Does ataxia affect your brain?
Regards
Barney
Hi - how do you mean…cognitively?
Yes cognitively
Depends on the type of ataxia...
I lose my words and sometimes get emotional at the drop of Dog commercial lol
I think this is true with most of us:
"The cerebellum plays a role in some forms of thinking. Patients with cerebellar atrophy may have impaired recall of newly learned information or difficulty with “executive functions” such as making plans and keeping thoughts in proper sequence. Personality and mood disorders, such as increased irritability, anxiety, and depression, are more common in persons with cerebellar degeneration than in control subjects."
i cannot say by sure if my brain is affected by my ataxia/s, because i have got extra disabling conditions because of my stem cell transplantation in 2008. Would affirm Anna Heikkinen posting that my "executive functions" are disturbed. But they don t need to be destroyed. I try to train my functions, will do a specific testing within the next weeks, and then train.
As i remember these functions have been impaired for me also starting from youth, and i was happy to get a job - aber my job as a teacher - where i could dictate my texts on the band, so that a secretary would type it. I think the cerebellar imparment is more a matter of easy functioning,- of fast functioning. For me more misfunctioning of my short time memory. Some things i remember very well, - especially those who are of big interest for my or relate to planning in an overview, not in details (Therefore i need a piece of paper..) Many people are like that, and do not have ataxia; often working in important positions.
Maybe not to the same extent as it influences the other, peripheral functions of the body.
The following study report could provide for a consolation: Even if the function of a mutated cell in the body, e.g. the DNA repair within the cell cycle could be so impaired that the necessary protein cannot be produced, it could be that the brain does not have this impairment in the same extent or even over all. The study has shown, that there was unexpectedly appearing a cell variant which preserves the normal brain functions. Sorry for me not beeing expert. I just got the impression from reading this study report that for A-T, but also for the other cerebellar ataxias there are existing safeguards provided by nature which keep your thinking functions in safety....Full Freetext in right upper corner. Please correct me if i would be wrong in this understanding of the meaning of the article.
Stable brain ATM message and residual kinase-active ATM protein in ataxia-telangiectasia.
Yes. My brain is significantly affected by ataxia. Ataxia itself originates in the brain, so no big surprise. I have many cognitive issues. A brain function test can help the doctors understand exactly what part of your brain is having function problems. I've had four of them. The common name for a brain function test is: "Neuro-physic Eval". It's just playing a bunch of games with the test administrator.
My short term memory, speech (not mouth function), understanding other talking and focus are all affected. I started taking a medicine (Straterra) for help with the focus. It's been tremendously helpful. I use to say 50 times a day, "I don't remember". Now I rarely say that. Although I still forget some things it's not nearly as bad. Just being able to focus long enough to type a sentence is a huge improvement. I don't have ADD, I have ataxia.
Ask your neurologist for a neuro-physic eval.
Take care!