TY - CHAP M1 - Book, Section TI - The Ataxias A1 - Salardini, Arash A1 - Ramirez-Zamora, Adolfo A2 - Salardini, Arash A2 - Biller, José PY - 2016 T2 - The Hospital Neurology Book AB - Ataxia is defined as a syndrome characterized by lack of coordination of movements and posture secondary to a variety of reasons:Sensory ataxia: Proprioceptive loss causes the brain to be unaware of the position of limbs and trunk. Thus, there is incoordination of movements because of incomplete feedback. For example, the major mechanism by which we are able to maintain our balance while walking on uneven ground comes from the proprioceptive feedback from muscles and tendons around the ankle. Loss of ankle proprioception results in problems with balance.Optic ataxia: Caused by damage to the parietal lobes, it is characterized by a dysfunction of reaching movements under visual guidance (see chapter on Dementias).Cerebellar ataxia: The cerebellum is involved in coordination of movement of different muscle groups. Problems with the cerebellum cause the various manifestations of cerebellar ataxia.Vestibular ataxia: Loss of balance and coordination in the setting of vestibular system dysfunction or its connections. Patients with chronic bilateral loss of vestibular function report a sense of unsteadiness, dizziness, vertigo, post-movement gaze variability, and oscillopsia. SN - PB - McGraw-Hill Education CY - New York, NY Y2 - 2024/10/14 UR - neurology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1127046506 ER -