Cerebellar computation

Climbing fiber (CF) inputs to cerebellar Purkinje cells (PCs) encode sensorimotor and reward-related instructive signals that are utilized to learn and refine goal-directed behaviors. However, it remains unclear how these instructive signals evolve during the acquisition and refinement phases of learning, whether they target the same PCs, and whether different brain-wide pathways drive functionally distinct populations of CFs.

The cerebellum has long been proposed to play a role in cognitive function, although this has remained controversial. This idea has …

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.

The dominant view in neuroscience is that changes in synaptic weights underlie learning. It is unclear, however, how the brain is able …

There is increasing evidence for a cerebellar contribution to cognitive processing, but the specific input pathways conveying this …

The inferior olive gives rise to the climbing fiber input to cerebellar Purkinje cells and is therefore the source of one of the most …