Long-term Observation of a Japanese Patient with a Multiple-system Neurodegenerative Disorder with a Uniallelic de novo Missense Variant in KIF1A

Abstract

We encountered a 37-year-old Japanese man with KIF1A-associated neurological disorder (KAND) who exhibited motor developmental delay, intellectual disability, and slowly progressive cerebellar ataxia, hypotonia, and optic neuropathy. Pyramidal tract signs were evident late in this case. At 30 years old, the patient developed a neurogenic bladder. A molecular diagnosis revealed a uniallelic missense de novo variant (p.L278P) of KIF1A. Serial neuroradiological studies revealed atrophy of the cerebellum at an early age, and cerebral hemisphere atrophy progressed slowly over a 22-year observation period. Our study suggests that the primary etiology of KAND may be acquired, long-standing neurodegeneration rather than congenital hypoplasia.