[Morphologic and functional characteristics of an animal model of cerebellar degeneration (lurcher mutant mice)].

Lurcher mutant mice are characterized by genetically determined degeneration of cerebellar Purkinje cells, granule cells and inferior olivary neurons (ION). In the morphological part of this study Lurcher mutant and wild type mice were given intraperitoneal injections of 3-acetylpyridine (3AP) to look at the effect of this neurotoxin and niacinamide antagonist on the ION. Intraperitoneal administration of 3AP is characterized by the different sensitivity of ION in Lurcher mutant mice and wild type mice in both infant and young adult animals. Lurcher mutants suffered a destruction of these neurons while wild type mice were unaffected. Since the cerebellum plays an essential role in the sphere of motor learning and behavior, in the functional part of this study we investigated some characteristics of early learning in Lurcher mutant and wild type mice. The first experimental results show some differences in the inhibitory reaction of the passive avoidance between Lurcher mutant and wild type mice in early ontogeny, during the first month of their life. Both morphological and functional findings show not only different effects of 3AP on genetically mutated and wild type mice in the same inbred strain but also some functional changes in the sphere of early learning and memory as well.