OBJECTIVE Spinocerebellar ataxias are neurodegenerative disorders involving the cerebellum and its connections. There are more than 30 distinct subtypes, 16 of which are associated with an identified gene. The aim of the current study was to evaluate a large group of patients from 104 Brazilian families with spinocerebellar ataxias. METHODS We studied 150 patients from 104 families with spino...

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3, spinocerebellar ataxia type 6 and Friedreich's ataxia are common hereditary ataxias. Different patterns of atrophy of the cerebellar cortex are well known. Data on cerebellar nuclei are sparse. Whereas cerebellar nuclei have long been thought to be preserved in spinocerebellar ataxia type 6, histology shows marked atrophy of the nuclei in Friedreich's ataxia and s...

3 Type 1: The CAG/Polyglutamine Repeat Diseases 9 3.1 Spinal and Bulbar Muscular Atrophy 9 3.2 Huntington’s Disease 12 3.3 Dentatorubral Pallidoluysian Atrophy 15 3.4 Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 1 16 3.5 Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 2 18 3.6 Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 3/Machado–Joseph Disease 19 3.7 Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 6 21 3.8 Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 7 22 3.9 Spinocerebellar Ataxia...

The spinocerebellar ataxia recessive type 10 is a genetic form associated with ANO10 gene mutations. Affected individuals present ataxia, hyperreflexia, ocular movement disorders and cerebellar atrophy. homozygous variant in the NP_060545.3:p.Asn114* 2-nucleotide deletion that would cause introduction of premature stop codon at same position, has not been previously described scientific literat...

Background: The lengths of CAG repeats in two spinocerebellar ataxia genes, SCA1 and SCA3, were analyzed to determine whether such repeats exist in higher numbers in infertile males. Materials and Methods: Blood samples were collected from healthy controls, oligozoospermia patients, and azoospermia patients. DNA fragments containing target CAG repeats were amplified by PCR with template DNA pur...

Mutant ataxin-3 is aberrantly folded and proteolytically cleaved in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3. The C-terminal region of the protein includes a polyglutamine stretch that is expanded in spinocerebellar ataxia type 3. Here, we report on the analysis of an ataxin-3 mutant mouse that has been obtained by gene trap integration. The ataxin-3 fusion protein encompasses 259 N-terminal amino acids i...

BACKGROUND Congenital nonprogressive spinocerebellar ataxia is characterized by early gross motor delay, hypotonia, gait ataxia, mild dysarthria and dysmetria. The clinical presentation remains fairly stable and may be associated with cerebellar atrophy. To date, only a few families with autosomal dominant congenital nonprogressive spinocerebellar ataxia have been reported. Linkage to 3pter was...

OBJECTIVE To assess the frequency and clinical features of different types of hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia in Hong Kong. DESIGN Cross-sectional study using a questionnaire and clinical examination, with the majority of the information retrospectively collected. SETTING Three regional hospitals, Hong Kong. PARTICIPANTS All patients with spinocerebellar ataxia that was confirmed by mol...

OBJECTIVE To assess the frequency of SCA1 (spinocerebellar ataxia type 1), SCA2, SCA3/MJD (spinocerebellar ataxia type 3/Machado-Joseph disease), SCA6, SCA7, and DRPLA (dentatorubropallidoluysian atrophy) CAG trinucleotide repeat expansions [(CAG)n] among persons diagnosed with hereditary SCA from Chinese families. PATIENTS AND METHODS Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1, SCA2, SCA3/MJD, SCA6, SCA7...