Publications by authors named "Francesca Romana Fiocchi"
Article Synopsis
- Discrimination and generalization of responses are essential for adapting to changing environments, particularly in understanding Pavlovian conditioning responses.
- In an experiment, mice were trained to associate a 10 kHz tone with a puff of air (CS+) while being exposed to other tones (CS-) without the air puff to investigate how different training methods affect response generalization.
- Results showed that higher differences between CS+ and CS- tones led to increased generalization in probability and amplitude of eyelid responses, but not in timing, emphasizing the importance of discrimination in learning.
Spinocerebellar ataxias are neurodegenerative diseases, the hallmark symptom of which is the development of ataxia due to cerebellar dysfunction. Purkinje cells, the principal neurons of the cerebellar cortex, are the main cells affected in these disorders, but the sequence of pathological events leading to their dysfunction is poorly understood. Understanding the origins of Purkinje cells dysfunction before it manifests is imperative to interpret the functional and behavioural consequences of cerebellar-related disorders, providing an optimal timeline for therapeutic interventions.
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- Distinct populations of Purkinje cells (PCs) in the cerebellum have unique features and functions, which contribute to its modular organization.
- Research found that the development of PCs varies depending on their location, with anterior PCs maturing more slowly than nodular PCs, particularly regarding activity levels and dendritic structure.
- These developmental differences align with specific behaviors in mice, showing that the timing and characteristics of PC maturation influence related cerebellum-dependent actions, such as learning and motor adaptation.