A Restricted Form of Cerebellar Cortical Degeneration Occurring in Alcoholic Patients

Abstract

Introduction Clinical Observations The Natural History of the Disease Clinical and Pathological Case Reports A Quantitative Estimation of the Changes in the Cerebellar Cortex Comment A. Clinical Features B. Nature and Significance of the Pathological Findings C. Clinical and Pathological Correlation D. Etiological Considerations E. Review of the Medical Literature F. Spontaneously Occurring Cortical Cerebellar Degenerations in Animals G. Restricted Cortical Cerebellar Degeneration in the Alcoholic Patient—a Clinical-Pathological Entity Summary and Conclusions Introduction The relationship of cerebellar cortical degeneration to chronic alcoholism has been a controversial matter for many years. There are now several published accounts of a cerebellar syndrome in alcoholic patients, but these are purely clinical, and one has no way of ascertaining the nature of the pathological changes and of deciding whether they differed in any way from the other known types of cerebellar atrophy. Isolated, pathologically verified instances of primary cerebellar degeneration have been described in