Cognitive and neuropsychiatric manifestations of spinocerebellar ataxias in the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery

Abstract

Spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) are a heterogeneous group of neurodegenerative diseases with autosomal dominant inheritance. In various subtypes of SCA, neuropsychiatric manifestations have been described as affective disorders, anxiety or psychotic and cognitive impairment. So far no study of cognitive and neuropsychiatric manifestations in SCA in Mexican population and few studies in the international literature that describe in detail their characteristics. Objective: To describe neuropsychiatric and cognitive manifestations in patients with ACS in the Mexican population, assess the relationship between them and other signs extracerebellar by analyzing clinical, neuropsychological, imaging studies and neurophysiology of patients treated at the National Institute of Neurology and Neurosurgery. Results: A high frequency of neuropsychiatric manifestations (70%), mainly for depressive syndromes (39%) and mood symptoms no relationship between the severity of ataxia and presence thereof was found. In 39% of patients cognitive impairment is identified, principally involvement of attentional, executive functions and calculus. Conclusion: These findings show that neuropsychiatric symptoms are common in patients with ACS in the Mexican population, as well as cognitive impairment. Detection and treatment can improve the quality of life of these patients and promote the premotor detection of those affected.