Neuropsychologic findings in Friedreich's ataxia

Fifteen patients with Friedreich's ataxia underwent a battery of neuropsychologic tests. All subjects had normal visual acuity. There was no indication that Friedreich's ataxia is a dementing disease. The patients showed an impairment in tests of spatial construction and in one test of conceptual perception. Cerebellar structures may be involved in certain spatial tasks, and a lack of training of action in space, as a result of the disease, may also account for the deficits. The motor and somatosensory impairment could be ruled out as a major cause.