View clinical trials related to Cerebellar Diseases.
Filter by:The first aim is to show aerobic training improves degenerative cerebellar patients functionally The second aim is to compare the effects of balance and aerobic training on degenerative cerebellar disease.
Chronic cannabis consumption has been associated with poor psychosocial functioning that could be associated to cerebellar dysfunction. The cerebellum has a relevant role in adaptation processes and has a high density of cannabinoid 1 receptor (CB1R). Implicit motor learning is a cerebellum dependent function that can be measured with a visuomotor rotation task (VRT). The project aims to identify a sensitive and specific biomarker of cerebellum dysfunction in chronic cannabis users. The investigators would like to demonstrate that the visuomotor rotation paradigm is valid to measure and quantify such a dysfunction. A longitudinal prospective study with a 3 month follow-up is proposed. 3 groups will be included: 1) chronic cannabis users; 2) individuals with an alcohol use disorder; and 3) healthy controls. All groups will be matched by sex and age. Forty individuals will be included in each group. Individuals will be assessed at baseline, at first month and at 3-months of follow-up. Sociodemographic and clinical data will be recorded. Information on cannabis consumption will be registered using an App. Participants will do the visuomotor rotation task and answer three questionnaires: the Intrinsic Motivation Inventory, the Scale for the assessment and rating of ataxia (SARA) and the Harris tests for lateral dominance. The biomarker developed by this project will facilitate the detection of cerebellar alterations in chronic cannabis users, and will permit to quantify and monitor such alteration over time. The team's intention is to patent the proposed model and disseminate it in order to use it in clinical practice at both primary and specialized health centres.
This research aims to highlight the key roles of the cerebellar and cortical fronto-parietal networks in the coupling of eye movements with visual perception and visuo-spatial attention.
The cerebellum has been linked to cognitive and emotional functions and there is increasing evidence that damage to posterior portions of the cerebellum can result in frontal-executive, visuospatial, and verbal deficits, including dysprosodia, and affective changes including blunting of affect or disinhibited and inappropriate behavior. Based on preliminary clinical observations and tests performed in the investigator's clinic, disorders of emotional communication may also be associated with cerebellar dysfunction. Emotional communication includes the production and comprehension of facial and prosodic expressions and is critical to maintaining positive and supportive relationships. Deficits in emotional communication can have devastating effects on relationships and on quality of life for those affected. Although deficits in affect and prosody have been reported in association with posterior cerebellar disorders, there are currently no studies systematically investigating emotional communication in individuals with cerebellar dysfunction. It is known that the cerebellum has strong connections with the cerebral cortex, especially the frontal lobes, and that cortical damage from stroke or neurodegenerative disease can result in disorders of emotional communication. Impairments in the integrity of cerebellar-cerebral networks from cerebellar disease may produce similar deficits in emotional communication. The purpose of this study is to systematically investigate and describe deficits in emotional communication in a series of patients with cerebellar disease. Participants will be individuals diagnosed with posterior cerebellar degeneration or damage from a non-hemorrhagic infarction, and age-matched neurologically healthy controls. Assessment will include a battery of tests of neuropsychological function as well as tests of emotional communication. Comprehension of emotional facial and prosodic expressions will be assessed as well as production of emotional communication. The expected outcomes will be to identify and describe deficits in production and comprehension of emotional prosodic and facial expressions and to describe the relationship between deficits in emotional communication and cerebellar atrophy with magnetic resonance imaging imaging (MRI) using voxel based morphometry (VBM).
Primary objective: - assessment of the prevalence of AHI1 mutations in Joubert syndrome and cerebello-oculo-renal syndromes (JS/CORS) Secondary objective: - assessment of the prevalence of CEP290 mutations and NPHP1 homozygous deletions in JS/CORS - caracterization of mutational spectrum of AHI1, NPHP1, CEP290 genes in JS/CORS. - evaluation of genotype-phenotype correlation in JS/CORS.
Episodic ataxia (EA) is a rare genetic disease characterized by episodes of imbalance, incoordination, and slurring of speech. The underlying cause of EA is only partly understood, and currently there are no established treatments. There is also little information about the link between EA's clinical features and its genetic basis. The purpose of this study is to better characterize EA and disease progression. In turn, this may direct the development of future treatments.
The current study is an extension of the previous phase III CHAMPS study (see reference). This study was designed to determine if immediate initiation of therapy with Interferon Beta-1a (AVONEX) after a first attack of multiple sclerosis continues to delay the development of further attacks and the development of neurological disability over a 10 year period of observation.
Imaging studies of the brain have revealed the different areas involved in the processes of learning and reasoning. However, the specific role these regions play in these processes, or if stimulating these areas can improve these processes is unknown. Researchers would like to use repetitive transcranial stimulation (rTMS) to better understand the roles of individual brain regions on the processes of learning and reasoning. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) involves the placement of a cooled electromagnet with a figure-eight coil on the patient's scalp, and rapidly turning on and off the magnetic flux. This permits non-invasive, relatively localized stimulation of the surface of the brain (cerebral cortex). The effect of magnetic stimulation varies, depending upon the location, intensity and frequency of the magnetic pulses. The purpose of this study is to use rTMS to help determine the roles of different brain regions in the development of implicit learning of motor sequences and analogic reasoning. In addition, researchers hope to evaluate if stimulation of these regions speeds up the process of learning or analogic reasoning.