New study reveals hidden genetic anomaly behind common late-onset cerebellar ataxia

Researchers at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, McGill University and other institutions have found that a well-concealed genetic variation in the gene FGF14, called a DNA tandem repeat expansion, causes a common form of late-onset cerebellar ataxia, a brain disorder that interferes with coordinated movement. Tandem repeat expansions are only found in 50 conditions, including Friedreich’s ataxia and Huntington’s disease, but researchers believe they could account for many other conditions.