Child ataxias: a developmental perspective

In children, the conditions defined as "ataxia" form a very heterogeneous group. They also often differ from the "ataxias" of adults. In many cases this can be attributed to their different etiology, but probably it is also due to the peculiar functional and physiopathologic characteristics of the cerebellar system during the developmental period. In this article we will attempt to critically analyze this subject, with reference to the data published in the literature, to the results of experimental neurophysiologic investigations and, in part, to our own clinical observations.