Canavan disease, one of the most common cerebral degenerative diseases of infancy, is a gene-linked, neurological birth disorder in which the white matter of the brain degenerates into spongy tissue riddled with microscopic fluid-filled spaces. Canavan disease is one of a group of genetic disorders known as the leukodystrophies. These diseases cause imperfect growth or development of the myelin sheath, the fatty covering that acts as an insulator around nerve fibers in the brain. Myelin, which lends its color to the "white matter" of the brain, is a complex substance made up of at least 10 different chemicals. Each of the leukodystrophies affects one (and only one) of these substances.
Canavan disease is caused by mutations in the gene for an enzyme called aspartoacylase. Symptoms of Canavan disease, which appear in early infancy and progress rapidly, may include mental retardation, loss of previously acquired motor skills, feeding difficulties, abnormal muscle tone (floppiness or stiffness), and an abnormally large, poorly controlled head. Paralysis, blindness or hearing loss also may occur. Children are characteristically quiet and apathetic. Although Canavan disease may occur in any ethnic group, it is more frequent among Ashkenazi Jews from eastern Poland, Lithuania and western Russia, and among Saudi Arabians. Canavan disease can be identified by a simple prenatal blood test that screens for the missing enzyme or for mutations in the gene that controls aspartoacylase. Both parents must be carriers of the defective gene in order to have an affected child. When both parents are found to carry the Canavan gene mutation, there is a one in four (25 percent) chance with each pregnancy that the child will be affected with Canavan disease.
Is There Any Treatment?
Canavan disease causes progressive brain atrophy. There is no cure, nor is there a standard course of treatment. Treatment is symptomatic and supportive.
What Is the Prognosis?
The prognosis for Canavan disease is poor. Death usually occurs before age 4, although some children may survive into their teens and 20s.
What Research Is Being Done?
The gene for Canavan disease has been located. Research supported by the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, a part of the National Institutes of Health, includes studies to understand how the brain and nervous system normally develop and function and how they are affected by genetic mutations. These studies contribute to a greater understanding of gene-linked disorders such as Canavan disease and have the potential to open promising new avenues of treatment.
Additional Resources
Canavan Foundation
450 West End Ave., Suite 10C
New York, NY 10024
(212) 873-4640 or 1-877-4-CANAVAN (1-877-422-6282)
Fax: (212) 873-7892
Internet: www.canavanfoundation.org
E-mail: canavandisease@aol.com
Canavan Research Foundation
Fairwood Professional Building
New Fairfield, CT 06812
(203) 746-2436
Fax: (203) 746-3205
Internet: www.canavan.org
E-mail: canavanresearch@aol.com
Canavan Disease Research
P.O. Box 8194
Rolling Meadows, IL 60008-8194
1-800-833-2194
Internet: www.canavanresearch.org
E-mail: canavan@canavanresearch.org
Genetic Alliance
4301 Connecticut Ave., N.W., Suite 404
Washington, DC 20008-2369
(202) 966-5557 or 1-800-336-GENE (1-800-336-4363)
Fax: (202) 966-8553
Internet: www.geneticalliance.org
E-mail: info@geneticalliance.org
National Tay-Sachs and Allied Diseases Association
2001 Beacon St., Suite 204
Brighton, MA 02135
(617) 277-4463 or 1-800-90-NTSAD (1-800-906-8723)
Fax: (617) 277-0134
Internet: www.ntsad.org
E-mail: info@ntsad.org
United Leukodystrophy Foundation
2304 Highland Drive
Sycamore, IL 60178
(815) 895-3211 or 1-800-728-5483
Fax: (815) 895-2432
Internet: www.ulf.org
E-mail: ulf@tbcnet.com
Source: National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health
Updated: February 12, 2007
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