Twisting mice move the dystonia field forward
A common form of the hyperkinetic movement disorder dystonia is caused by mutations in the gene TOR1A (located within the DYT1 locus), which encodes the ATPase torsinA. The underlying neurobiological mechanisms that result in dystonia are poorly understood, and progress in the field has been hampered by the absence of a dystonia-like phenotype in animal models with genetic modification of Tor1a a.