A deficiency or slowing down of growth pre- and postnatally.

Failure to thrive (FTT) refers to a child whose physical growth is substantially below the norm.

Difficulty in swallowing.

Abnormally increased size of the liver.

Forceful ejection of the contents of the stomach through the mouth by means of a series of involuntary spasmic contractions.

Paroxysmal, recurrent episodes of vomiting.

Cerebellar ataxia refers to ataxia due to dysfunction of the cerebellum. This causes a variety of elementary neurological deficits including asynergy (lack of coordination between muscles, limbs and joints), dysmetria (lack of ability to judge distances that can lead to under- or overshoot in grasping movements), and dysdiadochokinesia (inability to perform rapid movements requiring antagonizing muscle groups to be switched on and off repeatedly).

An abnormally increased muscular tone that causes fixed abnormal postures. There is a slow, intermittent twisting motion that leads to exaggerated turning and posture of the extremities and trunk.

A state of fatigue, either physical or mental slowness and sluggishness, with difficulties in initiating or performing simple tasks. Distinguished from apathy which implies indifference and a lack of desire or interest in the task. A person with lethargy may have the desire, but not the energy to engage in personal or socially relevant tasks.

Leukodystrophy refers to deterioration of white matter of the brain resulting from degeneration of myelin sheaths in the CNS. Their basic defect is directly related to the synthesis and maintenance of myelin membranes. Symmetric white matter involvement at MRI is a typical finding in patients with leukodystrophies.

Upturning of the big toe (and sometimes fanning of the other toes) in response to stimulation of the sole of the foot. If the Babinski sign is present it can indicate damage to the corticospinal tract.

A seizure is an intermittent abnormality of nervous system physiology characterized by a transient occurrence of signs and/or symptoms due to abnormal excessive or synchronous neuronal activity in the brain.

Hyperreflexia is the presence of hyperactive stretch reflexes of the muscles.

This term describes abnormality of the white matter of the cerebrum resulting from damage to the myelin sheaths of nerve cells.

A delay in the achievement of motor or mental milestones in the domains of development of a child, including motor skills, speech and language, cognitive skills, and social and emotional skills. This term should only be used to describe children younger than five years of age.

Cerebellar atrophy is defined as a cerebellum with initially normal structures, in a posterior fossa with normal size, which displays enlarged fissures (interfolial spaces) in comparison to the foliae secondary to loss of tissue. Cerebellar atrophy implies irreversible loss of tissue and result from an ongoing progressive disease until a final stage is reached or a single injury, e.g. an intoxication or infectious event.

Increased concentration of lactate in the cerebrospinal fluid.

Loss of developmental skills, as manifested by loss of developmental milestones.

A proneness to anger, i.e., a tendency to become easily bothered or annoyed.

A lighter than expected T2 signal on magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the basal ganglia. This term refers to a localized hyperintensity affecting a particular region of the basal ganglia.

Partial or complete wasting (loss) of brain tissue that was once present.

Hypotonia is an abnormally low muscle tone (the amount of tension or resistance to movement in a muscle). Even when relaxed, muscles have a continuous and passive partial contraction which provides some resistance to passive stretching. Hypotonia thus manifests as diminished resistance to passive stretching. Hypotonia is not the same as muscle weakness, although the two conditions can co-exist.

Progressive microcephaly is diagnosed when the head circumference falls progressively behind age- and gender-dependent norms.

Muscular hypotonia (abnormally low muscle tone) affecting the musculature of the trunk.

Generalized muscular hypotonia (abnormally low muscle tone).

Head circumference below 2 standard deviations below the mean for age and gender.

Lack of breathing with no movement of the respiratory muscles and no exchange of air in the lungs. This term refers to a disposition to have recurrent episodes of apnea rather than to a single event.

Impairment of gas exchange within the lungs secondary to a disease process, neoplasm, or trauma, possibly resulting in hypoxia, hypercarbia, or both, but not requiring intubation or mechanical ventilation. Patients are normally managed with pharmaceutical therapy, supplemental oxygen, or both.

An abnormal buildup of lactic acid in the body, leading to acidification of the blood and other bodily fluids.

Metabolic acidosis (MA) is characterized by a fall in blood pH due to a reduction of serum bicarbonate concentration. This can occur as a result of either the accumulation of acids (high anion gap MA) or the loss of bicarbonate from the gastrointestinal tract or the kidney (hyperchloremic MA). By definition, MA is not due to a respirary cause.

Abnormally increased level of blood lactate (2-hydroxypropanoic acid). Lactate is produced from pyruvate by lactate dehydrogenase during normal metabolism. The terms lactate and lactic acid are often used interchangeably but lactate (the component measured in blood) is strictly a weak base whereas lactic acid is the corresponding acid. Lactic acidosis is often used clinically to describe elevated lactate but should be reserved for cases where there is a corresponding acidosis (pH below 7.35).

The upper eyelid margin is positioned 3 mm or more lower than usual and covers the superior portion of the iris (objective); or, the upper lid margin obscures at least part of the pupil (subjective).

Rhythmic, involuntary oscillations of one or both eyes related to abnormality in fixation, conjugate gaze, or vestibular mechanisms.

Paralysis of one or more extraocular muscles that are responsible for eye movements.

Atrophy of the optic nerve. Optic atrophy results from the death of the retinal ganglion cell axons that comprise the optic nerve and manifesting as a pale optic nerve on fundoscopy.

A misalignment of the eyes so that the visual axes deviate from bifoveal fixation. The classification of strabismus may be based on a number of features including the relative position of the eyes, whether the deviation is latent or manifest, intermittent or constant, concomitant or otherwise and according to the age of onset and the relevance of any associated refractive error.

A reduction in the activity of the mitochondrial respiratory chain complex I, which is part of the electron transport chain in mitochondria.