Definition:

Leukoencephalopathy with vanishing white matter (VWM), also referred to as childhood ataxia with diffuse central nervous system hypomyelination (CACH), is one of the most prevalent inherited childhood disorders of cerebral white matter. This autosomal recessive progressive neurological disorder usually begins in early childhood, but a wide spectrum of clinical severity is now recognized from fatal infantile forms such as Cree leukoencephalopathy to mild later-onset forms associated with ovarian failure. The principal findings are cerebellar ataxia and spasticity with relative preservation of mental abilities. Nearly all patients have mutations in any of the 5 genes encoding the eukaryotic translation initiation factor eIF2B. Mutated eIF2B could impair the ability of cells to regulate protein synthesis, especially under conditions of cell stress.