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 demonstrates intricate relationship between Prpf19 and Exoc7 in inherited ataxias

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3), also known as Machado-Joseph Disease (MJD), describes the most common form of dominantly inherited ataxia in many populations worldwide, including Hong Kong and mainland China.

1 Mar 2021

Combination of deep brain stimulation and exercise has potential benefits for treating ataxia

New research from Baylor College of Medicine scientists shows that a combination of deep brain stimulation (DBS) and exercise has potential benefits for treating ataxia, a rare genetic neurodegenerative disease characterized by progressive irreversible problems with movement.

27 Feb 2021

Critical Path Institute and global partners establish Ataxia Consortium

Critical Path Institute (C-Path) today announced the launch of the Critical Path to Therapeutics for the Ataxias (CPTA) Consortium, a public-private partnership focused on optimizing clinical trials for inherited ataxias.

27 Feb 2021

Scientists reveal the structure of glutamate transporter in our cells

For the first time, researchers have found one of the most important molecular machines in our cells uses a ‘twisting elevator’ mechanism, solving a mystery of how it transports crucial chemical signals from one cell to another.

18 Feb 2021

Scientists reveal the shape of glutamate transporter in human cells

A University of Sydney-led international team of scientists has revealed the shape of one of the most important molecular machines in our cells the glutamate transporter, helping to explain how our brain cells communicate with one another.

18 Feb 2021

How SARS-CoV-2 enters the central nervous system

The central nervous system (CNS) is highly protected in the human body. Yet, the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) invades the CNS, causing profound clinical complications. How is the CNS involved in a respiratory virus infection?

15 Feb 2021

Study addresses multiple challenges of the pathogenesis of Huntington's disease

Recent genetic data from patients with Huntington's disease (HD) show that DNA repair is an important factor that determines how early or late the disease occurs in individuals who carry the expanded CAG repeat in the HTT gene that causes HD.

12 Feb 2021

£1.6 million grant awarded to advance development of MND drug candidate

Researchers from the University of Sheffield's Institute for Translational Neuroscience have been awarded a £1.6 million grant from the Medical Research Council.

26 Jan 2021

COVID-19 infection may also affect the central nervous system, cause neurological disorders

COVID-19 is known primarily as a respiratory disease, with symptoms that include cough, shortness of breath, and, in severe cases, acute respiratory distress syndrome and pneumonia

10 Dec 2020

Chemotherapy combined with blinatumomab increases survival for patients with Ph-negative B-ALL

A study led by The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center showed that first-line treatment with a regimen of chemotherapy combined with the monoclonal antibody blinatumomab resulted in increased survival and achieved a high rate of measurable residual disease (MRD) negativity for patients who were newly diagnosed with a high-risk form of acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) known as Philadelphia chromosome-negative B-cell ALL (Ph-negative B-ALL).

7 Dec 2020

D614/G614 variants of SARS-CoV-2 affect neuronal transmission; G614 better at membrane fusion

The COVID-19 pandemic is showing a strong comeback after an initial reduction in the number of cases, following energetic public health interventions.

7 Dec 2020

UB researchers uncover new functions in ataxin 3 gene that causes Machado-Joseph disease

Ataxia is a minority disease with genetic origins, known for its neuromuscular alterations due to the selective loss of neurons in the cerebellum, the organ of our nervous systems which controls movement and balance.

25 Nov 2020

New strategy shows promises for treating RNA-repeat expansion disorders

A new strategy for treating a variety of diseases known as RNA-repeat expansion disorders, which affect millions of people, has shown promise in proof-of-principle tests conducted by scientists at Scripps Research.

8 Nov 2020

Delirium common after hospital discharge in critically ill COVID-19 patients

Anesthesiologist and other researchers from Michigan Medicine, Ann Arbor, New York Medical College, Valhalla and Center for Consciousness Science, University of Michigan Medical School, Ann Arbor, have reported a case series of critically ill coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) patients who have developed neuropsychological symptoms after having been discharged from the hospital.

8 Nov 2020

Mayo clinic researchers develop a potential test for Machado-Joseph disease

Mayo Clinic researchers, along with national and global collaborators, have developed a potential test for Machado-Joseph disease, or spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) ? a disease that has no cure.

22 Oct 2020

Many hospitalized COVID-19 patients exhibit neurological symptoms, study finds

Nearly a third of hospitalized COVID-19 patients experienced some type of altered mental state and function, ranging from delirium to confusion, and in some cases, unresponsiveness, a new study has found.

7 Oct 2020

Chaperone-mediated autophagy could be a new therapeutic target for spinocerebellar ataxia

A research team from Kumamoto University, Japan has developed an animal model that reproduces motor dysfunction and cerebellar neurodegeneration similar to that in spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA) by inhibiting chaperone-mediated autophagy (CMA) in cerebellar neurons.

23 Sep 2020

Gene therapy used to overcome the cardiac effects of Freidreich’s ataxia

Gene therapy was successfully used to overcome the cardiac effects of Freidreich’s ataxia (FA) in a mouse model of the disease, as reported in the peer-reviewed journal Human Gene Therapy. Click here to read the full-text article free online through October 18, 2020.

19 Sep 2020

$Using AI and fractal dimension to accurately monitor ataxia$

Using AI and fractal dimension to accurately monitor ataxia

Exploiting artificial intelligence (AI) to develop tools for improving the monitoring of treatment of rare, progressive, and highly debilitating diseases such as Friedreich's (FRDA) and spinocerebellar ataxia (SCA).