ABSTRACT
The deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) integrate various inputs to the cerebellum and form the final cerebellar outputs critical for associative sensorimotor learning. However, the functional relevance of distinct neuronal subpopulations within the DCN remains poorly understood. Here, we examined a subpopulation of mouse DCN neurons whose axons specifically project to the ventromedial (Vm) thalamus (DCNVm neurons), and found that these neurons represent a specific subset of DCN units whose activity varies with trace eyeblink conditioning (tEBC), a classical associative sensorimotor learning task. Upon conditioning, the activity of DCNVm neurons signaled the performance of conditioned eyeblink responses (CRs). Optogenetic activation and inhibition of the DCNVm neurons in well-trained mice amplified and diminished the CRs, respectively. Chemogenetic manipulation of the DCNVm neurons had no effects on non-associative motor coordination. Furthermore, optogenetic activation of the DCNVm neurons caused rapid elevated firing activity in the cingulate cortex, a brain area critical for bridging the time gap between sensory stimuli and motor execution during tEBC. Together, our data highlights DCNVm neurons' function and delineates their kinematic parameters that modulate the strength of associative sensorimotor responses.
Subject(s)
Animals , Mice , Blinking , Cerebellar Nuclei/physiology , Cerebellum , Neurons/physiology , ThalamusABSTRACT
It was shown in acute experiments on cats that high frequency (100-300 Hz) electrical stimulation of dentate nucleus led to the solitary epileptic foci of relatively weak intensity suppression and at the same time caused the activation of stronger focal epileptic activity. Electrical stimulation of nucleus dentatus suppressed the epileptic activity of grand mal type and increased seizures in rats with petit mal form of epileptogenesis which was formed in rats during pentylenetatiozol kindling. It was concluded that there is a relation between the antiepileptic effects of nucleus dentatus irritation and intensity as well as the form of epileptic activity induced experimentally.