β2-subunit alternative splicing stabilizes Cav2.3 Ca channel activity during continuous midbrain dopamine neuron-like activity.

In dopaminergic (DA) (SN) neurons Cav2.3 R-type Ca-currents contribute to somatodendritic Ca-oscillations. This activity may contribute to the selective degeneration of these neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD) since Cav2.

Cav2.3 channels contribute to dopaminergic neuron loss in a model of Parkinson's disease.

Degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra causes the motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The mechanisms underlying this age-dependent and region-selective neurodegeneration remain unclear. Here we identify Cav2.