Summary
Inborn errors of metabolism (IEMs) may present in adolescence or adulthood with various movement disorders including parkinsonism, dystonia, chorea, tics or myoclonus. Main diseases causing movement disorders are metal-storage diseases, neurotransmitter synthesis defects, energy metabolism disorders and lysosomal storage diseases. IEMs should not be missed as many are treatable. Here we briefly review IEMs causing movement disorders in adolescence and adults and propose a simple diagnostic approach to guide metabolic investigations based on the clinical course of symptoms, the type of abnormal movements, and brain MRI abnormalities.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Ala A, Walker AP, Ashkan K, Dooley JS, Schilsky ML (2007) Wilson’s disease. Lancet 369: 397–408.
Baloh RH, Salavaggione E, Milbrandt J, Pestronk A (2007) Familial parkinsonism and ophthalmoplegia from a mutation in the mitochondrial DNA helicase twinkle. Arch Neurol 64: 998–1000.
Benoist JF, Roze E, Sedel F (2007) Contribution of CSF analysis to the diagnosis of inborn errors of metabolism in adult patients. Rev Neurol (Paris) 163: 950–959.
Berardelli A, Thompson PD, Zaccagnini M, et al (1991) Two sisters with generalized dystonia associated with homocystinuria. Mov Disord 6: 163–165.
Berg D, Hoggenmüller U, Hofmann E, Fischer R, Kraus M, Scheurlen M, Becker G (2000) The basal ganglia in haemochromatosis. Neuroradiology 42: 9–13.
Berkovic SF, Carpenter S, Andermann F, Andermann E, Wolfe LS (1988) Kufs’ disease: a critical reappraisal. Brain 111: 27–62.
Berkovic SF, Carpenter S, Evans A, et al (1989) Myoclonus epilepsy and ragged-red fibres (MERRF). 1. A clinical, pathological, biochemical, magnetic resonance spectrographic and positron emission tomographic study. Brain 112: 1231–1260.
Bressman S, Fahn S, Eisenberg M, Brin M, Maltese W (1986) Biotin-responsive encephalopathy with myoclonus, ataxia, and seizures. Adv Neurol 43: 119–125.
Brockmann K, Wang D, Korenke CG, et al (2001) Autosomal dominant glut-1 deficiency syndrome and familial epilepsy. Ann Neurol 50: 476–485.
Caer M, Viala K, Levy R, et al (2005) Adult-onset chorea and mitochondrial cytopathy. Mov Disord 20: 490–492.
Chinnery PF, Crompton DE, Birchall D, et al (2007) Clinical features and natural history of neuroferritinopathy caused by the FTL1 460InsA mutation. Brain 130: 110–119.
Clarke CE, Alger S, Preece MA, et al (2004) Tremor and deep white matter changes in alpha-methylacyl-CoA racemase deficiency. Neurology 63: 188–189.
Costello DJ, Walsh SL, Harrington HJ, Walsh CH (2004) Concurrent hereditary haemochromatosis and idiopathic Parkinson’s disease: a case report series. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 75: 631–633.
Das SK, Ray K (2006) Wilson’s disease: an update. Nat Clin Pract Neurol 2: 482–493.
Demarquay G, Setiey A, Morel Y, Trepo C, Chazot G, Broussolle E (2000) Clinical report of three patients with hereditary hemochromatosis and movement disorders. Mov Disord 15: 1204–1209.
De Vries DD, Went LN, Bruyn GW, et al (1996) Genetic and biochemical impairment of mitochondrial complex I activity in a family with Leber hereditary optic neuropathy and hereditary spastic dystonia. Am J Hum Genet 58: 703–711.
Dotti MT, Federico A, Garuti R, Calandra S (2000) Cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis with predominant parkinsonian syndrome: further confirmation of the clinical heterogeneity. Mov Disord 15: 1017–1019.
Ekinci B, Apaydin H, Vural M, Ozekmekçi S (2004) Two siblings with homocystinuria presenting with dystonia and parkinsonism. Mov Disord 19: 962–964.
Evans AH, Costa DC, Gacinovic S, et al (2004) Late pyramidal motor and cognitive decline in adults may occur in some adults who have relaxed their diet. Mov Disord 19: 1232–1236.
