Calcium channels, neuromuscular synaptic transmission and neurological diseases

Voltage-dependent calcium channels are essential in neuronal signaling and synaptic transmission, and their functional alterations underlie numerous human disorders whether monogenic (e.g., ataxia, migraine, etc.) or autoimmune. We review recent work on CaV2.1 or P/Q channelopathies, mostly using neuromuscular junction preparations, and focus specially on the functional hierarchy among the calcium channels recruited to mediate neurotransmitter release when CaV2.1 channels are mutated or depleted. In either case, synaptic transmission is greatly compromised; evidently, none of the reported functional replacements with other calcium channels compensates fully.