Motor abnormalities in staggerer mutant mice.

Staggerer mutant mice spontaneously lose both Purkinje and granule cells of the cerebellum. Motor abnormalities included less activity for an exploratory task and loss of balance in two equilibrium tests. It was observed that staggerer mutants exhibited paw clasping and limb crossing responses when held in the air by the tail, of a sort never seen in normal adult mice. The role of the cerebellum in these abnormalities is discussed.