Dendritic potassium channel dysfunction may contribute to dendrite degeneration in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1.

ABSTRACT: Purkinje neuron dendritic degeneration precedes cell loss in cerebellar ataxia, but the basis for dendritic vulnerability in ataxia remains poorly understood. Recent work has suggested that potassium (K+) channel dysfunction and consequent spiking abnormalities contribute to Purkinje neuron degeneration, but little attention has been paid to how K+ channel dysfunction impacts dendritic excitability and the role this may play in the degenerative process. We examined the relationship between K+ channel dysfunction, dendritic excitability and dendritic degeneration in spinocerebellar ataxia type 1 (SCA1). Examination of published RNA sequencing data from SCA1 mice revealed reduced expression of several K+ channels that are important regulators of excitability in Purkinje neuron dendrites. Pat

SUBMITTER: Chopra R 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5976172 | biostudies-literature | 2018

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature