Cerebellar cortical atrophy in a Belgian Blue cow with lesions described in human Norman-Jaeken disease

Cerebellar cortical atrophy has been described both in animals and in humans. In cattle, it has already been identified in several breeds, with the main histopathological lesions being located in the cerebellar Purkinje layer and ranging from chromatolysis to loss of neurons. This case, however, is the first described in a Belgian Blue cow. Additionally, the histopathological lesions were different from those described in other cattle breeds, with prominent focal granular layer loss and abnormal Purkinje cells comparable to those described in Norman-Jaeken disease or primary degeneration of the granular layer of the cerebellum in humans.