These behavioral and neuropathological traits are common to several SCAs, as it was evidenced by similar results in mouse models of SCA1 (Burright et al., 1995), MJD (Chou et al., 2008; Torashima et al., 2008), or SCA7 (Garden et al., 2002). The gene discussed is ATXN7; the disease is Machado-Joseph disease.