Juvenile-onset Sporadic Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis with a Frameshift FUS Gene Mutation Presenting Unique Neuroradiological Findings and Cognitive Impairment

Intern Med. 2016;55(6):689-93. doi: 10.2169/internalmedicine.55.5569. Epub 2016 Mar 15.

Abstract

A 24-year-old Japanese woman developed anterocollis, weakness of the proximal arms, and subsequent cognitive impairment. A neurological examination revealed amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) without a family history. Systemic muscle atrophy progressed rapidly. Cerebral MRI clearly exhibited high signal intensities along the bilateral pyramidal tracts. An analysis of the FUS gene revealed a heterozygous two-base pair deletion, c.1507-1508delAG (p.G504WfsX515). A subset of juvenile-onset familial/sporadic ALS cases with FUS gene mutations reportedly demonstrates mental retardation or learning difficulty. Our study emphasizes the importance of conducting a FUS gene analysis in juvenile-onset ALS cases, even when no family occurrence is confirmed.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Adult
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / diagnosis*
  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis / genetics*
  • Cognition Disorders / genetics*
  • Dementia / diagnosis*
  • Dementia / genetics*
  • Disease Progression
  • Female
  • Frameshift Mutation*
  • Genetic Markers / genetics
  • Heterozygote
  • Humans
  • Intellectual Disability / genetics
  • Magnetic Resonance Imaging
  • RNA-Binding Protein FUS / genetics*
  • Sequence Deletion
  • Tracheotomy

Substances

  • FUS protein, human
  • Genetic Markers
  • RNA-Binding Protein FUS

Supplementary concepts

  • Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Juvenile, with Dementia