Deletion of the voltage-gated calcium channel, Ca V 1.3, causes deficits in motor performance and associative learning.

L-type voltage-gated calcium channels are important regulators of neuronal activity and are widely expressed throughout the brain. One of the major L-type voltage-gated calcium channel isoforms in the brain is Ca V 1.3. Mice lacking Ca V 1.3 are reported to have impairments in fear conditioning and depressive-like behaviors, which have been linked to Ca V 1.3 function in the hippocampus and amygdala. Genetic variation in Ca V 1.3 has been linked to a variety of psychiatric disorders, including autism and schizophrenia, which are associated with altered motor learning, associative learning and social function. Here, we explored whether Ca V 1.3 plays a role in these behaviors. We found that Ca V 1.3 knockout mice have deficits in rotarod learning despite normal locomotor function. Deletion of Ca V 1.3 is also associated with impaired gait adaptation and associative learning on the Erasmus Ladder. We did not observe any impairments in Ca V 1.3 knockout mice on assays of anxiety-like, depression-like or social preference behaviors. Our results suggest an important role for Ca V 1.3 in neural circuits involved in motor learning and concur with previous data showing its involvement in associative learning.