Ewenczyk C, Leroux A, Roubergue A, et al (2008) Recessive hereditary methemoglobinemia, type II: delineation of the clinical spectrum. Brain 131: 760–761.
Federico A, Battistini S, Ciacci G, et al (1991) Cherry-red spot myoclonus syndrome (type I sialidosis). Dev Neurosci 13: 320–326.
Ferdinandusse S, Kostopoulos P, Denis S, et al (2006) Mutations in the gene encoding peroxisomal sterol carrier protein X (SCPx) cause leukencephalopathy with dystonia and motor neuropathy. Am J Hum Genet 78: 1046–1052.
Finsterer J (2002) Parkinson syndrome as a manifestation of mitochondriopathy. Acta Neurol Scand 105: 384–389.
Fiori L, Blau N, Zenga A, Giovannini M (2004) Diagnosis of severe PTPS deficiency in a 28-year-old lawyer with normal IQ. J Inherit Metab Dis 27(Supplement 1): 35.
Friedman J, Hyland K, Blau N, Maccollin M (2006) l-dopa-responsive hypersmonia and mixed movement disorder due to sepiapterin reductase deficiency. Neurology 67: 2032–2035.
Grisoli M, Piperno A, Chiapparini L, Mariani R, Savoiardo M (2005) MR imaging of cerebral cortical involvement in aceruloplasminemia. Am J Neuroradiol 26: 657–661.
Guimaraes J, Amaral O, Sa Miranda MC (2003) Adult-onset neuronopathic form of Gaucher’s disease: a case report. Parkinsonism Relat Disord 9: 261–264.
Haemers I, Kono S, Goldman S, Gitlin JD, Pandolfo M (2004) Clinical, molecular, and PET study of a case of aceruloplasminaemia presenting with focal cranial dyskinesia. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 75: 334–337.
Hall DA, Ringel SP (2004) Adult nonketotic hyperglycinemia (NKH) crisis presenting as severe chorea and encephalopathy. Mov Disord 19: 485–486.
Hanna MG, Bhatia KP (1997) Movement disorders and mitochondrial dysfunction. Curr Opin Neurol 10: 351–356.
Hansen FJ, Blau N (2005) Cerebral folate deficiency: life-changing supplementation with folinic acid. Mol Genet Metab 84: 371–373.
Hayflick SJ, Westaway SK, Levinson B, et al (2003) Genetic, clinical, and radiographic delineation of Hallervorden–Spatz syndrome. N Engl J Med 348: 33–40.
Horvath R, Kley RA, Lochmüller H, Vorgerd M (2007) Parkinson syndrome, neuropathy, and myopathy caused by the mutation A8344G (MERRF) in tRNALys. Neurology 68: 56–58.
Janavs JL, Aminoff MJ (1998) Dystonia and chorea in acquired systemic disorders. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 65: 436–445.
Jinnah HA, Visser JE, Harris JC, et al (2006) Delineation of the motor disorder of Lesch-Nyhan disease. Brain 129: 1201–1217.
Jun AS, Brown MD, Wallace DC (1994) A mitochondrial DNA mutation at nucleotide pair 14459 of the NADH dehydrogenase subunit 6 gene associated with maternally inherited Leber hereditary optic neuropathy and dystonia. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 91: 6206–6210.
Kipps CM, Fung VS, Grattan-Smith P, de Moore GM, Morris JG (2005) Movement disorder emergencies. Mov Disord 20: 322–334.
Krim E, Vital A, Macia F, Yekhlef F, Tison F (2005) Atypical parkinsonism combining alpha-synuclein inclusions and polyglucosan body disease. Mov Disord 20: 200–204.
Kulkens S, Harting I, Sauer S, et al (2005) Late-onset neurologic disease in glutaryl-CoA dehydrogenase deficiency. Neurology 64: 2142–2144.
Kumagai R, Ichikawa K, Yasui T, Kageyama Y, Miyabayashi S (1999) Adult leigh syndrome: treatment with intravenous soybean oil for acute central respiratory failure. Eur J Neurol 6: 613–615.
Lera G, Bhatia K, Marsden CD (1994) Dystonia as the major manifestation of Leigh’s syndrome. Mov Disord 9: 642–649.
