Ataxia Clinical Trials

The primary goal of this study is to address the need for targeted therapeutic interventions for impairments that impact walking in related neurodegenerative diseases. Read Less

The Epilepsy-Dyskinesia Study aims to advance the understanding of the clinical and molecular spectrum of epilepsy-dyskinesia syndromes, monogenic diseases that cause both movement disorders and epilepsy. Addressing challenges in rare disease research -such as small, geographically dispersed patient populations and a lack of standardized protocols- the study employs a multinational retrospective survey endorsed by the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society. This survey seeks to collect comprehensive data on clinical features, disease progression, age of onset, genetic variants, and concurrent neurological conditions, standardizing data collection across countries to provide a unified understanding of these conditions. Through retrospective review and molecular data analysis, the study aims to identify patterns and correlations between movement and seizure disorders, uncovering genotype-phenotype relationships. The initiative\'s goals are to enhance understanding of epilepsy-dyskinesia syndromes, inform precision medicine approaches, and foster international collaboration. Read Less

In this study, the investigators hypothesize that studying monogenic variants with strong effect associated with severe insulin deficiency of Wolfram syndrome will provide important insights into the more complex type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus. Aim 1. Establish and maintain a registry of patients with Wolfram syndrome. An Internet based registry will be employed to enroll participants with the clinical diagnosis of Wolfram syndrome (insulin dependent DM and bilateral OA). Clinical information regarding age of diagnosis and progression of the disease will be collated and analyzed to better define its natural history, along with potential metabolic phenotypes such as glucose intolerance of heterozygous parents and unaffected sibs. If not already completed, blood for WFS1 sequence analysis will be obtained on the participants (parents and sibs also for control purposes) and sent to a CLIA certified lab to define the mutation. This information will benefit patient families and referring physicians by providing a genetic diagnosis and where indicated. The Wolfram Syndrome Registry will foster international collaborations to more efficiently and systematically collect Wolfram syndrome patients and their clinical and experimental data. Read Less

Patient Power is a patient research network and database (registry) to collect prospective information about demographics, self-reported diagnoses and medications, and willingness to participate in research from participants with rheumatoid arthritis (RA), spondyloarthritis (SpA), other musculoskeletal conditions, chronic neurological conditions like migraine, chronic pulmonary conditions like Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD), asthma, autoimmune dermatological conditions such as psoriasis, and other chronic inflammatory or immune-mediated conditions. In addition, since patients with chronic conditions often have other co-morbidities like cardiovascular health and obesity-related metabolic disorders, these conditions will also be included. Participants will provide information from their smartphones or personal computers. The information will be used by researchers and clinicians to help patients and their providers make better, more informed decisions about treatment of chronic conditions. Read Less

The purpose of this protocol is to create an active natural history cohort of patients with degenerative movement disorders, tracked in a clinical setting with clinical rating scales and neuroimaging. The overarching rationale is that neurodegenerative diseases may be heterogeneous, complex disorders. A new way of performing clinical trials in these patients may be in order and this protocol aims to build a longitudinally tracked clinical trial-ready cohort of patients. The purpose of this protocol is to establish an active natural history cohort of patients with neurodegenerative movement disorders who are deeply phenotyped and "clinical trial ready" across Mass General Brigham. After a thorough clinical diagnostic evaluation (this may include clinically indicated testing, for example MRI, FDG-PET, MIBG scan, polysomnography, genetic testing, autonomic function tests, inflammatory tests, skin biopsy) the investigators aim to achieve this through: 1. Longitudinal tracking of clinical progression through use of clinical scales including at the present time: UMSARS, BARS, MoCA and UPSIT, PROM, MDS-NMS, UPDRS, and SARA 2. Longitudinal tracking of disease progression through use of neuroimaging including at the present time: TSPO-PET and 3D MRI (see section 1.3) This is a pilot study designed to track patients with neurodegenerative movement disorders across Mass General Brigham through MRI and PET imaging modalities and clinical measures. Figure 5 represents the study design in detail. In short, subjects will be asked to visit Mass General Brigham every 6-9 months over the course of 18 months for imaging and clinical evaluation. Read Less