The generation of movements is a fundamental function of the nervous system. It is accomplished by a process, termed motor control, involving the interaction of multiple brain regions. The result of this process is motor commands that encode the appropriate muscle combinations and the timing of their activation for carrying out complex movement sequences. The experiments of this proposal will investigate the interaction of two key motor systems (the motor cortex and the olivocerebellar system) in the generation of these motor commands. The ability of the olivocerebellar system to generate rhythmic synchronous discharges suggests that its function is to bind in time the different muscle groups involved in making complex movement sequences. Indeed, damage to the inferior olive produces motor deficits characterized by the loss of precisely timed muscle activation. To investigate the interaction of the motor cortex and olivocerebellar system in motor control whisker movements will be evoked by motor cortex stimuli, and the influence of olivocerebellar activity on the evoked movements will be determined. The whisker movements will be recorded using a high speed videotape system. Olivocerebellar activity will be monitored with multiple electrode recordings of complex spike (CS) activity from Purkinje cells, the main target of the olivocerebellar system. Multiple electrode recordings allow determination of the spatial patterns of synchronous CS activity. The first goal will be to investigate how CS responses to motor cortical activity are shaped by the oscillatory properties of the inferior olivary neurons. The second goal will be to test the hypothesis that the periodic synchronous discharges of the olivocerebellar system gate the efficacy cortical activity are shaped by the oscillatory properties of the inferior olivary neurons. The second goal will be to test the hypothesis that the periodic synchronous discharges of the olivocerebellar system gate the efficacy of motor cortex activity to generate movements. That is, to test the idea that the rhythmic nature of olivocerebellar activity allows it to function as a internal clock for organizing motor outputs in time. The third goal will be to determine the major brain sites where the interactions between these systems occur. Finally the question of whether changes in the patterns of synchronous discharge of the olivocerebellar system result in changes in the pattern of coupling of different muscles will be addressed. In sum, these experiments should help define the role of the olivocerebellar system in motor control as well as the reasons why cerebellar damage results in motor coordination deficits. They represent a step toward the more general goal of understanding cerebro-cerebellar interactions in motor control.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (NINDS)
Type
Research Project (R01)
Project #
2R01NS037028-04A1
Application #
6474121
Study Section
Integrative, Functional and Cognitive Neuroscience 8 (IFCN)
Program Officer
Chen, Daofen
Project Start
1998-09-30
Project End
2005-02-28
Budget Start
2002-03-15
Budget End
2003-02-28
Support Year
4
Fiscal Year
2002
Total Cost
$319,675
Indirect Cost
Name
New York University
Department
Physiology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
City
New York
State
NY
Country
United States
Zip Code
10016
Tang, Tianyu; Suh, Colleen Y; Blenkinsop, Timothy A et al. (2016) Synchrony is Key: Complex Spike Inhibition of the Deep Cerebellar Nuclei. Cerebellum 15:10-3
Lang, Eric J; Tang, Tianyu; Suh, Colleen Y et al. (2014) Modulation of Purkinje cell complex spike waveform by synchrony levels in the olivocerebellar system. Front Syst Neurosci 8:210
Xiao, Jianqiang; Cerminara, Nadia L; Kotsurovskyy, Yuriy et al. (2014) Systematic regional variations in Purkinje cell spiking patterns. PLoS One 9:e105633
Blenkinsop, Timothy A; Lang, Eric J (2011) Synaptic action of the olivocerebellar system on cerebellar nuclear spike activity. J Neurosci 31:14708-20
Lang, Eric J; Blenkinsop, Timothy A (2011) Control of cerebellar nuclear cells: a direct role for complex spikes? Cerebellum 10:694-701
Marshall, Sarah P; Lang, Eric J (2009) Local changes in the excitability of the cerebellar cortex produce spatially restricted changes in complex spike synchrony. J Neurosci 29:14352-62
Hirata, Yoshito; Katori, Yuichi; Shimokawa, Hidetoshi et al. (2008) Testing a neural coding hypothesis using surrogate data. J Neurosci Methods 172:312-22
Sugihara, Izumi; Marshall, Sarah P; Lang, Eric J (2007) Relationship of complex spike synchrony bands and climbing fiber projection determined by reference to aldolase C compartments in crus IIa of the rat cerebellar cortex. J Comp Neurol 501:13-29
Lang, Eric J; Sugihara, Izumi; Llinas, Rodolfo (2006) Olivocerebellar modulation of motor cortex ability to generate vibrissal movements in rat. J Physiol 571:101-20
Lang, Eric J; Llinas, Rodolfo; Sugihara, Izumi (2006) Isochrony in the olivocerebellar system underlies complex spike synchrony. J Physiol 573:277-9; author reply 281-2

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