U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Format

Send to:

Choose Destination

Leukoencephalopathy, progressive, with ovarian failure(LKENP)

MedGen UID:
863025
Concept ID:
C4014588
Disease or Syndrome
Synonym: LKENP
 
Gene (location): AARS2 (6p21.1)
 
Monarch Initiative: MONDO:0014387
OMIM®: 615889

Definition

Progressive leukoencephalopathy with ovarian failure is an autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by loss of motor and cognitive skills, usually with onset in young adulthood. Some patients may have a history of delayed motor development or learning difficulties in early childhood. Neurologic decline is severe, usually resulting in gait difficulties, ataxia, spasticity, and cognitive decline and dementia. Most patients lose speech and become wheelchair-bound or bedridden. Brain MRI shows progressive white matter signal abnormalities in the deep white matter. Affected females develop premature ovarian failure (summary by Dallabona et al., 2014). [from OMIM]

Clinical features

From HPO
Premature ovarian insufficiency
MedGen UID:
9963
Concept ID:
C0025322
Disease or Syndrome
Amenorrhea due to loss of ovarian function before the age of 40. Primary ovarian inssuficiency (POI) is a state of female hypergonadotropic hypogonadism. It can manifest as primary amenorrhea with onset before menarche or secondary amenorrhea.
Apraxia
MedGen UID:
8166
Concept ID:
C0003635
Mental or Behavioral Dysfunction
A defect in the understanding of complex motor commands and in the execution of certain learned movements, i.e., deficits in the cognitive components of learned movements.
Cerebellar ataxia
MedGen UID:
849
Concept ID:
C0007758
Disease or Syndrome
Cerebellar ataxia refers to ataxia due to dysfunction of the cerebellum. This causes a variety of elementary neurological deficits including asynergy (lack of coordination between muscles, limbs and joints), dysmetria (lack of ability to judge distances that can lead to under- or overshoot in grasping movements), and dysdiadochokinesia (inability to perform rapid movements requiring antagonizing muscle groups to be switched on and off repeatedly).
Depression
MedGen UID:
4229
Concept ID:
C0011581
Mental or Behavioral Dysfunction
Frequently experiencing feelings of being down, miserable, and/or hopeless; struggling to recover from these moods; having a pessimistic outlook on the future; feeling a pervasive sense of shame; having a low self-worth; experiencing thoughts of suicide and engaging in suicidal behavior.
Dysarthria
MedGen UID:
8510
Concept ID:
C0013362
Mental or Behavioral Dysfunction
Dysarthric speech is a general description referring to a neurological speech disorder characterized by poor articulation. Depending on the involved neurological structures, dysarthria may be further classified as spastic, flaccid, ataxic, hyperkinetic and hypokinetic, or mixed.
Dystonic disorder
MedGen UID:
3940
Concept ID:
C0013421
Sign or Symptom
An abnormally increased muscular tone that causes fixed abnormal postures. There is a slow, intermittent twisting motion that leads to exaggerated turning and posture of the extremities and trunk.
Periventricular leukomalacia
MedGen UID:
6072
Concept ID:
C0023529
Disease or Syndrome
