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. Those are among the symptoms of Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6, known as SCA6, a rare neurodegenerative disease which typically appears in adulthood and worsens over time. Over time, other problems such as slurred speech and difficulty seeing or seeing double, may also appear. It is estimated that fewer than 5,000 people in the US have the condition, which is the result of genetic mutations in the cerebellum.

Classified as: disease, cell biology, ataxia, Alanna Watt, Biology Department
Published on: 5 Apr 2024

Discovery will improve diagnosis and open treatment possibilities for thousands of people with this debilitating neurodegenerative condition worldwide

A new study published on Dec. 14, 2022 in the New England Journal of Medicine reports the identification of a previously unknown genetic cause of a late-onset cerebellar ataxia, a discovery that will improve diagnosis and open new treatment avenues for this progressive condition.

Classified as: Neuro, Bernard Brais, genetics, ataxia
Published on: 15 Dec 2022

Spinal cerebellar ataxia 6 (SCA6) is an inherited neurological condition which has a debilitating impact on motor coordination. Affecting around 1 in 100,000 people, the rarity of SCA6 has seen it attract only limited attention from medical researchers. To date, there is no known cure and only limited treatment options exist.

Now, a team of McGill University researchers specializing in SCA6 and other forms of ataxia, have published findings that not only offer hope for SCA6 sufferers but may also open the way to developing treatments for other movement disorders.

Classified as: Alanna Watt, Department of Biology, ataxia
Published on: 16 Sep 2022

Industry and academia to share expertise in effort to develop improved methods to produce and characterize antibodies and reagents for neurological research

Classified as: Thermo Fisher, open science, ALS, Parkinson's disease, ataxia, reagrents, Peter McPherson
Published on: 5 Mar 2018

Research and clinical care complement each other at The Neuro

February 28th was Rare Diseases Day, an opportunity to recognize a class of disease that is often overlooked. In the past five years, the Montreal Neurological Institute and Hospital (The Neuro) has made the study and treatment of rare diseases a major priority, hiring new specialists and support staff and coordinating activity under a new research group.

Classified as: Rare disases, Bernard Brais, genetics, Eric Shoubridge, ataxia, Heidi McBride, Guy Rouleau
Published on: 28 Feb 2017
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