View clinical trials related to Ataxia.
Filter by:Friedreich's Ataxia (FA) is an autosomal recessive disease the mutation of which leads to a deficiency of a protein called frataxin, which is responsible for the symptoms of the disease. It is assumed that inducing an increase in the production of frataxin could reverse part of the disease's symptoms. Several treatments with drugs that raise frataxin levels have been tested, but they have either have not given the expected result or have induced intolerable side effects. The IRBLleida (Institut de Recerca Biomèdica de Lleida Fundació Dr. Pifarré) team has shown that calcitriol can increase the production of frataxin up to 2.5 to 3 times, a higher proportion than any of the drugs previously tested. For that reason, the next step in our research would be to check the effects of this drug (Calcitriol 0.25mcg/24h for a year) in patients with FA. On the other hand, calcitriol, the active form of vitamin D, is a drug with a very low rate of adverse effects that has been used for decades. Therefore, it is a drug with a very well established tolerability. The results of the present study, if positive, would lead to the organization of trials at a larger scale, and they would allow the use of an effective treatment for patients with FA.
Background: after resection of medulloblastoma in children they suffer from signs and symptoms of ataxia which impedes their activities of daily living. purpose: to investigate the effect motor imagery training on balance, severity of ataxia and gait parameters on children after resection of medulloblastoma. Methods: Fifty children surfing from cerebellar ataxia after medulloblastoma resection were selected from tumors hospital of Cairo University, their age ranged from seven to nine years old, they were randomly assigned into two matched control and study groups. The control groups received the selected physical therapy program while, the study group received motor imaginary training in addition to the selected physical therapy program. Both groups were evaluated by ataxic rating scale, pediatric berg balance scale and kinematic gait analysis by kinovea software.
The hereditary ataxias are a group of genetic disorders characterized by slowly progressive incoordination of gait and balance impairments in sitting and standing. Trunk local stability during gait is lower in patients with degenerative ataxia than that in healthy adult population. Given the fact that drug interventions are rare in degenerative diseases and limited to only specific type of diseases and symptoms, physiotherapy is a major cornerstone in current therapy of ataxic gait. Core stability exercises training could be included as an adjunct to conventional balance training in improving dynamic balance and gait. Due to the nature of the interventions, the study will have a single blind design.
The study is to examine the effect of functional trunk training on trunk control and upper extremity functions in patients with autosomal recessive ataxia.
Chronic cough is a frequent cause of Pneumology consultations. CANVAS syndrome (Cerebellar Ataxia with Neuropathy and bilateral Vestibular Areflexia Syndrome) is a progressive and disabling neurological disease that very frequently occurs with chronic cough. This cough invariably appears as a prodromal symptom that precedes neurological symptoms. The biallelic expansion of AAGGG in RFC1, a causal mutation in CANVAS syndrome, appears with high frequency in the general population. Objectives: Main: To determine the presence of biallelic expansion of AAGGG in RFC1 in patients with chronic cough, regardless of the presence of neurological symptoms. Secondary: Describe the phenotypic, functional and inflammatory characteristics of these patients. and Know the relationship between gastroesophageal reflux and chronic cough in patients with CANVAS. Method: A descriptive cross-sectional pilot study including 50 non-smoking patients between the ages of 30 and 99 years with chronic and / or refractory cough as the only manifestation or associated with gastroesophageal reflux. All patients will undergo the pertinent studies for the diagnosis of chronic cough, those who meet criteria for suspicion of gastroesophageal reflux will be requested an esophageal phmetry and esophageal manometry. Peripheral venous blood sample will be obtained for subsequent genetic analysis. Vibration sensitivity will be studied in all patients regardless of the presence of mutation. Those with alterations in vibratory sensitivity or mutations in RFC1 will be referred to the Neurology Service for a complementary neurological evaluation. For the molecular study of the DNA sample of the patients, two techniques will be used: standard Polymerase chain reaction amplification with primers flanking the intron 2 fragment of the RFC1 gene and amplification using Repeated Primed Polymerase chain reaction in 3 independent reactions.
Virtual reality (VR) is a three-dimensional image, which is created by means of computer programs. In most educational communities VR has been used as an opportunity to support many students. VR allows the user to observe the world generated for their own needs as the real world and experience impressions that are not available in real life. It was decided to examine how immersive VR-game will affect the eye-hand coordination on music school students. The experimental group received a five-day training sessions using immersive VR game "Beat Saber", while control group was inactive comparator.
