Furthermore, Cacna1c heterozygosity led to an upregulation of miR-708-5p in the rat hippocampus, suggesting that, in analogy to our human PBMC data (Fig. 1D–F), a genetic predisposition for MDs is sufficient to induce miR-708-5p expression in the rat brain (Fig. 2E). Here, CACNA1C is linked to myelodysplastic syndrome.