Introduction: Emerging evidence indicates that rehabilitation can improve ataxia, mobility and independence in everyday activities in individuals with hereditary cerebellar ataxia. However, with the rarity of the genetic ataxias and known recruitment challenges in rehabilitation trials, most studies have been underpowered, non-randomised or non-controlled. This study will be the first, appropriately powered randomised controlled trial to examine the efficacy of an outpatient and home-based rehabilitation programme on improving motor function for individuals with hereditary cerebellar ataxia.
Methods And Analysis: This randomised, single-blind, parallel group trial will compare a 30-week rehabilitation programme to standard care in individuals with hereditary cerebellar ataxia. Eighty individuals with a hereditary cerebellar ataxia, aged 15 years and above, will be recruited. The rehabilitation programme will include 6 weeks of outpatient land and aquatic physiotherapy followed immediately by a 24- week home exercise programme supported with fortnightly physiotherapy sessions. Participants in the standard care group will be asked to continue their usual physical activity. The primary outcome will be the motor domain of the Functional Independence Measure. Secondary outcomes will measure the motor impairment related to ataxia, balance, quality of life and cost-effectiveness. Outcomes will be administered at baseline, 7 weeks, 18 weeks and 30 weeks by a physiotherapist blinded to group allocation. A repeated measures mixed-effects linear regression model will be used to analyse the effect of the treatment group for each of the dependent continuous variables. The primary efficacy analysis will follow the intention-to-treat principle.
Ethics And Dissemination: The study has been approved by the Monash Health Human Research Ethics Committee (HREC/18/MonH/418) and the Human Research Ethics Committee of the Northern Territory Department of Health and Menzies School of Health Research (2019/3503). Results will be published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at national and/or international conferences and disseminated to Australian ataxia support groups.
Trial Registration Number: ACTRN12618000908235.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2020-040230 | DOI Listing |
Introduction: COQ4 mutation often leads to a fatal multi-system disease in infants. Recently, it was reported that the biallelic COQ4 variants may be a potential cause of hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP). This study aims to describe the clinical features and genotype of the COQ4 associated hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP).
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December 2024
Department of Neurology, International University of Health and Welfare Mita Hospital, Mita 1-4-3, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8329, Japan.
Variants in KIF1A are associated with hereditary spastic paraplegia (SPG30), which can manifest in both pure and complex forms. We describe a Japanese family with a novel KIF1A variant presenting with a complex form of SPG30. Patient 1, a 69-year-old woman, experienced progressive gait disturbance due to spastic paraparesis and cerebellar atrophy, and intellectual disability.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBMJ Case Rep
December 2024
Paediatrics, Topiwala National Medical College & B. Y. L. Nair Charitable Hospital, Mumbai, Maharashtra, India
Diagnosing hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) in paediatric patients can be challenging, especially when there is no positive family history. Children are often initially misdiagnosed with cerebral palsy due to the gradual progression of the disease and non-specific neuroimaging findings, despite the absence of perinatal insult. This misdiagnosis can prevent timely prenatal diagnosis, limiting the ability to make informed decisions about the pregnancy and to plan early interventions.
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December 2024
Neuroscience Research Australia and University of New South Wales, UNSW, Randwick, NSW, Australia.
Patients with Hereditary Spastic Paraplegia (HSP) report reduced quality of life (QoL) compared to the general population. Generic QoL measures do not address disease-specific aspects such as spasticity, access to specialty HSP clinics, and bladder symptoms. We designed and validated a HSP-specific QoL scale (HSPQoL), intended for use in standard clinical settings and clinical trials.
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December 2024
NeuroMetrology Lab, Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences, Clinical Neurology, Medical Sciences Division, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX3 9DU, UK.
Whereas several studies have reported on quantitative oculomotor and vestibular measurements in spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6), selecting the most suitable paradigms remains challenging. We aimed to address this knowledge gap through a systematic literature review and providing disease-specific recommendations for a tailored set of eye-movement recordings in SCA6. A literature search (MEDLINE, Embase) was performed focusing on studies reporting on quantitative oculomotor and/or vestibular measurements in SCA6-patients.
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