Autosomal recessive inheritance of polymicrogyria and dermatomyositis with paracrystalline inclusions.

A 7-year-old mentally retarded girl died following subacute dermatomyositis. Muscle biopsies supported the clinical diagnosis and revealed paracrystalline inclusions on EM. The brain autopsy showed cerebral and cerebellar polymicrogyria. The clinico-pathological findings in this child are related to similar previously reported data in her older sister. The possibility of a new autosomal recessive syndrome involving both fetal brain development and childhood immunological function is discussed.