RT Book, Section A1 Salardini, Arash A1 Ramirez-Zamora, Adolfo A2 Salardini, Arash A2 Biller, José SR Print(0) ID 1127046506 T1 The Ataxias T2 The Hospital Neurology Book YR 2016 FD 2016 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9780071845830 LK neurology.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1127046506 RD 2024/10/13 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.