Batten disease

A fatal, inherited disorder of the nervous system that begins in childhood; the most common form of a group of disorders called neuronal ceroid lipofuscinoses (NCLs). Early symptoms usually appear between the ages of 5 and 10 in the form of vision problems, seizures, personality and behavior changes, slow learning, clumsiness, or stumbling. Eventually, affected children suffer mental impairment, worsening seizures, and progressive loss of sight and motor skills. Batten disease is often fatal by the late teens or twenties.