Abstract
Background Spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1) belongs to polyglutamine CAG repeat neurodegenerative disorders involving principally the cerebellum, brainstem and spinocerebellar tracts. One of the dominating symptoms is a postural disequilibrium. As there is need of biomarkers to follow the natural course of SCA we aimed to assess the progression of balance impairments by static posturography. Methods The subjects were: 26 symptomatic SCA1 patients (aged 39.2 ± 12.4 years, CAG 50.7 ± 6.3) with mean disease duration 5.5 ± 5.1 and 38 age- and gender- matched healthy controls (HC). They underwent static posturography during 5 years of observation. The movements of the center of feet pressure (COP) during quiet standing with eyes open (EO) and closed (EC) were evaluated by calculation of: mean radius, developed surface area and COP movement velocity. Severity of ataxia was evaluated with Scale for Assessment and Rating of Ataxia (SARA). Results All the COP sway measures have differed statistically significant from HC (p Conclusions Our study confirmed that quantitative posturography reflects objectively progression of postural disequilibrium in patients with ataxia. It might be a useful biomarker in the future therapeutic trials.
Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
