Since several recent studies have reported degeneration in the striatum of patients with other SCAs, including SCA2 and SCA3 (Schöls et al., 2015), and SCA17 (Brockmann et al., 2012), we looked at the number of striatal neurons in SCA684Q/84Q mice at 7 months to determine whether degeneration in the striatum was associated with the onset of motor abnormalities. This evidence concerns the gene ATXN3 and spinocerebellar ataxia type 17.