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Cerebellar degeneration
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Cerebellar degeneration is a disease process in which neurons in the cerebellum - the area of the brain that controls muscle coordination and balance - deteriorate and die.[1] Cerebellar degeneration does not constitute a specific diagnosis, but rather is used to describe the changes that occur in a person's nervous system.[2] Diseases that cause cerebellar degeneration can also involve areas of the brain that connect the cerebellum to the spinal cord, such as the medulla oblongata, the cerebral cortex, and the brain stem. Cerebellar degeneration has many different causes, but is most often the result of inherited genetic mutations that alter the normal production of specific proteins that are necessary for the survival of neurons.[1][2]

References
  1. NINDS Cerebellar Degeneration Information Page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). June 27, 2008 Available at: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/cerebellar_degeneration/cerebellar_degeneration.htm. Accessed October 2, 2008.
  2. NINDS Ataxias and Cerebellar or Spinocerebellar Degeneration Information Page. National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS). June 3, 2008 Available at: http://www.ninds.nih.gov/disorders/ataxia/ataxia.htm. Accessed October 2, 2008.

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