Neuroacanthocytosis (NA) refers to a group of heterogenous, rare genetic disorders, namely chorea acanthocytosis (ChAc), McLeod syndrome (MLS), Huntington's disease-like 2 (HDL2) and pantothenate kinase associated neurodegeneration (PKAN), that mainly affect the basal ganglia and are associated with similar neurological symptoms. PKAN is also assigned to a group of rare neurodegenerative diseas...

A 30-year-old man with a history of generalized epilepsy presented with progressively worsening involuntary movements for 2 years. He had no family history of movement disorders. He had orofacial choreiform movements with sucking, grimacing, and neck flexion, which were exacerbated with eating. He also had oral ulcers due to involuntary biting. Blood smear showed 20% acanthocytes. Nerve conduct...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE McLeod neuroacanthocytosis syndrome (MLS) is an X-linked multisystem disorder with CNS manifestations resembling Huntington disease. Neuroimaging studies revealed striatal atrophy with predominance of the caudate nucleus. Our previous cross-sectional MRI study showed an association of volume loss in the caudate nucleus and putamen with the disease duration. METHODS In t...

UNLABELLED Chorea-acanthocytosis is an uncommon neurodegenerative disorder, usually with a low rate of progression. It is characterized by Huntington disease-like involuntary movements, cognitive decline, behavioral changes, seizures and polyneuropathy. Chorea-acanthocytosis belongs to the group of neuroacanthocytosis syndromes, a group of genetically defined diseases associated with progressiv...

The 22 antigens of the Kell blood group system are located on a red blood cell (RBC) membrane glycoprotein that shows sequence homology with a family of metalloendopeptidases. Expression of the Kell system antigens is partially governed by XK, an X-linked gene that encodes the Kx protein; absence of Kx results in reduced Kell antigen expression. Almost total absence of Kell antigens from the RB...

Multisystem deterioration occurs mainly in older individuals and may be related to physiological tissue degeneration. However, genetic predisposition may be unmasked by inappropriate functional and structural system deficiencies. McLeod syndrome (MLS) is a rare, multisystem disease which is X-chromosomal inherited and belongs to the neuroacanthocytosis syndromes (NAS). The main clinical manifes...

Acanthocytes, abnormal thorny red blood cells (RBC), are one of the biological hallmarks of neuroacanthocytosis syndromes (NA), a group of rare hereditary neurodegenerative disorders. Since RBCs are easily accessible, the study of acanthocytes in NA may provide insights into potential mechanisms of neurodegeneration. Previous studies have shown that changes in RBC membrane protein phosphorylati...

PURPOSE To describe the eye movement abnormalities in patients with chorea-acanthocytosis (ChAc), a form of neuroacanthocytosis. This autosomal recessive, neurodegenerative disorder with aberrant erythrocyte morphology (acanthocytosis) is caused by mutations in the VPS13A gene. In contrast to Huntington's disease (for which ChAc has occasionally been mistaken), ocular involvement in ChAc has no...

Background: Neuroacanthocytosis (NA) denotes a heterogeneous group of diseases that are characterized by nervous system abnormalities in association with acanthocytosis in the patients' blood. The 4.1R protein of the erythrocyte membrane is critical for the membrane-associated cytoskeleton structure and in central neurons it regulates the stabilization of AMPA receptors on the neuronal surface ...