The output of the cerebellar cortex is conveyed to the deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) by Purkinje cells (PCs). Here, we characterize the properties of the PC-DCN synapse in juvenile and adult mice and find that prolonged high-frequency stimulation leads to steady-state responses that become increasingly frequency independent within the physiological firing range of PCs in older animals, resulting in a linear relationship between charge transfer and activation frequency. We used a low-affinity antagonist to show that GABA-receptor saturation occurs at this synapse but does not underlie frequency-invariant transmission. We propose that PC-DCN synapses have two components of release: one prominent early in trains and another specialized to maintain transmission during prolonged activation. Short-term facilitation offsets partial vesicle depletion to produce frequency-independent transmission.
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http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.celrep.2016.11.081 | DOI Listing |
Front Neurol
January 2025
Oregon Hearing Research Center, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, United States.
Introduction: The brainstem vestibular nuclei neurons receive synaptic inputs from inner ear acceleration-sensing hair cells, cerebellar output neurons, and ascending signals from spinal proprioceptive-related neurons. The lateral (LVST) and medial (MVST) vestibulospinal (VS) tracts convey their coded signals to the spinal circuits to rapidly counter externally imposed perturbations to facilitate stability and provide a framework for self-generated head movements.
Methods: The present study describes the morphological characteristics of intraaxonally recorded and labeled VS neurons monosynaptically connected to the 8th nerve.
Cerebellum
January 2025
Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX, USA.
The cerebellum is involved in non-motor processing, supported by topographically distinct cerebellar activations and closed-loop circuits between the cerebellum and the cortex. Disruptions to cerebellar function may negatively impact prefrontal function and processing. Cerebellar resources may be important for offloading cortical processing, providing crucial scaffolding for normative performance and function.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHum Brain Mapp
January 2025
Department of Psychology, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada.
The cortex and cerebellum are densely connected through reciprocal input/output projections that form segregated circuits. These circuits are shown to differentially connect anterior lobules of the cerebellum to sensorimotor regions, and lobules Crus I and II to prefrontal regions. This differential connectivity pattern leads to the hypothesis that individual differences in structure should be related, especially for connected regions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Neurosci
January 2025
Arizona State University, Department of Psychology, Tempe, AZ, 85287 USA.
The cerebellum, identified to be active during cognitive and social behavior, has multisynaptic connections through the cerebellar nuclei (CN) and thalamus to cortical regions, yet formation and modulation of these pathways are not fully understood. Perineuronal nets (PNNs) respond to changes in local cellular activity and emerge during development. PNNs are implicated in learning and neurodevelopmental disorders, but their role in the CN during development is unknown.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFNat Neurosci
January 2025
Department of Physiology, Seoul National University College of Medicine, Seoul, Korea.
The cerebellum is activated by noxious stimuli and pathological pain but its role in noxious information processing remains unknown. Here, we show that in mice, cutaneous noxious electrical stimuli induced noradrenaline (NA) release from locus coeruleus (LC) terminals in the cerebellar cortex. Bergmann glia (BG) accumulated these LC-NA signals by increasing intracellular calcium in an integrative manner ('flares').
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