Challenge of neurorehabilitation for cerebellar degenerative diseases

Cerebellar Ataxia Rehabilitation trial tested if intensive rehabilitation improved ataxia, gait, and activities of daily living (ADLs) in 42 patients with degenerative cerebellar diseases. They were randomly assigned to the immediate intervention group or the delayed-entry control group. The immediate group received 1 h physical and 1 h occupational therapy for 4 weeks and delayed-entry control group received the same intervention after 4-week delay. The immediate group showed significantly greater functional gains in ataxia, gait speed, and ADLs than control. The improvements in ataxia and gait speed were sustained at 12 and 24 weeks after the intervention, respectively. Further strategies inducing meaningful gains for a longer period should be investigated.