Differentiating Cerebellar Impact on Thalamic Nuclei

TY - JOUR

T1 - Differentiating Cerebellar Impact on Thalamic Nuclei

AU - Gornati, Simona V

AU - Schäfer, Carmen B

AU - Eelkman Rooda, Oscar H J

AU - Nigg, Alex L

AU - De Zeeuw, Chris I

AU - Hoebeek, Freek E

N1 - Copyright © 2018 The Author(s). Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

PY - 2018/5/29

Y1 - 2018/5/29

N2 - The cerebellum plays a role in coordination of movements and non-motor functions. Cerebellar nuclei (CN) axons connect to various parts of the thalamo-cortical network, but detailed information on the characteristics of cerebello-thalamic connections is lacking. Here, we assessed the cerebellar input to the ventrolateral (VL), ventromedial (VM), and centrolateral (CL) thalamus. Confocal and electron microscopy showed an increased density and size of CN axon terminals in VL compared to VM or CL. Electrophysiological recordings in vitro revealed that optogenetic CN stimulation resulted in enhanced charge transfer and action potential firing in VL neurons compared to VM or CL neurons, despite that the paired-pulse ratio was not significantly different. Together, these findings indicate that the impact of CN input onto neurons of different thalamic nuclei varies substantially, which highlights the possibility that cerebellar output differentially controls various parts of the thalamo-cortical network.

AB - The cerebellum plays a role in coordination of movements and non-motor functions. Cerebellar nuclei (CN) axons connect to various parts of the thalamo-cortical network, but detailed information on the characteristics of cerebello-thalamic connections is lacking. Here, we assessed the cerebellar input to the ventrolateral (VL), ventromedial (VM), and centrolateral (CL) thalamus. Confocal and electron microscopy showed an increased density and size of CN axon terminals in VL compared to VM or CL. Electrophysiological recordings in vitro revealed that optogenetic CN stimulation resulted in enhanced charge transfer and action potential firing in VL neurons compared to VM or CL neurons, despite that the paired-pulse ratio was not significantly different. Together, these findings indicate that the impact of CN input onto neurons of different thalamic nuclei varies substantially, which highlights the possibility that cerebellar output differentially controls various parts of the thalamo-cortical network.

KW - Journal Article

U2 - 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.04.098

DO - 10.1016/j.celrep.2018.04.098

M3 - Article

C2 - 29847799

SN - 2211-1247

VL - 23

SP - 2690

EP - 2704

JO - Cell Reports

JF - Cell Reports

IS - 9

ER -