ataxia

atax·ia | \ ə-ˈtak-sē-ə

How to pronounce ataxia (audio)

, (ˌ)ā- \

Definition of ataxia

: an inability to coordinate voluntary muscular movements that is symptomatic of some central nervous system disorders and injuries and not due to muscle weakness

— called also incoordination

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Examples of ataxia in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web Both have Friedreich’s ataxia, an incurable disease of the nervous system. — New York Times, "Congress Saves Coal Miner Pensions, but What About Others?," 24 Dec. 2019 As a final test, the researchers tried it on a mutant ataxia protein. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Scientists find a way to target the protein behind Huntington’s disease," 1 Nov. 2019 As mentioned above, several forms of ataxia are caused by an expansion of the same amino acid that's duplicated in the Huntington's disease gene, and so these may undergo the same sort of interactions with these two chemicals. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Scientists find a way to target the protein behind Huntington’s disease," 1 Nov. 2019 The Huntington's disease protein is one of them, as are a number of proteins associated with genetic ataxias. — John Timmer, Ars Technica, "Scientists find a way to target the protein behind Huntington’s disease," 1 Nov. 2019 Proceeds from the event will benefit the University of Minnesota’s research and patient care focused on ALS (Lou Gehrig’s Disease), ataxia, muscular dystrophy, multiple sclerosis and Parkinson’s disease. — Betsy Helfand, Twin Cities, "Nelson Cruz is Twins’ 2019 MVP," 15 Oct. 2019 But one patient advocacy group has publicly shared that Yu’s team has designed an oligonucleotide for a toddler with ataxia-telangiectasia, a neurodegenerative disorder, and hoped to begin to treat her this fall. — Jocelyn Kaiser, Science | AAAS, "Drug tailored to one girl with brain disease paves way for similar customized treatments," 9 Oct. 2019 Julie Clarich, a Berea resident and mother of three who, with one of her two brothers, was born with ataxia, served as chairperson for the 2019 fundraiser on Sept. 22 at Lakewood Park. — Rich Heileman, cleveland, "Students, pros team up for Rocktober Fest: Around The Town," 27 Sep. 2019 Voytek suggests lumbering is akin to a kind of ataxia, which can happen if the cerebellum, which controls movement, is severely damaged. — Joe Lindsey, Popular Mechanics, "'Game of Thrones' Science: How Do Wights Work?," 26 Apr. 2019

These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word 'ataxia.' Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.

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Dictionary Entries near ataxia

ataxia-telangiectasia

Statistics for ataxia

Last Updated

9 Jan 2020

Cite this Entry

“Ataxia.” The Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster Inc., https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/ataxia. Accessed 18 January 2020.

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