MASA syndrome (mental retardation, aphasia, shuffling gait, and adducted thumbs) is an X-linked disorder. The main clinical features are summarised by the acronym. Mutations in the gene for neural cell adhesion molecule L1 (L1CAM) have been reported from families of MASA syndrome, X-linked recessive spastic paraplegia, and X-linked aqueductal stenosis or hydrocephalus (HSAS) [DS:H02458] and these syndromes form part of a clinical spectrum resulting from a heterogenous group of mutations in L1CAM.
