National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center, a program of the National Center for Advancing and Translational Sciences

Spinocerebellar ataxia autosomal recessive 4



Other Names:
SCAR4; Spinocerebellar ataxia with saccadic intrusions; SCASI; SCAR4; Spinocerebellar ataxia with saccadic intrusions; SCASI; Spinocerebellar ataxia 24 (formerly) See More
Categories:
This disease is grouped under:

The following summary is from Orphanet, a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs.
orphanet

Orpha Number: 95434

Definition
A rare hereditary ataxia characterized by a progressive cerebellar ataxia associated with disruption of visual fixation by saccadic intrusions (overshooting horizontal saccades with macrosaccadic oscillations and increased velocity of larger saccades). It presents with progressive gait, trunk and limb ataxia with pyramidal tract signs (increased tendon reflexes and Babinski sign), myoclonic jerks, fasciculations, cerebellar dysarthria, sensorimotor axonal neuropathy with impaired joint position, vibration, temperature, pain sensations, pes cavus, and saccadic intrusions with characteristic overshooting horizontal saccades, macrosaccadic oscillations, and increased velocity of larger saccades, without other eye movement disturbances.

Visit the Orphanet disease page for more resources.
Last updated: 1/1/2018

This table lists symptoms that people with this disease may have. For most diseases, symptoms will vary from person to person. People with the same disease may not have all the symptoms listed. This information comes from a database called the Human Phenotype Ontology (HPO) . The HPO collects information on symptoms that have been described in medical resources. The HPO is updated regularly. Use the HPO ID to access more in-depth information about a symptom.

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Medical Terms Other Names
Learn More:
HPO ID
80%-99% of people have these symptoms
Abnormal lower motor neuron morphology 0002366
Abnormal pyramidal sign 0007256
Abnormal visual fixation 0025404
Gait ataxia
Inability to coordinate movements when walking
0002066
Limb ataxia 0002070
Progressive cerebellar ataxia 0002073
Truncal ataxia
Instability or lack of coordination of central trunk muscles
0002078
30%-79% of people have these symptoms
Dysarthria
Difficulty articulating speech
0001260
Dyslexia
Reading disability
0010522
Fasciculations
Muscle twitch
0002380
Hypermetric saccades 0007338
Impaired proprioception 0010831
Pes cavus
High-arched foot
0001761
Sensorimotor neuropathy
Nerve damage causing decreased feeling and movement
0007141
Unsteady gait
Unsteady walk
0002317
5%-29% of people have these symptoms
Myoclonus 0001336
1%-4% of people have these symptoms
Abnormality of the cerebral white matter 0002500
Intellectual disability, mild
Mental retardation, borderline-mild
Mild and nonprogressive mental retardation
Mild mental retardation
[ more ]
0001256
Microcephaly
Abnormally small skull
Decreased circumference of cranium
Decreased size of skull
Reduced head circumference
Small head circumference
[ more ]
0000252
Motor delay 0001270
Percent of people who have these symptoms is not available through HPO
Adult onset
Symptoms begin in adulthood
0003581
Ataxia 0001251
Autosomal recessive inheritance 0000007
Babinski sign 0003487
Distal amyotrophy
Distal muscle wasting
0003693
Distal muscle weakness
Weakness of outermost muscles
0002460
Dystonia 0001332
Frequent falls 0002359
Hyperreflexia
Increased reflexes
0001347
Macrosaccadic oscillations 0032105
Muscular hypotonia of the trunk
Low muscle tone in trunk
0008936
Nystagmus
Involuntary, rapid, rhythmic eye movements
0000639
Peripheral axonal neuropathy 0003477
Spasticity
Involuntary muscle stiffness, contraction, or spasm
0001257
Tremor 0001337
Variable expressivity 0003828
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Last updated: 7/1/2020

Making a diagnosis for a genetic or rare disease can often be challenging. Healthcare professionals typically look at a person’s medical history, symptoms, physical exam, and laboratory test results in order to make a diagnosis. The following resources provide information relating to diagnosis and testing for this condition. If you have questions about getting a diagnosis, you should contact a healthcare professional.

Testing Resources


If you need medical advice, you can look for doctors or other healthcare professionals who have experience with this disease. You may find these specialists through advocacy organizations, clinical trials, or articles published in medical journals. You may also want to contact a university or tertiary medical center in your area, because these centers tend to see more complex cases and have the latest technology and treatments.

If you can’t find a specialist in your local area, try contacting national or international specialists. They may be able to refer you to someone they know through conferences or research efforts. Some specialists may be willing to consult with you or your local doctors over the phone or by email if you can't travel to them for care.

You can find more tips in our guide, How to Find a Disease Specialist. We also encourage you to explore the rest of this page to find resources that can help you find specialists.

Healthcare Resources


Research helps us better understand diseases and can lead to advances in diagnosis and treatment. This section provides resources to help you learn about medical research and ways to get involved.

Clinical Research Resources

  • The Centers for Mendelian Genomics program is working to discover the causes of rare genetic disorders. For more information about applying to the research study, please visit their website.

Support and advocacy groups can help you connect with other patients and families, and they can provide valuable services. Many develop patient-centered information and are the driving force behind research for better treatments and possible cures. They can direct you to research, resources, and services. Many organizations also have experts who serve as medical advisors or provide lists of doctors/clinics. Visit the group’s website or contact them to learn about the services they offer. Inclusion on this list is not an endorsement by GARD.

Organizations Supporting this Disease


Living with a genetic or rare disease can impact the daily lives of patients and families. These resources can help families navigate various aspects of living with a rare disease.

Financial Resources


These resources provide more information about this condition or associated symptoms. The in-depth resources contain medical and scientific language that may be hard to understand. You may want to review these resources with a medical professional.

Where to Start

In-Depth Information

  • The Monarch Initiative brings together data about this condition from humans and other species to help physicians and biomedical researchers. Monarch’s tools are designed to make it easier to compare the signs and symptoms (phenotypes) of different diseases and discover common features. This initiative is a collaboration between several academic institutions across the world and is funded by the National Institutes of Health. Visit the website to explore the biology of this condition.
  • Online Mendelian Inheritance in Man (OMIM) is a catalog of human genes and genetic disorders. Each entry has a summary of related medical articles. It is meant for health care professionals and researchers. OMIM is maintained by Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. 
  • Orphanet is a European reference portal for information on rare diseases and orphan drugs. Access to this database is free of charge.
  • PubMed is a searchable database of medical literature and lists journal articles that discuss Spinocerebellar ataxia autosomal recessive 4. Click on the link to view a sample search on this topic.

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