Natural History of Spinocerebellar Ataxia Type 7 (SCA7)

Running, not enrolling

Conditions studied: Spinocerebellar Ataxia

In brief

Background: Spinocerebellar ataxia type 7 (SCA7) is a disease in which people have problems with coordination, balance, speech and vision. It is caused by a change in the ATXN7 gene. A mutation in this ATXN7 gene causes changes in eye cells, which can lead to vision loss. There is no cure for SCA7 but researchers are looking for possible treatments. Researchers need more information about SCA7. They want to collect vision and neurology related data from people with SCA7. They want to learn how and what changes in the eye and brain when the ATXN7 gene isn t working properly. Objective: To learn more about SCA7 and its progression. Eligibility: People ages 12 and older with SCA7. Design: Participants will be screened with medical history and genetic testing from a previous National Eye Institute study or their personal physician. Participants will have at least 7 visits over 5 years. They will have 2 visits during the first week of the study. Then they will be asked to come back every year for the next 5 years. Each visit will last several days and will include: * Medical and eye history * Several eye tests: some will include dilating the pupil with eye drops and taking photos or scans of the eyes. * Electroretinography (ERG): Participants will sit in the dark with their eyes patched for 30 minutes. After this, the patches will be removed and contact lenses put into the eyes. They will watch flashing lights and information will be recorded. * Neurological exams: Sensation, strength, coordination, reflexes, attention, memory, language, and other cognitive functions will be tested. * Brain MRI: They will lie in a machine that takes pictures of the brain. * Blood and urine tests * Optional skin biopsy: About 3 millimeters of skin will be removed for more research testing; this is half the size of a pencil eraser.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT02741440

Run by

National Eye Institute (NEI)

People needed

22

Starts

2016-07-11

Expected to finish

2028-12-31

Last updated by the study team

2026-08-07

Who can join

Age: 12 and older, up to 100. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: not accepted.

You may not qualify if…

• A participant is not eligible if any of the following exclusion criteria are present.
• Participant is unable to cooperate with ophthalmic/neurologic testing, including inability to undergo brain MRI without sedation.
• Participant has comorbidity, unrelated to ocular pathology, compromising the ability to view/image the retina and/or record an ERG.

Where it is running

• National Institutes of Health Clinical Center — Bethesda, Maryland, United States

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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