Categories: Nervous system phene

Mendelian trait/disorder: unknown

Disease-related: yes

Species-specific description: A chronic locomotor disfunction characterised by mild to moderately severe pelvic limb paresis, thoracic limb hypermetria, fine mild head tremor, wide-based stance, uncoordinated gait, muscle asynergy, disturbed equilibrium and a consequent tendency to fall over (Bourke et al., 1993). On the combined basis of clinical signs and neuropathology, this disorder can be distinguished from segmental axonopathy, cerebellar axonopathy, neuroaxonal dystrophy and degenerative thoracic myelopathy. Indirect evidence suggests a genetic aetiology.

Clinical features: Postmortem reveals nerve cell lesions in many thalamic neurones and many cerebellum Purkinje cells, together with fibre tract lesions in the thalamus, cerebellar peduncles, cerebellar folia, pons, medulla oblongata (ventral tracts) and spinal cord (ventral and lateral columns at all levels).