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Written by Anna Cook Edited by Dr. Monica Banez Researchers successfully use an existing multiple sclerosis drug to improve performance in an SCA6 mouse model Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) is a rare hereditary movement disorder affecting 5 of every 100,000 people worldwide1. The disease is caused by the expansion Read More…
How does a medical drug get to patients? Research is being done every day to discover new or better ways to treat diseases and various medical conditions. In order to determine if these treatments will help patients, studies known as “clinical trials” need to be done before these methods of Read More…
Written by Terry Suk Edited by Dr. Hayley McLoughlin In this classic article, researchers describe how CAG repeat number variation can inform differences in the way SCA3/MJD symptoms present. Machado-Joseph Disease (MJD) was first described in the 1970’s in four families of Azorean descent. However, it was not initially clear Read More…
Antisense Oligonucleotides (also known as ASOs or AONs) are small molecules that can be used to prevent or alter the production of proteins. Proteins are the workforce of the cell, taking care of most cellular processes. They are generally made in a two-step process: first, a specific protein-coding gene is Read More…
Written by Carrie A. Sheeler Edited by Dr. Marija Cvetanovic Group 1 p21-associated kinases (PAKs) present a new avenue for SCA1 research. Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is caused by a specific mutation in the Ataxin1 gene, which causes the protein that’s made from that gene (also called Ataxin1) to Read More…
One of the most important features of neurons (Purkinje cells, for example), is that they are capable of electrical communication. Think of the last time you saw a TV intro or movie montage with a depiction of the brain on a microscopic level – though it’s technically invisible to the Read More…
Written by Siddharth Nath Edited by Dr. Ray Truant Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is unique amongst the SCAs in that it involves an organ besides the brain – the eye. Rather than problems with movement, the first hint that something may be wrong for SCA7 patients is often a subtle change Read More…
The information that allows the normal development and functioning of each human being is coded in DNA, which exists in all cells of the body. Several successive segments of DNA make up a gene, with the human body containing approximately 20,000. Every gene has a different arrangement of DNA segments Read More…
Written by Dr. Terri M Driessen Edited by Dr. David Bushart Mitochondrial dysfunction and loss of mitochondrial DNA is identified in an SCA1 mouse model. Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) is a neurodegenerative disorder that causes cell death in certain parts of the brain. The brain regions affected play important Read More…
DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid) is the way that living beings store the information that determines how they look and function. Think about DNA as the blueprints, or instructions, for life. All life forms – humans, cats, dogs, trees, and bacteria – all contain DNA. Your DNA is what carries the information Read More…
