Transformation of Purkinje cell population codes in the cerebellar nuclei

The interplay between Purkinje cells and nuclear cells has been a topic of debate in the cerebellar field for decades. While Purkinje cells are GABAergic, their effect on nuclear output may not be inhibitory, because nuclear neurons exhibit unique biophysical features that make them susceptible to entrainment by artificial stimulation of Purkinje cells. Whether this entrainment occurs under physiological conditions remains unknown, largely due to the difficulty of recording connected Purkinje cells and nuclear neurons.

In this project, we are seeking to settle this debate by making direct recordings of synaptically connected Purkinje cells and nuclear neurons using Neuropixels probes. This project is the primary PhD work of Maxime Beau, a PhD student in the Neural Computation Laboratory.