Spinocerebellar Ataxia News and Research

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Atomic-level structural models of enzymes provide disease insights

When nucleic acids like DNA or RNA build up in a cell's cytoplasm, it sets off an alarm call for the immune system.

2 Apr 2024

Breakthrough discovery points to potential treatment for rare neurodegenerative disease

Imagine being middle-aged and starting to feel that you are off balance a lot and that you are having a hard time coordinating your movements.

27 Mar 2024

Uncovering the cellular roots of spinocerebellar ataxia type 6

Researchers from McGill University, led by Professor Alanna Watt of the Department of Biology, have identified previously unknown changes in brain cells affected by a neurological disease.

18 Jan 2024

UC Riverside scientists slow progression of Huntington's disease in flies and worms

Huntington's disease causes involuntary movements and dementia, has no cure, and is fatal. For the first time, UC Riverside scientists have shown they can slow its progression in flies and worms, opening the door to human treatments.

8 Nov 2023

Study establishes new link between genomic instability and bacterial protein in the urogenital tract

A team of researchers from the University of Maryland School of Maryland's (UMSOM) Institute of Human Virology (IHV), a Center of Excellence of the Global Virus Network (GVN), published new findings that emphasize the crucial role of the urinary and genital tract microbiota in adverse pregnancy outcomes and genomic instability that originate in the womb during fetal development.

17 Jul 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

Increasing Awareness Surrounding Ataxia

In this interview, we speak to Dr. Lauren Moore from the National Ataxia Foundation about the condition and the importance of raising awareness for ataxia.

31 Oct 2022

Study reveals a promising therapeutic target for spinocerebellar ataxia type 14

Spinocerebellar ataxias are a group of neurodegenerative diseases characterized by the degeneration of Purkinje cells, a major class of neurons in the cerebellum.

3 Oct 2022

NIH researchers develop three-dimensional structure of twinkle protein

Researchers from the National Institutes of Health have developed a three-dimensional structure that allows them to see how and where disease mutations on the twinkle protein can lead to mitochondrial diseases.

5 Aug 2022

A class of protein-cleaving enzymes suspected to play a role in hereditary brain disease

Similar to Alzheimer's disease, the hereditary disease spinocerebellar ataxia type 17 (SCA17) leads to the destruction of brain nerve cells and the premature death of patients.

21 Jun 2022

Research describes how DNA damage can affect neural health and function

A new research paper in the journal EMBO Reports describes how DNA damage can affect neural health and function.

12 May 2022

JPND announces call for multinational research on understanding the mechanisms of non-pharmacological interventions

The EU Joint Programme - Neurodegenerative Disease Research (JPND) initiative has announced a joint transnational call for multinational research on understanding the mechanisms of non-pharmacological interventions.

10 Jan 2022

Mutated enzyme impairs communication between neurons and causes motor defects in SCA34 model

In one type of a rare, inherited genetic disorder that affects control of body movement, scientists have found a mutation in an enzyme that impairs communication between neurons and what should be the inherent ability to pick up our pace when we need to run, instead of walk, across the street.

17 Aug 2021

Optimizing the operation of MRI scanners to visualize finer details of the brain

Experts in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at the DZNE are optimizing the operation of MRI scanners as part of an international research effort to enable visualization of finer details of the human brain.

12 Jul 2021

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

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

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

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

$Using AI and fractal dimension to accurately monitor ataxia$

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).

19 Sep 2020

CZI announces $4.5 million to advance novel approaches in neurodegeneration field

Today, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative announced $4.5 million in funding to support 30 pairs of researchers to collaborate and apply novel approaches for gaining greater insight into neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, and ALS.

19 Aug 2020