Tay-Sachs disease is a prototypic neurodegenerative disease. Lysosomal storage of GM2 ganglioside in Tay-Sachs and the related disorder, Sandhoff disease, is caused by deficiency of beta-hexosaminidase A, a heterodimeric protein. Tay-Sachs-related diseases (GM2 gangliosidoses) are incurable, but gene therapy has the potential for widespread correction of the underlying lysosomal defect by means...

Infants with Sandhoff disease typically appear normal until 3-6 months of age. As the disease progresses, they present with symptoms such as loss of motor skills, exaggerated startle response to loud noise, seizures, visual loss, and paralysis. We encountered a rare case of a 22-month-old girl with Sandhoff disease characterized by progressive motor weakness and dysphagia, who initially showed ...

Tay-Sachs and Sandhoff diseases are lethal inborn errors of acid β-N-acetylhexosaminidase activity, characterized by lysosomal storage of GM2 ganglioside and related glycoconjugates in the nervous system. The molecular events that lead to irreversible neuronal injury accompanied by gliosis are unknown; but gene transfer, when undertaken before neurological signs are manifest, effectively rescue...

The introduction in recent years of more refined techniques for the isolation and characterization of biological lipids has led to the detection of a number of disorders which share with Tay-Sachs disease a disturbance of ganglioside metabolism. Gangliosides are sphingosine-containing glycolipids distinguished by the inclusion of neuraminic acid, and the various gangliosidoses are attributable ...

The GM2 gangliosidoses are fatal lysosomal storage diseases principally affecting the brain. Absence of β-hexosaminidase A and B activities in the Sandhoff mouse causes neurological dysfunction and recapitulates the acute Tay-Sachs (TSD) and Sandhoff diseases (SD) in infants. Intracranial coinjection of recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors (rAAV), serotype 2/1, expressing human β-hexosami...

A 32 year old male is described with an onset of upper limb postural tremor in adolescence followed by muscle cramps. Progressive proximal amyotrophy and weakness in the limbs developed late in the third decade. Examination disclosed, in addition, bilateral facial weakness and mild dysarthria. Enzyme studies revealed hexosaminidase A and B deficiency, indicating a diagnosis of Sandhoff disease....

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