Could Tai-chi Help Maintain Balance of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Patients

Spinocerebellar atrophy is the most common autosomal dominant inherited ataxia. There are over thirty subtypes, which characterize neurologic features differently. They all have obvious substantial cerebellar atrophies in image, and unstable gait、ataxia. In general a prevalence of about three cases per 100 000 people is assumed, but this may be an underestimate. Progressive neurologic degeneration, in about 10-20 years, will leads to disability or wheelchair-dependent. Accompanying with fatigue, downhill course of the disease often made patients depressive and hopeless. The recent review of researches concludes no effective therapy for the disease. The purpose of the investigator's study is to explore the Tai-chi exercise effect for spinocerebellar ataxia.

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Key information

Conditions

Spinocerebellar Ataxias Ataxia Brain Diseases Central Nervous System Diseases Cerebellar Ataxia Cerebellar Diseases Congenital, Hereditary, and Neonatal Diseases and Abnormalities Dyskinesias Genetic Diseases, Inborn Heredodegenerative Disorders, Nervous System Nervous System Diseases Neurodegenerative Diseases Neurologic Manifestations Spinal Cord Diseases Spinocerebellar Degenerations Tai Chi

Age range

20 year–80 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: No

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

Inclusion criteria

progressive ataxia accompanied with the observation of cerebellar atrophy on magnetic resonance or computed tomography images
SARA score of less than 20

Exclusion criteria

Patients with complicated cerebellar disorders, such as multiple system atrophy, Parkinson-plus syndromes, secondary cerebellar degeneration from encephalitis, trauma, hypoxia, cerebrovascular diseases, and toxic- or drug-induced cerebellar degeneration
SARA score of larger than 20

Treatment and study plan

Tai Chi

Behavioral

participants were required to receive hospital-based Tai chi training at least once a month, and home-based Tai chi exercise at least three times a week over the next 9 months

Conventional medicine

Drug

participants without Tai chi training still received routine conventional medicine

Primary outcomes

Scale for the Assessment and Rating of Ataxia(SARA)

Time frame: assessed at baseline and 9 months, 9 months reported as Outcome Measure Data

SARA assesses eight aspects of cerebellar function: walking, sitting, standing, speaking, finger chasing, the nose-finger test, fast alternating hand movements, and the heel-shin slide. The eight categories accumulate score ranging from 0 (no ataxia) to 40 (most severe ataxia).Gait (0-8 points),Stance (0-6 points),Sitting (0-4 points),Speech disturbance (0-6 points),Finger chase (0-4 points),Nose-finger test (0-4 points),Fast alternating hand movement (0-4 points),Heel-shin slide (0-4 points)

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Changhua Christian Hospital

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Integrative Medicine and Tai-chi in Clinical Status of Spinocerebellar Ataxia

Important dates

Study start: 2013
Primary completion: 2015
Study completion: 2015
First posted: Sep 27, 2018
Registry last updated: Aug 30, 2023

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.

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