Motor learning rapidly increases synaptogenesis and astrocytic structural plasticity in the rat cerebellum.

Motor learning rapidly increases synaptogenesis and astrocytic structural plasticity in the rat cerebellum. Neurobiol Learn Mem. 2020 Nov 10;:107339 Authors: Stevenson ME, Nazario AS, Czyz AM, Owen HA, Swain RA Abstract Motor-skill learning is associated with cerebellar synaptogenesis and astrocytic hypertrophy, but most of these assessments of cerebellar ultrastructure have been completed after one month of training. After one month of training, the motor-skills necessary to complete these tasks have been acquired for weeks. This experiment aimed to characterize cerebellar ultrastructure during the acquisition phase of motor-skill learning, at a point when motor performance is still improving. Male and female rats trained for four days on the acrobatic motor learning task, which involved traversing challenging obstacles such as narrow beams and ladders. Concurrently, rats in the motor control condition walked a flat alleyway requiring no skilled movements. After training was complete, all rats were euthanized, and tissue was prepared for electron microscopy. Unbiased stereology techniques were used to assess synaptic and astrocytic plasticity. Results indicated that during the initial days of training, female rats made fewer errors and had shorter latencies on the acrobatic course compared to male rats. However, there were no sex differences in cerebellar ultrastructure. Male and female rats that completed four days of acrobatic tra...
Source: Neurobiology of Learning and Memory - Category: Neurology Authors: Tags: Neurobiol Learn Mem Source Type: research