mortality/aging
• 50% of mice survive beyond 6 months but only 5% survive beyond 11 months
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growth/size/body
• body weight is reduced to 70% of wild-type mice throughout lifespan
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behavior/neurological
• mice develop an early onset, progressive movement disorder
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• dystonic movements begin at 6 months of age and become more severe in the final months
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• tremor begins between the 2nd and 3rd week of life and progresses with age
• however, mice do not exhibit spontaneous convulsive seizures
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• 50% reduction of grip strength
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• abnormal, lurching gait
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muscle
• dystonic movements begin at 6 months of age and become more severe in the final months
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nervous system
• conduction velocity is reduced by 50% in the sciatic-tibial nerve and in the sural nerve
• however, mice exhibit normal neuromuscular junctions
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• majority of cerebellar Purkinje neurons do not exhibit any spontaneous firing and after current injection, only 6/18 mutant cells fire, and those generate only one or a few spikes, indicating that Purkinje neurons lack spontaneous and induced repetitive firing
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