The Hereditary spastic paraplegias form a group of genetically and clinically heterogeneous disorders characterized by progressive weakness and spasticity of the lower extremities.  SPG24 is a pure or uncomplicated form of SPG, as no other neurological abnormalities are associated with the disorder.  Symptoms usually manifest around 1-year of age and include difficulty walking, clonus, scissoring spastic gait, hyperreflexia and walking on tiptoes.  It is found to affect both men and women.

Diagnosis is based on clinical presentation.  Currently there is no treatment for SPG.  Management of the disorder includes physical therapy, the use of orthotic braces to help foot drop and drugs such as baclofen to help relieve spasticity.  SPG does not affect life expectancy and patients can live independent lives with the help of walking aids or wheelchairs.

Unlike most forms of the disorder, SPG24 has been shown to follow an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance.  Homozygosity mapping and linkage analysis have mapped the syndrome to chromosome 13q14 spanning a region of 1.8 Mb.  However, the exact genetic defect leading to the syndrome has not yet been uncovered.