Research article summary (published 29 Nov 2002):

Historical review of the significance of the cerebellum and the role of Purkinje cells in motor learning.

Full Abstract

Classic studies of the cerebellum before the middle of the twentieth century established the structural entity of the cerebellum and characterized its function as enabling animals and humans to carry out smooth and accurate movements, even at a high speed and without visual feedback. In the 1960s, neuronal circuit structures of the cerebellum were analyzed in detail, which promoted computational approaches toward the study of neuronal network principles of the cerebellum. In the 1970s and 1980s, vestibulo-ocular reflex adaptation, adaptive locomotion, eye blink conditioning, and learning in hand/arm movement were established as effective experimental paradigms for investigating neural mechanisms of cerebellar functions. In the 1980s, long-term depression (LTD) was discovered and considered as a memory process in the cerebellum; in the 1990s, complex signal transduction processes underlying LTD were revealed. It was also in the 1980s that computational approaches were advanced for modeling control system functions of the cerebellum. Currently, there are two alternative models proposed for VOR adaptation. In this decade, we envisage new developments toward the fusion of knowledge of the cerebellum at molecular and cellular levels and those in systems and computation. Studies of LTD will play a key role in pursuing this direction.

Author information

Author/s: Ito, Masao (M);

Affiliation: Brain Science Institute, RIKEN, Wako, Saitama 351-0198, Japan. masao(-atsign-)brain.riken.go.jp

Journal and publication information

Publication Type: Historical Article; Journal Article

Journal: Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (Ann N Y Acad Sci), published in United States. (Language: eng)

Reference: 2002-Dec; vol 978 (issue ) : pp 273-88

Dates: Created 2003/02/12; Completed 2003/03/07; Revised 2004/11/17;

PMID: 12582060, status: MEDLINE (last retrieval date: 2/18/2009, IMS Date: 18 Feb 2009 00:00:00)

Sourced from the National Library of Medicine. Abstract text and other information may be subject to copyright.

External Links for this article
(including full text providers, if available):

Click Electronic Full-text Provider Links to see options for finding the electronic full text links to this article. Note there may be a subscription or fee required for access to the full text. See our FAQ for information on finding FREE full text articles.

This article may also be located in paper journal collections available in many libraries. Use the Journal and Publication Information above to find the full article.

MeSH headings (categories)

This article was linked to the MESH Headings shown below.

Animals Cerebellum - cytology; physiology History, 20th Century History, 21st Century Humans

Humans Learning - physiology Motor Skills - physiology Neurophysiology - history Purkinje Cells - physiology

Related articles

These are the highest related articles currently in the database:

• Selective engagement of plasticity mechanisms for motor memory storage. 19 Sep 2006
• alphaCaMKII Is essential for cerebellar LTD and motor learning. 19 Sep 2006
• Conditioned eyeblink learning is formed and stored without cerebellar granule cell transmission. 6 Oct 2007
• A biophysical model of synaptic delay learning and temporal pattern recognition in a cerebellar Purkinje cell. 30 Aug 2004
• Cerebellum-dependent learning: the role of multiple plasticity mechanisms. 30 Dec 2003
• Physiology of cells in the central lobes of the mormyrid cerebellum. Dec 2003
• Purkinje cell activity during learning a new timing in classical eyeblink conditioning. 22 Dec 2003
• Muscarine-induced increase in frequency of spontaneous EPSCs in Purkinje cells in the vestibulo-cerebellum of the rat. 14 Jul 2003
• Evidence for protein tyrosine phosphatase, tyrosine kinase, and G-protein regulation of the parallel fiber metabotropic slow EPSC of rat cerebellar Purkinje neurons. 13 May 2003
• Cerebellum and M1 interaction during early learning of timed motor sequences. 5 Apr 2005

See 100+ related articles.

Related Article Map

Legend: - FREE Full text Article. - Abstract only. - Title only. More help.

See a large map of 100+ related articles.