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Antineuronal antibodies in sporadic late-onset cerebellar ataxia

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Abstract

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.

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Acknowledgments

This study was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft DFG (project D7, SFB571 Autoimmunität, RV) and the Herrmann and Lilly Schilling Foundation. We thank Prof. Dr. Hans-Georg Rammensee for critical reading of the manuscript.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute for Cell Biology, Department of Immunology, University of Tübingen, Auf der Morgenstelle 15, 72076, Tübingen, Germany

    K. Bürk & P. Decker

  2. Institute of Brain Research, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany

    K. Bürk

  3. Department of Neurology, University of Marburg, Marburg, Germany

    K. Bürk

  4. Department of Laboratory Medicine, University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    M. Wick

  5. Department of Microsystems Engineering, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany

    G. Roth

  6. Department of Neuroimmunology, University of Munich, Munich, Germany

    R. Voltz

  7. Department of Palliative Medicine, University of Cologne, Cologne, Germany

    R. Voltz

Authors
  1. K. Bürk
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  2. M. Wick
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  3. G. Roth
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  4. P. Decker
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  5. R. Voltz
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Correspondence to K. Bürk.

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Bürk, K., Wick, M., Roth, G. et al. Antineuronal antibodies in sporadic late-onset cerebellar ataxia. J Neurol 257, 59–62 (2010). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-009-5262-8

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00415-009-5262-8

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