Antineuronal antibodies in sporadic late-onset cerebellar ataxia.
Sporadic late-onset cerebellar ataxia of unknown cause is considered a neurodegenerative disorder whose underlying mechanisms are still unknown. To identify antineuronal autoantibodies, immunohistochemical and immunoblotting techniques were performed in 67 patients with sporadic cerebellar degeneration of unknown cause. Elevated P/Q-type voltage-gated calcium channel (VGCC)-specific antibodies were found in eight patients (11.9%). There was no hint of a paraneoplastic disorder in any of the patients. The present findings suggest an autoimmune contribution to the pathophysiology of a subgroup of sporadic late-onset cerebellar ataxia.
Bürk
K
K
Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany. buerk@ngi.de
Wick
M
M
Roth
G
G
Decker
P
P
Voltz
R
R
D000328:Adult; D017668:Age of Onset; D000368:Aged; D001323:Autoantibodies / Q000097:blood*; D020865:Calcium Channels, P-Type / Q000276:immunology*; D020907:Calcium Channels, Q-Type / Q000276:immunology*; D002524:Cerebellar Ataxia / Q000276:immunology*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D015151:Immunoblotting; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009474:Neurons / Q000276:immunology*; D020362:Paraneoplastic Cerebellar Degeneration
D001323:Autoantibodies; D020865:Calcium Channels, P-Type; D020907:Calcium Channels, Q-Type