Luoma P, Melberg A, Rinne JO (2004) Parkinsonism, premature menopause, and mitochondrial DNA polymerase gamma mutations: clinical and molecular genetic study. Lancet 364: 875–882.
Madsen E, Gitlin JD (2007) Copper and iron disorders of the brain. Annu Rev Neurosci 30: 317–337.
Marie SK, Carvalho AA, Fonseca LF, Carvalho MS, Reed UC, Scaff M (1999) Kearns–Sayre syndrome ‘plus’. Classical clinical findings and dystonia. Arq Neuropsiquiatr 57: 1017–1023.
McFarland R, Chinnery PF, Blakely EL, et al (2007) Homoplasmy, heteroplasmy, and mitochondrial dystonia. Neurology 69: 911–916.
Mellick G, Price L, Boyle R (2004) Late-onset presentation of pyruvate dehydrogenase deficiency. Mov Disord 19: 727–729.
Morimoto N, Nagano I, Deguchi K, et al (2004) Leber hereditary optic neuropathy with chorea and dementia resembling Huntington disease. Neurology 63: 2451–2452.
Muthane U, Chickabasaviah Y, Kaneski C, et al (2004) Clinical features of adult GM1 gangliosidosis: report of three Indian patients and review of 40 cases. Mov Disord 19: 1334–1341.
Navon R (1991) Molecular and clinical heterogeneity of adult GM2 gangliosidosis. Dev Neurosci 13: 295–298.
Nelson I, Hanna MG, Alsanjari N, Scaravilli F, Morgan-Hughes JA, Harding AE (1995) A new mitochondrial DNA mutation associated with progressive dementia and chorea: a clinical, pathological, and molecular genetic study. Ann Neurol 37: 400–403.
Neudorfer O, Pastores GM, Zeng BJ, Gianutsos J, Zaroff CM, Kolodny EH (2005) Late-onset Tay–Sachs disease: phenotypic characterization and genotypic correlations in 21 affected patients. Genet Med 7: 119–123.
Ozand PT, Gascon GG, Al Essa M, et al (1998) Biotin-responsive basal ganglia disease: a novel entity. Brain 121: 1267–1279.
Pogson D (1997) Issues for consideration in dihydropteridine reductase (DHPR) deficiency: a variant form of hyperphenylalaninaemia. J Intellect Disabil Res 41: 208–214.
Puig JG, Torres RJ, Mateos F, et al (2001) The spectrum of hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase (HPRT) deficiency. Clinical experience based on 22 patients from 18 Spanish families. Medicine 80: 102–112.
Ramaekers VT, Rothenberg SP, Sequeira JM, et al (2005) Autoantibodies to folate receptors in the cerebral folate deficiency syndrome. N Engl J Med 352: 1985–1991.
Roze E, Paschke E, Lopez N, et al (2005) Dystonia and parkinsonism in GM1 type 3 gangliosidosis. Mov Disord 20: 1366–1369.
Schiller A, Wevers Ra, Steenbergen GC, Blau N, Jung HH (2004) Long-term course of l-dopa-responsive dystonia caused by tyrosine hydroxylase deficiency. Neurology 63: 1524–1526.
Sedel F, Ribeiro M, Rémy P, Saudubray JM, Agid Y (2006a) Dihydropteridine reductase deficiency: levodopa’s long-term effectiveness without dyskinesia. Neurology 67: 2243–2245.
Sedel F, Friderici K, Nummy K, et al (2006b) Atypical Gilles de la Tourette syndrome with beta-mannosidase deficiency. Arch Neurol 63: 129–131.
Sedel F, Lyon-Caen O, Saudubray JM (2007) Inborn errors of metabolism in adult neurology—a clinical approach focused on treatable diseases. Nat Clin Pract Neurol 3: 279–290.
Segawa M, Nomura Y, Nishiyama N (2003) Autosomal dominant guanosine triphosphate cyclohydrolase I deficiency (Segawa disease). Ann Neurol 54(Supplement 6): S32–45.
Sethi KD, Ray R, Roesel RA, et al (1989) Adult-onset chorea and dementia with propionic acidemia. Neurology 39: 1343–1345.
Sevin M, Lesca G, Baumann N, et al (2007) The adult form of Niemann–Pick disease type C. Brain 130: 120–133.
