Prominent Action Tremor in <scp>PHARC</scp> Syndrome With a Novel <i>ABHD12</i> Missense Variant

ABSTRACT Polyneuropathy, hearing loss, ataxia, retinitis pigmentosa, and cataract (PHARC) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in ABHD12 . We report a 50‐year‐old Japanese man with childhood‐onset hearing loss and retinitis pigmentosa who subsequently developed action tremor, sensorimotor polyneuropathy, cataracts, and cerebellar atrophy. The action tremor caused greater functional impairment than gait ataxia. Genetic testing identified compound heterozygous ABHD12 variants: the previously reported Japanese splice‐site variant c.316+2T&gt;A and a novel missense variant c.374C&gt;G (p.Thr125Arg). His asymptomatic mother carried only c.316+2T&gt;A, supporting a likely in trans configuration of the two variants, and p.Thr125Arg was classified as likely pathogenic. This case adds a novel ABHD12 missense variant to the genetic spectrum of PHARC syndrome and illustrates that disabling action tremor can occur in ABHD12 ‐related disease, even when gait ataxia is not the dominant source of disability.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience
Published
2026-08-14
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1002/ncn3.70158
Primary Topic
Genomics and Rare Diseases
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

Prominent Action Tremor in PHARC Syndrome With a Novel ABHD12 Missense Variant

Kaori Sumi, Yasuhiro Aso, Hiroshi Takashima, Teruaki Masuda et al.
Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience
Genomics and Rare Diseases
article

Prominent Action Tremor in PHARC Syndrome With a Novel ABHD12 Missense Variant

Kaori Sumi, Yasuhiro Aso, Hiroshi Takashima, Teruaki Masuda, Noriyuki Kimura, Masahiro Ando
article en

Abstract

ABSTRACT Polyneuropathy, hearing loss, ataxia, retinitis pigmentosa, and cataract (PHARC) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive neurodegenerative disorder caused by biallelic pathogenic variants in ABHD12 . We report a 50‐year‐old Japanese man with childhood‐onset hearing loss and retinitis pigmentosa who subsequently developed action tremor, sensorimotor polyneuropathy, cataracts, and cerebellar atrophy. The action tremor caused greater functional impairment than gait ataxia. Genetic testing identified compound heterozygous ABHD12 variants: the previously reported Japanese splice‐site variant c.316+2T&gt;A and a novel missense variant c.374C&gt;G (p.Thr125Arg). His asymptomatic mother carried only c.316+2T&gt;A, supporting a likely in trans configuration of the two variants, and p.Thr125Arg was classified as likely pathogenic. This case adds a novel ABHD12 missense variant to the genetic spectrum of PHARC syndrome and illustrates that disabling action tremor can occur in ABHD12 ‐related disease, even when gait ataxia is not the dominant source of disability.

Neurology and Clinical Neuroscience
Kagoshima University (JP), Oita University (JP), Oita Prefectural Hospital (JP)
Good health and well-being
Openalex Percentile: Top 10%
Genomics and Rare Diseases
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.