Book excerpt: Neuroacanthocytosis Syndromes is the first comprehensive review of a field that has not yet received the attention it deserves. Affecting the brain as well as the circulating red cells, these multi-system disorders in the past had often been mistaken for Huntington's disease. Recent breakthroughs have now identified the molecular basis of several of these. This volume grew out of the first international scientific meeting ever devoted to neuroacanthocytosis and provides in-depth information about the state of the art. Its thirty chapters were written by the leading authorities in the field to cover the clinical as well as the basic science perspective, including not only molecular genetics but also experimental pharmacology and cell membrane biology, among others. The book vehemently poses the question of how the membrane deformation of circulating red blood cells relates to degeneration of nerve cells in the brain, the basal ganglia, in particular. It provides a wealth of data that will help to solve an intriguing puzzle and ease the suffering of those affected by one of the neuroacanthocytosis syndromes.