Periventricular leukomalacia is characterized by diffuse injury of deep cerebral white matter, accompanied in its most severe form by focal necrosis. The neuropathologic hallmarks of PVL are microglial activation and focal and diffuse periventricular depletion of premyelinating oligodendroglia.
Spasticity
MedGen UID:
7753
Concept ID:
C0026838
Sign or Symptom
A motor disorder characterized by a velocity-dependent increase in tonic stretch reflexes with increased muscle tone, exaggerated (hyperexcitable) tendon reflexes.
Neurodegeneration
MedGen UID:
17999
Concept ID:
C0027746
Cell or Molecular Dysfunction
Progressive loss of neural cells and tissue.
Psychotic disorder
MedGen UID:
19568
Concept ID:
C0033975
Mental or Behavioral Dysfunction
A condition characterized by changes in personality and thought patterns, often accompanied by hallucinations and delusional beliefs, is known as psychosis.
Babinski sign
MedGen UID:
19708
Concept ID:
C0034935
Finding
Upturning of the big toe (and sometimes fanning of the other toes) in response to stimulation of the sole of the foot. If the Babinski sign is present it can indicate damage to the corticospinal tract.
Hyperreflexia
MedGen UID:
57738
Concept ID:
C0151889
Finding
Hyperreflexia is the presence of hyperactive stretch reflexes of the muscles.
Hand tremor
MedGen UID:
68689
Concept ID:
C0239842
Finding
An unintentional, oscillating to-and-fro muscle movement affecting the hand.
Leukoencephalopathy
MedGen UID:
78722
Concept ID:
C0270612
Disease or Syndrome
This term describes abnormality of the white matter of the cerebrum resulting from damage to the myelin sheaths of nerve cells.
Dementia
MedGen UID:
99229
Concept ID:
C0497327
Mental or Behavioral Dysfunction
A loss of global cognitive ability of sufficient amount to interfere with normal social or occupational function. Dementia represents a loss of previously present cognitive abilities, generally in adults, and can affect memory, thinking, language, judgment, and behavior.
Loss of speech
MedGen UID:
107445
Concept ID:
C0542223
Finding
Cerebellar atrophy
MedGen UID:
196624
Concept ID:
C0740279
Disease or Syndrome
Cerebellar atrophy is defined as a cerebellum with initially normal structures, in a posterior fossa with normal size, which displays enlarged fissures (interfolial spaces) in comparison to the foliae secondary to loss of tissue. Cerebellar atrophy implies irreversible loss of tissue and result from an ongoing progressive disease until a final stage is reached or a single injury, e.g. an intoxication or infectious event.
Developmental regression
MedGen UID:
324613
Concept ID:
C1836830
Disease or Syndrome
Loss of developmental skills, as manifested by loss of developmental milestones.
Progressive leukoencephalopathy
MedGen UID:
344402
Concept ID:
C1855010
Finding
Leukoencephalopathy that gets more severe with time.
Lateral ventricle dilatation
MedGen UID:
383904
Concept ID:
C1856409
Pathologic Function
Muscle weakness
MedGen UID:
57735
Concept ID:
C0151786
Finding
Reduced strength of muscles.
Cytochrome C oxidase-negative muscle fibers
MedGen UID:
867360
Concept ID:
C4021724
Finding
An abnormally reduced activity of the enzyme cytochrome C oxidase in muscle tissue.
Nystagmus
MedGen UID:
45166
Concept ID:
C0028738
Disease or Syndrome
Rhythmic, involuntary oscillations of one or both eyes related to abnormality in fixation, conjugate gaze, or vestibular mechanisms.

