The cerebellum modulates thirst.

The cerebellum, a phylogenetically ancient brain region, has long been considered strictly a motor control structure. Recent studies have implicated the cerebellum in cognition, sensation, emotion and autonomic function, making it an important target for further investigation. Here, we show that cerebellar Purkinje neurons in mice are activated by the hormone asprosin, leading to enhanced thirst, and that optogenetic or chemogenetic activation of Purkinje neurons induces rapid manifestation of water drinking.

Computational analysis of cortical neuronal excitotoxicity in a large animal model of neonatal brain injury.

Background: Neonatal hypoxic brain injury is a major cause of intellectual and developmental disability. Hypoxia causes neuronal dysfunction and death in the developing cerebral cortex due to excitotoxic Ca-influx. In the translational piglet model of hypoxic encephalopathy, we have previously shown that hypoxia overactivates Ca/Calmodulin (CaM) signaling via Sarcoma (Src) kinase in cortical neurons, resulting in overexpression of proapoptotic genes.

Placental endocrine function shapes cerebellar development and social behavior.

Compromised placental function or premature loss has been linked to diverse neurodevelopmental disorders. Here we show that placenta allopregnanolone (ALLO), a progesterone-derived GABA-A receptor (GABAR) modulator, reduction alters neurodevelopment in a sex-linked manner. A new conditional mouse model, in which the gene encoding ALLO's synthetic enzyme (akr1c14) is specifically deleted in trophoblasts, directly demonstrated that placental ALLO insufficiency led to cerebellar white matter abnormalities that correlated with autistic-like behavior only in male offspring.

Disruption of neonatal Purkinje cell function underlies injury-related learning deficits.

It is hypothesized that perinatal cerebellar injury leads to long-term functional deficits due to circuit dysmaturation. Using a novel integration of GCaMP6f fiber photometry with automated measurement of cerebellar behavior using the ErasmusLadder, we causally link cerebellar injury to altered Purkinje cell responses during maladaptive behavior. Chemogenetic inhibition of neonatal Purkinje cells is sufficient to phenocopy the effects of perinatal cerebellar injury.