H. Recessive twinkle mutations cause severe epileptic encephalopathy. Brain. 2009 Jun;132(Pt 6):1553-62. doi: 10.1093/brain/awp045. Epub 2009 Mar 20. Citation on PubMed
- Lonnqvist T. Infantile-Onset Spinocerebellar Ataxia - RETIRED CHAPTER, FOR HISTORICAL REFERENCE ONLY. 2009 Jan 27 [updated 2018 Apr 19]. In: Adam MP, Feldman J, Mirzaa GM, Pagon RA, Wallace SE, Amemiya A, editors. GeneReviews(R) [Internet]. Seattle (WA): University of Washington, Seattle; 1993-2025. Available from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK3795/ Citation on PubMed
- Nikali K, Suomalainen A, Saharinen J, Kuokkanen M, Spelbrink JN, Lonnqvist T, Peltonen L. Infantile onset spinocerebellar ataxia is caused by recessive mutations in mitochondrial proteins Twinkle and Twinky. Hum Mol Genet. 2005 Oct 15;14(20):2981-90. doi: 10.1093/hmg/ddi328. Epub 2005 Aug 31. Citation on PubMed
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