A rare neurological disorder that affects about one or two people per million is in the spotlight in the wake of an emotional social media post by pop star Céline Dion, who described her challenges with stiff-person syndrome. Newsome says the syndrome often causes a rigidity in the torso, lower back, abdominal and leg areas, affecting gait and balance. He says there is some evidence that the syndrome is related to an imbalance of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA), an inhibitory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system. He said that stiff-person syndrome affects predominantly older women. It was first described in the 1950s as stiff-man syndrome, despite the fact that the first case affected a female.
