One good thing that came out of fracturing my leg this summer is that I’ve resumed physical therapy. I went to physical therapy once or twice a week from 2017 to 2023. We would work on everything. If I had an injury or problematic pain, we would work on…
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Replacing myeloid cells — a group of immune cells that includes microglia in the brain and spinal cord and macrophages in other tissues — with healthy, donor-derived cells improved neurological and heart abnormalities in a mouse model of Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a U.S. study found. Microglia and macrophages can become…
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Failure in a protein modification process needed to maintain the function of a brain receptor is a key early mechanism leading to Friedreich’s ataxia, a mouse study showed. The process, known as palmitoylation, links the loss of frataxin, the protein missing in people with FA, to nerve cell vulnerability…
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The time has come for yet another transition in my journey with Friedreich’s ataxia (FA). Since my diagnosis in 2013, I’ve had to adapt to my ever-changing needs. As my disease progresses and I lose abilities, I need more assistance. I used a walker from 2018 until 2024,…
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A new gene therapy designed to restore frataxin protein to near-normal levels rather than produce excessive amounts improves movement, nerve signaling, and cell health in a mouse model of Friedreich’s ataxia (FA), a study reports. The treatment, called miniFXN7, was delivered in a single injection before symptoms began and used…
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Sometimes people ask me what I do with myself all day. I know the question is probably meant casually, maybe even kindly, but it lands hard. I’ll feel myself get flustered, the way I often do when a question carries an assumption I cannot quite name in the moment. Before…
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Becoming educated and informed about FA is a good first step. Here you’ll find general information about the disease, including diagnosis, symptoms, and causes.
It helps to know others have been where you are now. Here’s a collection of our columnists’ words of wisdom to help you along on your FA journey.
There is no cure for FA yet, but here you can find more information about current therapeutic approaches, as well as experimental treatments that are in the pipeline.
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