Shoffner JM, Brown MD, Stugard C, et al (1995) Leber’s hereditary optic neuropathy plus dystonia is caused by a mitochondrial DNA point mutation. Ann Neurol 38: 163–169.
Simon DK, Pulst SM, Sutton JP, Browne SE, Beal MF, Johns DR (1999) Familial multisystem degeneration with parkinsonism associated with the 11778 mitochondrial DNA mutation. Neurology 53: 1787–1793.
Steiner RD, Sweetser DA, Rohrbaugh JR, Dowton SB, Toone JR, Applegarth (1996) Nonketotic hyperglycinemia: atypical clinical and biochemical manifestations. J Pediatr 128: 243–246.
Sudarsky L, Plotkin GM, Logigian EL, Johns DR (1999) Dystonia as a presenting feature of the 3243 mitochondrial DNA mutation. Mov Disord 14: 488–491.
Tanaka K, Yoneda M, Nakajima T, Miyatake T, Owada M (1987) Dihydrobiopterin synthesis defect: an adult with diurnal fluctuation of symptoms. Neurology 37: 519–522.
Tayebi N, Walker J, Stubblefield B, et al (2003) Gaucher disease with parkinsonian manifestations: does glucocerebrosidase deficiency contribute to a vulnerability to parkinsonism? Mol Genet Metab 79: 104–109.
Thyagarajan D, Bressman S, Bruno C, et al (2000) A novel mitochondrial 12SrRNA point mutation in parkinsonism, deafness, and neuropathy. Ann Neurol 48: 730–736.
Trivedi JR, Wolfe GI, Nations SP, Burns DK, Bryan WW, Dewey RB Jr (2003) Adult polyglucosan body disease associated with lewy bodies and tremor. Arch Neurol 60: 764–766.
Truong DD, Harding AE, Scaravilli F, Smith SJ, Morgan-Hughes JA, Marsden CD (1990) Movement disorders in mitochondrial myopathies. A study of nine cases with two autopsy studies. Mov Disord 5: 109–117.
Tuschl K, Mills PB, Parsons H, et al (2008) Hepatic cirrhosis, dystonia, polycythaemia and hypermanganesaemia - A new metabolic disorder. J Inherit Metab Dis 31(2): 151–163.
Van Maldergem L, Trijbels F, DiMauro S, et al (2002) Coenzyme Q-responsive Leigh’s encephalopathy in two sisters. Ann Neurol 52: 750–754.
Verrips A, Hoefsloot LH, Steenbergen GC, et al (2000) Clinical and molecular genetic characteristics of patients with cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis. Brain 123: 908–919.
Wakamatsu N, Hayashi M, Kawai H, et al (1999) Matsumoto mutations producing premature termination of translation and an amino acid substitution in the sterol 27-hydroxylase gene cause cerebrotendinous xanthomatosis associated with parkinsonism. J Neurol Neurosurg Psychiatry 67: 195–198.
Winkelman MD, Banker BQ, Victor M, Moser HW (1983) Non-infantile neuronopathic Gaucher’s disease: a clinicopathologic study. Neurology 33: 994–1008.
Wong K, Sidransky E, Verma A, et al (2004) Neuropathology provides clues to the pathophysiology of Gaucher disease. Mol Genet Metab 82: 192–207.
Yoshida K, Oshima A, Sakuraba H, et al (1992) GM1 gangliosidosis in adults: clinical and molecular analysis of 16 Japanese patients. Ann Neurol 31: 328–332.
Zeng WQ, Al-Yamani E, Acierno JS Jr, et al (2005) Biotin-responsive basal ganglia disease maps to 2q36.3 and is due to mutations in SLC19A3. Am J Hum Genet 77: 16–26.
Ziemssen F, Sindern E, Schroder JM, et al (2000) Novel missense mutations in the glycogen-branching enzyme gene in adult polyglucosan body disease. Ann Neurol 47: 536–540.
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Additional information
Communicating editor: Georg Hoffmann
Competing interests: None declared
Rights and permissions
About this article
Cite this article
Sedel, F., Saudubray, JM., Roze, E. et al. Movement disorders and inborn errors of metabolism in adults: A diagnostic approach. J Inherit Metab Dis 31, 308–318 (2008). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10545-008-0854-5
Received:
Revised:
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10545-008-0854-5