Genes are the elements of the body's cells which are responsible for our physical characteristics. The gene for hereditary ataxia is an abnormal gene. New genetic techniques have located the Friedreichs Ataxia gene, this gene has been amed X25 and is found on chromosome 9. Much research is needed if this problem can be fixed. There are two types of hereditary ataxia, dominant and recessive.
Dominant ataxia is passed on as a dominant hereditary disease.
Each child born of a parent with dominant hereditary ataxia has a 50 - 50 chance of getting ataxia. In recessive types, like Friedreichs Ataxia, parents do not exhibit symptoms. They each carry a recessive gene which may cause ataxia in their offspring. The recessive gene may lie dormant for generations until suddenly two people with the defective gene have children. Only if both arents carry the gene there is a 1 in 2 chance the child will be a carrier and a 1 in 4 chance it will develop ataxia.