title: Climbing fibers in spinocerebellar ataxia: A mechanism for the loss of motor control.
abstract: The spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) form an ever-growing group of neurodegenerative disorders causing dysfunction of the cerebellum and loss of motor control in patients. Currently, 41 different genetic causes have been identified, with each mutation affecting a different gene. Interestingly, these diverse genetic causes all disrupt cerebellar function and produce similar symptoms in patients. In order to understand the disease better, and define possible therapeutic targets for multiple SCAs, the field has been searching for common ground among the SCAs. In this review, we discuss the physiology of climbing fibers and the possibility that climbing fiber dysfunction is a point of convergence for at least a subset of SCAs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.
authors.forename: C J L M
authors.initials: CJ
authors.lastname: Smeets
authors.affiliation: Department of Genetics, University of Groningen, University Medical Center Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands. Electronic address: d.s.verbeek@umcg.nl.
authors.forename: D S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: Verbeek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002531:Cerebellum / Q000473:pathology*; D006801:Humans; D009069:Movement Disorders / Q000209:etiology*; D009412:Nerve Fibers / Q000378:metabolism*; D020754:Spinocerebellar Ataxias / Q000150:complications* / Q000235:genetics / Q000473:pathology*
keywords: Climbing fibers; Common pathology; Glutamate; Mouse models; Spinocerebellar ataxia; Synaptic plasticity