Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 with positional vertigo and acetazolamide responsive episodic ataxia

The SCA6 mutation, a small expansion of a CAG repeat in a calcium channel gene CACNA1A, was identified in three pedigrees. Point mutations in other parts of the gene CACNA1A were excluded and new clinical features of SCA6 reported--namely, central positional nystagmus and episodic ataxia responsive to acetazolamide. The three allelic disorders, episodic ataxia type 2, familial hemiplegic migraine, and SCA6, have overlapping clinical features.