Cerebellar Ataxia Causes and Symptoms

What Is Cerebellar Ataxia?

When the cerebellum atrophies, a neurological problem known as cerebellar ataxia may result.

The cerebellum is part of the brain that consists of two parts. The left hemisphere controls movement on the left side of the body, while the right hemisphere controls movement on the right side. The cerebellum also acts as the controlling mechanism behind speech and coordination.

Researchers have determined that the cerebellum contains about 80 percent of the total neurons in the human brain. Scientists say there are many connections in the cerebellum because it controls intricate, precise voluntary actions.

When the neurons don’t connect correctly, a patient may experience cerebellar ataxia, which is marked by abnormal, uncoordinated behaviors and movements.

Symptoms of cerebellar ataxia include a staggering walk, often distinguishable by the patient walking with his legs farther apart than normal.

The staggering walk might resemble that of someone who has had too much alcohol to drink. In fact, the walk of a drunk person is caused by alcohol’s effect on the main nerve cells in the cerebellum.

Other signs that a patient is suffering from cerebellar ataxia include:

• Trouble completing motor tasks such as eating or buttoning a shirt
• Slow, slurred speech
• Change in volume or cadence of speech
• Fast, involuntary back-and-forth eye movements, medically known as nystagmus
• Problems swallowing
• Loss of balance
• Loss of muscle coordination of a hand, arm or leg
• Inability to sit upon the edge of the bed without bobbing up and down from trunk area

Causes of Cerebellar Ataxia

Many different elements may cause the brain to incur damage or degeneration of the cerebellum. Among the causes of cerebellar ataxia are:

Trauma to the head. Any type of motor vehicle accident or impact to the head may cause a sudden and acute case of cerebellar ataxia.

Stroke. Any time the blood supply to the brain is stopped or greatly reduced, brain cells can die due to oxygen deprivation.

Cerebral palsy. When a child’s brain is damaged during early development, the cerebellum is apt to be affected, causing poor coordination of bodily movements.

Autoimmune diseases. Many types of advanced autoimmune diseases such as multiple sclerosis or celiac disease may eventually result in cerebellar ataxia.

Infections. Serious viral infections, even chickenpox, can cause temporary ataxia.

Tumors. Cancerous or noncancerous tumors on the brain can place pressure on the cerebellum, causing damage to the neurons that results in ataxia.

Drug toxicity. Some medications are linked to an increased risk of cerebellar ataxia. Among the drugs that may affect the cerebellum is Dilantin (phenytoin), which is an anticonvulsant prescribed to patients who suffer from epileptic seizures.

Dilantin and Cerebellar Ataxia

Patients who experience seizures may suffer from damage to the cerebellum caused by the seizures themselves, but scientists took that fact into account in a 1994 Dilantin cerebellar ataxia study published in the journal JAMA Neurology.

Researchers determined through MRIs that patients who took Dilantin for an extended period of time had a much smaller cerebellum compared to a control group of patients who had never been on Dilantin.

The damage was deemed more likely among those who took Dilantin for a long period of time and those who took a higher dose that made drug serum levels rise beyond a therapeutic range.