New old drug(s) for spinocerebellar ataxias

General
1

New old drug(s) for
spinocerebellar ataxias

Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) are a group
of more than 40 neurodegenerative diseases,
characterized by progressive impairment
of balance, motor coordination and gait.
Ataxin-1 was the first gene identified in an
SCA (SCA1). Purkinje cell degeneration
is a hallmark post mortem feature of most
SCAs, including SCA1, and Purkinje cell
dysfunction is often observed during early
disease stages (Meera et al. 2016). At
present, there is no treatment available
for SCAs, although a paper by Shuvaev
and colleagues in this issue of The Journal
of Physiology identifies a promising new
therapeutic approach for SCA1 using a
drug already approved by the FDA, baclofen
(Shuvaev et al. 2017).

full article (pdf.) http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1113/JP273149/pdf

1 Like
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I’m curious…is there a classification of ataxia when it occurs primarily as upper body…it’s a comedic event to watch me manually brush my teeth or try to measure out recipe ingredients. JD

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Brilliant news again Alan with the possibility of it helping some of the other Sca,s

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I’ve been taking Baclefan for about a yr now. No help w/coordinationbut it does help to straighten out my fingers when spasticity is bad.

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As with all medications, although they are designed to alleviate certain symptoms, it all depends on an individual’s specific response. So, until we do have regimes designed for us individually, it’s a case of trial and error, as with most medications anyway.:smirk:xB