View clinical trials related to Cerebellar Ataxia.
Filter by:The purpose of this study is to determine whether a person's ability to adapt (i.e. short term motor learning) predicts their ability to benefit from physical therapy exercises.
This is a Phase IIIb Double-Blind, Randomised, Placebo-Controlled Study. The aim is to further investigate the effects of idebenone in patients with Friedreich's ataxia. The objective of the PROTI study is to establish whether patients can correctly determine which treatment assignment (placebo or idebenone) they received during the randomised phase of the trial, and identify any potential changes on symptoms or activities.
The hereditary cerebellar ataxias include diverse neurodegenerative disorders. Hereditary ataxias can be divided into autosomal dominant ataxias (ADCAs), autosomal recessive ataxias (ARCAs), X-linked, and mitochondrial ataxias on the basis of mode of inheritance. The key feature in all these disorders is ataxia typically characterised by poor balance, hand incoordination, postural or kinetic tremor, dysarthria and dysphagia. To date no treatment has been shown to slow progression of the disease and symptomatic therapies are limited to few options that are partially effective. Purkinje cells project inhibitory signals to the deep cerebellar nuclei(DCN) which have a critical role in cerebellar function and motor performance. DCN neurons fire spontaneously in the absence of synaptic input from Purkinje neurons and modulation of the DCN response by Purkinje input is believed to be responsible for coordination of movement, while uncontrolled spontaneous firing of DCN neurons may underlay cerebellar ataxia. Recent studies have demonstrated that small-conductance calcium-activated potassium (SK) channels inhibitor are able to increase DCN firing rate. Since SK channels are critical regulators of DCN firing rate, SK openers such as the drug riluzole may reduce neuronal hyperexcitability and thereby be useful in the therapy of cerebellar ataxia. On this base the investigators published a pilot study in patients with chronic cerebellar ataxia (Ristori et al., Neurology 2010) investigating safety and efficacy of riluzole or placebo administration for 8 weeks. The results demonstrated a significative improvement in International Cooperative Ataxia Rating Scale (ICARS) global score after four weeks and after 8 weeks in the riluzole arm. The present protocol is aimed at verifying the safety and efficacy of riluzole administration for a longer period, in a larger sample size of patients, with more stringent diagnostic criteria (hereditary cerebellar ataxia), respect to the above pilot study. Sixty patients will be enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial. By central randomisation, patients will take 50 mg of riluzole or placebo twice daily for 12 months. Treatment effects will be assessed by comparing the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA) before treatment and during therapy at months 3 and 12.
Design: Phase II-III, double-blind, parallel, placebo controlled randomized Clinical trial Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA-3) is an autosomal dominant adult-onset neurodegenerative disorder for which there is no current treatment. Patients will invariably become dependent from others and unable to walk during the disease course. Hypothesis: Lithium Carbonate is safe and effective in treating neurological symptoms and improving quality of life of patients with SCA3. Outcomes: Primary - Phase 2 - To assess safety and tolerability of Lithium Carbonate in patients with SCA3 after 6 months of follow-up - Phase 3 (if Phase II study shows safety of therapy) - To assess efficacy of Lithium Carbonate in patients with SCA3 through the Neurological Examination Score for SCA 3 (NESSCA) after 12 months of follow-up . Secondary 1. - To assess efficacy on neurological function, ataxic, depressive and quality of life scores of Lithium Carbonate in patients with SCA3 through the Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA), 9-Hole Peg Board test, 8m walking time, PATA repetition rate, Click Test, SCA Functional Index (SCAFI), Composite Cerebellar Functional Score (CCFS), Beck Depression Inventory, Barthel Index and WHOQol after 6 and 12 months of follow-up. 2. - To assess the effect of Lithium Carbonate in peripheral levels and expression of treatment biomarkers (BDNF, NSE, HDAC, GSK-3Beta) Study Duration: 12 months - Final analysis of phase 2 (safety study) at 6 months with continuous monitoring until the end of phase 3 (efficacy study). - Preliminary analysis of efficacy on ataxia scales at 6 months of study and final analysis of phase 3 at 12 months. Obs: A futility analysis will be performed after 12 months of therapy if no statistically significant difference between groups were found. This analysis will define if the study will continue until 18 or 24 months of follow-up or will be ended at 12 months. Location: Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre Subjects: 60 molecularly diagnosed SCA3 patients from the outpatient unit of the Medical Genetics Service of Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre Intervention: Lithium Carbonate tablets of 300mg. Starting dose will be 300mg/day with drug titration during 49 days or until achieving the defined target lithium serum level of 0.5 to 0.8 mEq/L
