Gilles Lyon, MD
Ataxia refers to a disorder consisting of incoordination of voluntary movements and unsteadiness of gait, resulting from lesions in the cerebellum or cerebellar tracts, or from impairment of position sense due to interruption of afferent sensory fibers. Both mechanisms may be associated as in Friedrich Ataxia and MERRF. Cerebellar and proprioceptive (“tabetic”) ataxia have distinctive clinical features.
ALERT: Ataxia must be distinguished from other disorders disorganizing volitional movements such as action myoclonus and dystonia.