Synaptic integration and plasticity in the cerebellar cortex

1
Synaptic integration and plasticity in the
cerebellar cortex
Michael Häusser University College London

• In vivo whole-cell patch clamp recordings were
  made from cerebellar granule cells, the smallest
  and most numerous neurons in the brain.
• Granule cells exhibit a low rate of spontaneous
  activity in vivo, due
• in part to a tonic GABAA conductance which
  dampens excitability.
• Summation of excitatory mossy fibre inputs is
  normally required to generate granule cell
  output.
• Sensory stimulation triggers a burst of EPSCs in
  the granule cell,
• which in turn triggers a burst of output spikes.
• Bursts of spikes in granule cell axons are
  optimally suited for inducing
• plasticity at downstream synapses onto Purkinje
  cells, providing a
• link between sensory representation and memory
  storage.