Ataxia Diagnosis

The Ataxia Clinic at the University of Minnesota is devoted to the diagnosis and management of patients with various forms of ataxia. The current patient base is clinically diverse and sizable which allows researchers to explore patterns and to conduct specific studies of kindreds with different forms of hereditary ataxias.

Ataxia patients undergo standard neurological evaluations. These evaluations assist researchers in distinguishing patterns of hereditary ataxias. Evaluation findings can help guide researchers toward the correct diagnosis and choosing which genetic test to perform.

We now have the medical technology to genetically classify a patient's type of ataxia and ask what that can tell us about the disease. We can begin to explore questions such as:

• How early we can detect ataxia in a person who is known to bear the gene?
• What areas of the brain are first affected?
• Are there local chemical alterations that are detectable using modern imaging techniques?
• And, can we tell the difference between one form or another of ataxia?

As we gain more and more insights into the features that define an ataxia, it will help us design better medications. Understanding these features helps us with diagnosis, helps us to understand the progression of the disease, and it may be important to know when we should begin a clinical drug trial that may, some day, be helpful to ataxia patients.