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Role of plasticity at different sites across the time course of cerebellar motor learning.

Publication ,  Journal Article
Yang, Y; Lisberger, SG
Published in: J Neurosci
May 21, 2014

Learning comprises multiple components that probably involve cellular and synaptic plasticity at multiple sites. Different neural sites may play their largest roles at different times during behavioral learning. We have used motor learning in smooth pursuit eye movements of monkeys to determine how and when different components of learning occur in a known cerebellar circuit. The earliest learning occurs when one climbing-fiber response to a learning instruction causes simple-spike firing rate of Purkinje cells in the floccular complex of the cerebellum to be depressed transiently at the time of the instruction on the next trial. Trial-over-trial depression and the associated learning in eye movement are forgotten in <6 s, but facilitate long-term behavioral learning over a time scale of ∼5 min. During 100 repetitions of a learning instruction, simple-spike firing rate becomes progressively depressed in Purkinje cells that receive climbing-fiber inputs from the instruction. In Purkinje cells that prefer the opposite direction of pursuit and therefore do not receive climbing-fiber inputs related to the instruction, simple-spike responses undergo potentiation, but more weakly and more slowly. Analysis of the relationship between the learned changes in simple-spike firing and learning in eye velocity suggests an orderly progression of plasticity: first on Purkinje cells with complex-spike (CS) responses to the instruction, later on Purkinje cells with CS responses to the opposite direction of instruction, and last in sites outside the cerebellar cortex. Climbing-fiber inputs appear to play a fast and primary, but nonexclusive, role in pursuit learning.

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Published In

J Neurosci

DOI

EISSN

1529-2401

Publication Date

May 21, 2014

Volume

34

Issue

21

Start / End Page

7077 / 7090

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Wakefulness
  • Time Factors
  • Pursuit, Smooth
  • Purkinje Cells
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Orientation
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Male
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Learning
 

Citation

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Yang, Y., & Lisberger, S. G. (2014). Role of plasticity at different sites across the time course of cerebellar motor learning. J Neurosci, 34(21), 7077–7090. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0017-14.2014
Yang, Yan, and Stephen G. Lisberger. “Role of plasticity at different sites across the time course of cerebellar motor learning.J Neurosci 34, no. 21 (May 21, 2014): 7077–90. https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0017-14.2014.
Yang Y, Lisberger SG. Role of plasticity at different sites across the time course of cerebellar motor learning. J Neurosci. 2014 May 21;34(21):7077–90.
Yang, Yan, and Stephen G. Lisberger. “Role of plasticity at different sites across the time course of cerebellar motor learning.J Neurosci, vol. 34, no. 21, May 2014, pp. 7077–90. Pubmed, doi:10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0017-14.2014.
Yang Y, Lisberger SG. Role of plasticity at different sites across the time course of cerebellar motor learning. J Neurosci. 2014 May 21;34(21):7077–7090.

Published In

J Neurosci

DOI

EISSN

1529-2401

Publication Date

May 21, 2014

Volume

34

Issue

21

Start / End Page

7077 / 7090

Location

United States

Related Subject Headings

  • Wakefulness
  • Time Factors
  • Pursuit, Smooth
  • Purkinje Cells
  • Photic Stimulation
  • Orientation
  • Neurology & Neurosurgery
  • Male
  • Macaca mulatta
  • Learning