Approach to Oculomotor Apraxia: A Syndromic Approach to Genetic Causes.

Background: Oculomotor apraxia (OMA), the clinical manifestation of impaired voluntary initiation of saccadic eye movements, has long been associated with several disorders and genetic mutations in the literature.

Objectives: The present study aims to review all the disorders and genetic mutations associated with OMA reported in the literature.

Methods: PubMed, MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, and Web of Science databases were systematically searched for related keywords, and related publications from January 2000 to January 2024 were reviewed.

Results: All the disorders and genetic mutations presented with OMA in the literature were reported. Clinical manifestations of the congenital disorders- particularly members of autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxias- including Joubert syndrome, ataxia with oculomotor apraxia, ataxia-telangiectasia, and other disorders were discussed, Additionally, the pathophysiology of the genetic mutations in the anatomical pathway of OMA is discussed in this paper.

Conclusions: Most of the cases with OMA present this sign early in their disease course; thus, evaluating the possible differential diagnoses can guide clinicians to a more accurate diagnosis. Understanding the spectrum of disorders and clinical manifestations with OMA also provides valuable insights into further clinic-pathological and genetic evaluations of this clinical manifestation.