Ataxia-telangiectasia (AT) is a rare genetic disorder characterized by gait disorders, neuromotor dysfunction, eye abnormalities and immune deficiency. AT patients are vulnerable to cancer and infection and usually die during their 2nd or 3rd decade due to these complications. The main cause of death is respiratory infections because these patients are known to have severe type of immunodeficiency. Consequently, pneumonia is the most common infection seen in AT patients, and is usually caused by S. pneumoniae. Therefore, a routine schedule of pneumococcal vaccine is highly recommended in AT cases where immunoglobulin replacement therapy was not already initiated. Until recently, AT patients were immunized with the pneumococcal polysaccharide vaccine (PPV23, Pneumovax® Aventis Pasteur MSD). However, data have shown that they do not respond well to these vaccines. Recently, the Israeli Ministry of Health has approved the pneumococcal 7-valent conjugate vaccine (PCV7, Prevenar®, Wyeth Lederle) for AT patients of all ages. This conjugate vaccine is known to stimulate the immune system through a different mechanism and the response is expected to be higher. The approved Israeli schedule for immunization of AT patients includes children older than 2 years that are entitled to receive 2 doses of PCV7 (8 weeks apart) boosted by PPV23, eight weeks after the second dose of PCV7. Assessment of the antibody response of such pneumococcal vaccination protocol in AT patients has never been performed. The "Safra" Children's Hospital is the national multi-disciplinary center caring for AT patients. Approximately 50 patients from all over the country (including Jewish, Druze, Bedouin and other Muslim patients - 3 of whom are Palestinians) are followed in the clinic on a monthly basis. Approximately 20 AT patients are not receiving IVIG replacement therapy, therefore are entitled to receive pneumococcal vaccination as stated above (mean age 10.6, 3 -23 years, 3 less than 5 years) The aim of this study is to evaluate the responsiveness, determined by specific antibody production, of AT patients receiving this new vaccine protocol.
Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCA) are genetic neurological diseases that cause imbalance, poor coordination, and speech difficulties. There are different kinds of SCA and this study will focus on types 1, 2,3, and 6 (SCA 1, SCA 2, SCA 3 , also known as Machado-Joseph disease and SCA 6). The diseases are rare, slowly progressive, cause increasingly severe neurological difficulties and are variable across and within genotypes. The purpose of this research study is to bring together a group of experts in the field of SCA for the purpose of learning more about the disease. The research questions are: 1. How does your disease progress over time? 2. What are the best ways to measure the progression? 3. Do some genes, other than the gene that is abnormal in your disease, have any effect on the way the disease behaves? This is a nationwide study and we expect that 800 patients will participate all over the USA. The participants will be in the study for an indeterminate period of time. Study visits will be done every 6 or 12 months depending on the participating site.
This study will evaluate the status of the growth hormone/ insulin-like growth factor-1 (GH/IGF-1) axis in relation to growth failure, body weight and composition and neuroprotection in children with Ataxia telangiectasia (AT).
This is a Phase 2a double-blind, placebo-controlled study with two dose levels of A0001 given twice daily for 28 days. Potential subjects will be screened first to determine eligibility, after which they will be randomized to receive either a high dose of A0001, a low dose of A0001 or placebo for 28 days. Eligible subjects will return within 21 days of screening for the baseline visit and randomization to one of three potential treatments. The subjects will be required to take 3 capsules of study medication in the morning with a morning meal and 3 capsules of study medication at night with an evening meal for 28 days. Additional visits to the clinic are planned for Day 14 and Day 28, at which time a number of clinical and biochemical assessments will be done.
The primary purpose of the study is to determine whether carbamylated erythropoietin is a safe treatment for patients who suffer from Friedreich's Ataxia.
The purpose of this study is to determine safety and tolerability of the treatment with lithium in Spinocerebellar Ataxia 2. Moreover, clinical symptoms, neuronal loss, quality of life and depressive symptoms, will be considered to further investigate the effect of lithium therapy.