Clara Rentz in the “Young Talent Arena” of the DGN

Dr. Clara Rentz from the Institute of Neuroscience and Medicine (INM-1) was selected for the “Young Talent Arena” at this year’s Congress of the German Society for Neurology (DGN) in November in Berlin, where she presented her talk on a training study in cerebellar ataxia. A corresponding report can currently be found in a prominent place in the “Journal Club”.

People with cerebellar ataxia suffer from progressive gait instability, as well as balance and coordination difficulties. Apart from physical training, there are currently only a few treatment options. However, it remains unclear what such training should ideally look like, especially in a home-based setting.

A pilot study conducted in cooperation with the Center for Movement Disorders and Neuromodulation at University Hospital Düsseldorf indicates that longer, less frequent training sessions are more effective than many shorter ones. Furthermore, training success appears to be related to disease severity and participants’ well-being. For the study, participants completed a three-week video-based home exercise program that included strength, flexibility, and coordination exercises.

Original publication of the study:
Rentz, C., Reinhardt, A., Jung, N., Vanchinathan, V., Peterburs, J., Jacobi, H., Timmann, D., Thieme, A., Brötz, D., Bellebaum, C., Schnitzler, A., Amunts, K. and Minnerop, M. (2025), Three-Week Video- and Home-Based Training Program for People with Ataxia: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial. Mov Disord Clin Pract. https://doi.org/10.1002/mdc3.70225