Gait impairment precedes clinical symptoms in spinocerebellar ataxia type 6.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 (SCA6) is an inherited ataxia with no established treatment. Gait ataxia is a prominent feature causing substantial disability. Understanding the evolution of the gait disturbance is a key step in developing treatment strategies.

Methods

We studied 9 gait variables in 24 SCA6 (6 presymptomatic; 18 symptomatic) and 24 controls and correlated gait with clinical severity (presymptomatic and symptomatic).

Results

Discrete gait characteristics precede symptoms in SCA6 with significantly increased variability of step width and step time, whereas a more global gait deficit was evident in symptomatic individuals. Gait characteristics discriminated between presymptomatic and symptomatic individuals and were selectively associated with d

SUBMITTER: Rochester L 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC6551218 | biostudies-literature | 2014 Feb

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature