Ataxia News and Research

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Ataxia is a neurological sign and symptom that consists of gross lack of coordination of muscle movements. Ataxia is a non-specific clinical manifestation implying disfunction of the parts of the nervous system that coordinate movement, such as the cerebellum.

Study sheds light on the mechanisms behind circadian rhythms

New research from a multidisciplinary team helps to illuminate the mechanisms behind circadian rhythms, offering new hope for dealing with jet lag, insomnia and other sleep disorders.

26 Apr 2023

Computer-assisted method accurately recognizes the severity of ataxia-related speech disturbances

Researchers at DZNE and the University Hospital Bonn, together with the Berlin-based company PeakProfiling GmbH, have developed a computer-assisted method that recognizes the severity of speech disturbances resulting from ataxia, a brain disease, with great accuracy.

18 Apr 2023

Research reveals molecular features of rare mtDNA mutations

A high-throughput single-cell single-mitochondrial genome sequencing technology known as iMiGseq has provided new insights into mutations of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) and offers a platform for assessing mtDNA editing strategies and genetic diagnosis of embryos prior to their implantation.

13 Apr 2023

Researchers elucidate how a single mutation causes episodic ataxia type 6

Worldwide, only a handful of patients are known to suffer from episodic ataxia type 6, a neurological disease that causes transient loss of muscle control.

3 Apr 2023

Study shows SARS-CoV-2 causes DNA damage and elicits an altered DNA damage response

Researchers assessed the association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and DNA damage and cellular senescence.

14 Mar 2023

Repurposing or improving drugs for spinocerebellar ataxia type 5

A team of researchers has developed a new method to screen FDA-approved drugs to determine if they could be repurposed or improved to help patients with a rare, debilitating disease of the nervous system.

16 Feb 2023

Could trained scent-detection dogs be used for chronic wasting disease surveillance?

A recent study published in Prion investigated whether trained scent-detection dogs could be used for chronic wasting disease (CWD) surveillance.

13 Feb 2023

Using motion capture technology and AI to monitor the progression of movement disorders

A multi-disciplinary team of researchers has developed a way to monitor the progression of movement disorders using motion capture technology and AI.

23 Jan 2023

SARS-CoV-2 WA1/2020, Delta and Omicron strains found to infect human sensory neurons

Researchers evaluated the impact of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) on the peripheral nervous system (PNS).

13 Jan 2023

CNB-CSIC vaccine fully protects against SARS-CoV-2 infection of the brain

In a recent study published in the journal Nature Neuroscience, researchers in Spain described the effectiveness of a modified vaccinia virus Ankara (MVA) vector severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) vaccine candidate in protecting against SARS-CoV-2 infection in the brain using a mouse model.

12 Jan 2023

Vitamin D can help the immune system fight tuberculosis, study says

Most people probably associate tuberculosis with a leaky loft in 20th-century Paris. But as a matter of fact, tuberculosis is not ancient history.

6 Jan 2023

History of COVID-19 increases risk of fatigue and other long COVID symptoms in adults and children

Researchers observe that COVID-19 patients were at an increased risk of developing certain conditions.

21 Dec 2022

Study explores cellular alterations in six distinct neurodegenerative diseases

A perplexing range of neurodegenerative diseases are known to attack distinct regions of the brain, causing severe cognitive and motor deficit.

21 Dec 2022

NEJM study shows hidden genetic anomaly behind common late-onset cerebellar ataxia

Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, McGill University and other institutions have found that a well-concealed genetic variation in the gene FGF14, called a DNA tandem repeat expansion, causes a common form of late-onset cerebellar ataxia, a brain disorder that interferes with coordinated movement.

16 Dec 2022

Study uncovers previously unknown genetic cause of late-onset cerebellar ataxia

A new study published on Dec. 14, 2022 in the New England Journal of Medicine reports the identification of a previously unknown genetic cause of a late-onset cerebellar ataxia, a discovery that will improve diagnosis and open new treatment avenues for this progressive condition.

15 Dec 2022

New chemical probe can selectively inhibit human COQ8A protein in cells

Inhibition of the COQ8 protein could be beneficial in the treatment of diseases such as cancer. COQ8 is needed for the biosynthesis of coenzyme Q, also known as ubiquinone.

28 Nov 2022

Scientists illuminate the molecular events underlying childhood movement disorder

Scientists at the UNC School of Medicine and UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy, in collaboration with a team from Queen Mary University of London, have illuminated the molecular events underlying an inherited movement and neurodegenerative disorder known as ARSACS – Autosomal recessive spastic ataxia of Charlevoix-Saguenay, named for two Quebec valleys where the first cases were found.

3 Nov 2022