Objective: The aim of our study was to evaluate the spatial and temporal parameters of gait in SCA12 patients and to compare it with healthy individuals.

Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 12 (SCA-12) is an autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorder. Unlike other SCAs, SCA12 is characterized by the tremor in hands at onset followed by the development of gait ataxia and other cortical features during the course of illness. There is no study which has reported spatiotemporal parameters of gait in SCA12 patients.

Method: Genetically confirmed SCA12 patients (n=25) with a mean age of 55.7 ± 10.2 and age-matched healthy individuals (n=25) with 55.2 ±10.1 years were included in the study. A walkway system (by Teckscan, USA) was used to evaluate spatiotemporal parameters of gait in both groups. All the participants were instructed to walk barefoot within comfortable normal speed on senor plates of the walkway system for 30 seconds. The two sampled t-test was used with the level of significance p-value ≤ 0.05.

Results: All the spatiotemporal parameters of gait mean values in SCA12 patients were found to be significantly different from the mean values acquired from the healthy individual, except for single support time and swing time. The most significant  spatial and temporal parameters of concern was stride length (106.8±7.4cm in control group versus 79.0±19.4cm in SCA12 patients, p=0.000), step width (7.8± 1.7cm in control group versus 13.8 ±2.8cm in SCA12 patients, p=0.000),double support time (0.35± 0.6sec in control group versus 0.61± 0.30 sec in SCA12 patients, p=0.005) and gait velocity (83.5±14.5 cm/ sec in control group versus 48.86 ±21.6cm/sec in SCA12 patients p=0.000).Out of 25 SCA12 patients, 10 patients were found to have a normal gait pattern with a mean duration of illness was 4.4±1.2 year and mean CAG repeat number was 55.7± 5.4. The mean duration of illness and mean CAG repeat number of 15 SCA12 patients having abnormal gait pattern was 6.8±5.4 years and 53.8±7.3.

Conclusion: Our study indicates that gait ataxia in SCA12 patients is a late-onset feature and develops after around 5 years of illness. SCA12 patients showed a significant reduction in stride length, step length, gait velocity with a marked increase in step width and double support time in comparison to normal age-matched persons.

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MDS Abstracts - https://www.mdsabstracts.org/abstract/gait-in-spinocerebellar-ataxia-type12-sca-12/