Synaptic signaling in cerebellar circuits

NIH Director's Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series Margaret Pittman Lecture Part of the NIH Director's Wednesday Afternoon Lecture Series, the lecture is given by a researcher dedicated to advancing and improving the careers of women scientists. Since 1994 when this annual lecture began, every speaker has exemplified the intelligence, scientific excellence, and drive that made Margaret Pittman a leader as the first female laboratory chief at NIH. The cerebellum facilitates learned, coordinated movements and corrects errors. Signals to execute these functions are carried out by the large neurons of the cerebellar nuclei, which form the major premotor projection from the cerebellum. How these neurons fire is determined by the interaction bet ween their intrinsic ion channels, which favor spontaneous action-potential firing; the constant barrage of synaptic inhibition they receive from dozens of convergent rapidly firing Purkinje cells; and the activity of mossy fiber inputs which excite large premotor cells directly as well as Purkinje cells indirectly. In this lecture, Dr. Raman will discuss synaptic and cellular specializations in the mouse cerebellar nuclei that permit distinct modes of firing in response to different patterns of synaptic inputs as measured in vitro, as well as their relation to movements measured in awake beha ving animals. The data provide evidence that not only the rate but also the temporal structure of Purkinje cell firing can influence the efficacy of ...
Source: Videocast - All Events - Category: General Medicine Tags: Upcoming Events Source Type: video