Friedreich's ataxia is a debilitating, inherited disease cause by mutations in a protein called frataxin (FXN). FXN is one of several proteins that controls the production of iron-sulfur clusters, molecules that are essential for energy production in our cells as well as repair of our genetic code embedded in DNA molecules. Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) and deficiency of FXN results in a nerve disease affecting coordination and a condition called hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM), marked by an abnormal thickening of the heart. Patients with HCM can then develop pulmonary hypertension (PH), a deadly condition of the blood vessels of the lung. While most of the research in FRDA has focused on nerves and heart muscle, alterations in blood vessels of the heart and lung may worsen disease in FRDA. But, the role of FXN in these blood vessels has never been defined. Investigators pilot data suggest that Frataxin (FXN ) deficiency can control senescence and downstream function in various types of Endothelial cells (ECs), investigators hypothesize that Friedreich's Ataxia (FRDA) patients may demonstrate endothelial cells EC abnormalities throughout the vasculature potentially before overt cardiomyopathy develops.
Combining cognitive training with physical training to improve balance is a new approach for reducing the risk of falls in patient populations who are at risk for falls. People with brain pathology including cerebellar ataxia (CA) have difficulty in performing dual-tasks. Deficiency in dual-task performance relative to single-task performance referred to as dual-task cost is high in CA. Due to the high demands on cognitive resources, people with CA have higher falls rates during activities that involve dual tasking. Tai-Chi involves both cognition and physical movements making it a dual-tasking activity. However, previous study on the effects of 12-weeks of 8-form Tai-Chi did not demonstrate that it had beneficial effects in reducing falls among CA population. This null finding could potentially be due to (1) the lower levels of cognitive demands of Tai-Chi exercise, (2) the intervention not being intensive enough, or (3) the intervention may not have targeted the specific symptoms of CA. To determine if adding structured cognitive demands to conventional balance and coordination training (i.e., addressing all three possibilities for our previous null findings), the investigaotrs conducted a pilot study (n=5) to evaluate the feasibility, safety and benefits of a Cognitive-coupled Intensive Balance Training (CIBT) program. The more intensive and focused CIBT intervention reduced dual-task cost, improved balance, and reduced the number of falls in a sample of individuals with CA. Important next steps is to (1) evaluate the efficacy of the CIBT in a fully powered clinical trial, (2) understand the mechanisms underlying the benefits of CIBT training, and (3) determine the cost-benefits of this intervention. The hypothesis for the study includes (1) CIBT will improve balance and reduce falls; (2) reduction in dual-task cost of balance and cognitive performance will mediate a reduction in the number of falls in CA and (3) CIBT will be a cost-effective treatment option for improving balance and reduce falls. To test these hypotheses, a randomized controlled trial (RCT) with economic evaluation will be conducted over a period of two years to evaluate the effectiveness and cost-effectiveness of dual-task (CIBT) training compared with single-task (conventional balance: active control) training in individuals with CA.
Friedreich Ataxia (FA) is a hereditary neurological disease that is associated with a cerebellar syndrome and pyramidal symptoms. Clinical expression varies from one individual to another and throughout the evolution of the disease and is partially related to an abnormal expansion of the GAA triplet repeat in the frataxin gene. Dysarthria, a disorder in the motor production of speech, is always present in the clinical presentation of the disease (Schöls et al. 1997 ; Harding 1981 ; Dürr et al. 1996 ; Delatycki et al. 1999). It has been the subject of specific studies exploring the link between the evolution of dysarthria and disease progression (J. Folker et al. 2010; J. E. Folker et al. 2012; Rosen et al. 2012; Brendel et al. 2013). These studies allowed for the identification of markers for speech disintegration, specific to FA dysarthria, using perceptive voice measures, but also acoustics and objectives for qualifying voice and speech at the same time. The challenge is in finding measures sufficiently appropriate and sensitive to detect the evolution of these indicators throughout the course of the disease (Rosen et al. 2012). The neurological scales that take in to account all signs of a cerebellar syndrome are not sufficiently sensitive (Marelli et al. 2012). In addition, hearing difficulties develop during the course of the disease in addition to visual disturbances (gaze instability) which hinder communication. The ORFA study aims to evaluate oral communication in FA patients and identify appropriate measures that allow for the comparison of dysarthria pre and post-treatment in a clinical trial and can be used for the evaluation of efficacy.
The present study investigated the efficacy and safety of combination treatment of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) and physical therapy (PT) in patients with cerebellar variant of multiple system atrophy (MSA-C) and spinocerebellar ataxia.