Lincoln Ataxia
January 29, 2013 | Terry Sharrer
British geneticists have identified a new genetic disease, or, more properly, a new genomic spectrum disorder: neuronal spectrinopathy. It arises from a defect in the gene for “beta-III spectrin” and results in misshaped neurons in the cerebellum, which in turn cause speech impairment, and balance and coordination problems as are common among the elderly. One form of this spectrum is named “Lincoln ataxia” because it was identified in the genomes of Abraham Lincoln’s descendants. MORE