Recent clinical studies

Etiology

van der Knaap MS, Bugiani M, Mendes MI, Riley LG, Smith DEC, Rudinger-Thirion J, Frugier M, Breur M, Crawford J, van Gaalen J, Schouten M, Willems M, Waisfisz Q, Mau-Them FT, Rodenburg RJ, Taft RJ, Keren B, Christodoulou J, Depienne C, Simons C, Salomons GS, Mochel F
Neurology 2019 Mar 12;92(11):e1225-e1237. Epub 2019 Feb 8 doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000007098. PMID: 30737337Free PMC Article
Labauge P, Horzinski L, Ayrignac X, Blanc P, Vukusic S, Rodriguez D, Mauguiere F, Peter L, Goizet C, Bouhour F, Denier C, Confavreux C, Obadia M, Blanc F, de Sèze J, Fogli A, Boespflug-Tanguy O
Brain 2009 Aug;132(Pt 8):2161-9. doi: 10.1093/brain/awp171. PMID: 19625339
Mathis S, Scheper GC, Baumann N, Petit E, Gil R, van der Knaap MS, Neau JP
Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2008 Dec;110(10):1035-7. Epub 2008 Aug 3 doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2008.06.002. PMID: 18678442

Diagnosis

Ren Y, Yu X, Chen B, Tang H, Niu S, Wang X, Pan H, Zhang Z
Neurol Sci 2022 Aug;43(8):4961-4977. Epub 2022 Apr 7 doi: 10.1007/s10072-022-06011-0. PMID: 35389136
van der Knaap MS, Bugiani M, Mendes MI, Riley LG, Smith DEC, Rudinger-Thirion J, Frugier M, Breur M, Crawford J, van Gaalen J, Schouten M, Willems M, Waisfisz Q, Mau-Them FT, Rodenburg RJ, Taft RJ, Keren B, Christodoulou J, Depienne C, Simons C, Salomons GS, Mochel F
Neurology 2019 Mar 12;92(11):e1225-e1237. Epub 2019 Feb 8 doi: 10.1212/WNL.0000000000007098. PMID: 30737337Free PMC Article
Peragallo JH, Keller S, van der Knaap MS, Soares BP, Shankar SP
Ophthalmic Genet 2018 Jan-Feb;39(1):99-102. Epub 2017 Aug 18 doi: 10.1080/13816810.2017.1350723. PMID: 28820624Free PMC Article
Labauge P, Horzinski L, Ayrignac X, Blanc P, Vukusic S, Rodriguez D, Mauguiere F, Peter L, Goizet C, Bouhour F, Denier C, Confavreux C, Obadia M, Blanc F, de Sèze J, Fogli A, Boespflug-Tanguy O
Brain 2009 Aug;132(Pt 8):2161-9. doi: 10.1093/brain/awp171. PMID: 19625339
Schiffmann R, van der Knaap MS
Curr Opin Neurol 2004 Apr;17(2):187-92. doi: 10.1097/00019052-200404000-00017. PMID: 15021247

Prognosis

Labauge P, Horzinski L, Ayrignac X, Blanc P, Vukusic S, Rodriguez D, Mauguiere F, Peter L, Goizet C, Bouhour F, Denier C, Confavreux C, Obadia M, Blanc F, de Sèze J, Fogli A, Boespflug-Tanguy O
Brain 2009 Aug;132(Pt 8):2161-9. doi: 10.1093/brain/awp171. PMID: 19625339

Clinical prediction guides

Ren Y, Yu X, Chen B, Tang H, Niu S, Wang X, Pan H, Zhang Z
Neurol Sci 2022 Aug;43(8):4961-4977. Epub 2022 Apr 7 doi: 10.1007/s10072-022-06011-0. PMID: 35389136
Wei C, Qin Q, Chen F, Zhou A, Wang F, Zuo X, Chen R, Lyu J, Jia J
BMC Neurol 2019 Aug 22;19(1):203. doi: 10.1186/s12883-019-1429-9. PMID: 31438897Free PMC Article
Peragallo JH, Keller S, van der Knaap MS, Soares BP, Shankar SP
Ophthalmic Genet 2018 Jan-Feb;39(1):99-102. Epub 2017 Aug 18 doi: 10.1080/13816810.2017.1350723. PMID: 28820624Free PMC Article
Mathis S, Scheper GC, Baumann N, Petit E, Gil R, van der Knaap MS, Neau JP
Clin Neurol Neurosurg 2008 Dec;110(10):1035-7. Epub 2008 Aug 3 doi: 10.1016/j.clineuro.2008.06.002. PMID: 18678442

Supplemental Content

Table of contents

    Clinical resources

    Practice guidelines

    • Bookshelf
      See practice and clinical guidelines in NCBI Bookshelf. The search results may include broader topics and may not capture all published guidelines. See the FAQ for details.

    Recent activity

    Your browsing activity is empty.

    Activity recording is turned off.

    Turn recording back on

    See more...